Coal handicrafts

When traveling to Ha Long, tourists always want to find for themselves special souvenirs as gifts for their loved ones. In addition to natural pearl bracelets, a gift that is quite popular with many people, another gift that many international tourists buy is sculptures from coal.

Coal art crafting appeared in Quang Ninh since the early 20th century, introduced by the French, but now there are only 7 households in the province still working. Because coal-based handicrafts are very picky, besides, the manufacturing work is also hard, dusty and all stages have to be done manually, so only those who love the job are still maintained. The coals after being brought to the workshop, through the creative mind and skillful hands of the sculptor, have brought their own beauty and high aesthetic value. To make a coal work, choosing coal is very important, the coal must be old, shiny and smooth to be able to do it. Quang Ninh is known as the region with the largest coal reserves in the country, but not all coal mines can do it, only coal in Deo Nai and Coc Sau mines is of sufficient quality to shape and create blocks. After selecting the coal, the worker will saw the coal to get the desired size, followed by the chisel and grinding stage, to create the final shape, it must go through the sanding and polishing stage. All of the above steps are done without using machines, all by hand. After finishing these stages, visitors will be surprised when the rough black coals have become very beautiful and lively statues. Not only is it a traditional occupation associated with the history of coal industry development, but coal handicraft products have become a unique tourist product known to many international tourists.