Lương Văn Khiêm keeps the blacksmithing fire alive in Phúc Sen
Báo Cao Bằng has published a story about Lương Văn Khiêm (born 1989), who was born and raised in the Phúc Sen blacksmithing village, now part of Pác Rằng hamlet in Quảng Uyên commune. He has been working in traditional blacksmithing for more than 25 years.
Phúc Sen is known for its forges that glow red all year round and for its handmade knives and scissors, which are part of the cultural life of the Nùng An community there. Raised in a family of blacksmiths, he knew the sound of the hammer, the anvil and the heat of the fire from childhood. His first lessons were how to hold a hammer, how to build a fire and how to temper steel, but above all he learned patience and precision.
He has also been active in passing the craft on to young people, both locally and from elsewhere, and many of his students have gone on to open their own forges.
In 2019, the Phúc Sen Hà Khiêm Knife Cooperative was founded with seven members, creating jobs for around 20 local workers. In 2024 its products received OCOP three-star certification; in 2025 the cooperative was selected by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as an exemplary cooperative in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; and in 2026 Khiêm received a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.
What I like most is his view: keeping the blacksmithing trade alive is not only about making a living, but about keeping a piece of the soul of his homeland. As long as the forge keeps burning, he says, he will keep teaching so that the sound of the Phúc Sen hammer never falls silent.
Source: Báo Cao Bằng
Phúc Sen is known for its forges that glow red all year round and for its handmade knives and scissors, which are part of the cultural life of the Nùng An community there. Raised in a family of blacksmiths, he knew the sound of the hammer, the anvil and the heat of the fire from childhood. His first lessons were how to hold a hammer, how to build a fire and how to temper steel, but above all he learned patience and precision.
He has also been active in passing the craft on to young people, both locally and from elsewhere, and many of his students have gone on to open their own forges.
In 2019, the Phúc Sen Hà Khiêm Knife Cooperative was founded with seven members, creating jobs for around 20 local workers. In 2024 its products received OCOP three-star certification; in 2025 the cooperative was selected by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as an exemplary cooperative in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; and in 2026 Khiêm received a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.
What I like most is his view: keeping the blacksmithing trade alive is not only about making a living, but about keeping a piece of the soul of his homeland. As long as the forge keeps burning, he says, he will keep teaching so that the sound of the Phúc Sen hammer never falls silent.
Source: Báo Cao Bằng
Comments 0
Leave the first comment, in any language.
Log in to comment