My Time in Vietnam with Local Makers
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam and visit some local knife makers I connected with over social media. I was eager to learn about different cultural settings, observe the tools and materials they use, and experience their skilled craftsmanship.
Initially, I felt apprehensive and uncertain of what to expect. I had never met these makers before, and the country, language, and culture were all new to me. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the quality of work I observed far exceeded my expectations. Every workshop I visited produced knives that could easily rival some of Australia's best kitchen knife makers. Although they all had their unique Vietnamese twist, the designs were strangely familiar, echoing the Asian-inspired kitchen knives that have gained popularity in Australia over the last 8 years.
The first maker I visited was Tu. [Hanoi 1 Hour out of the city]
Tu was a younger knife maker who lived about an hour's drive from the city. When I arrived at his village, he graciously invited me out for breakfast. With the help of his wife as a translator, we began to chat. I learned that Tu had become passionate about knife-making over the last 4 years, teaching himself everything through the internet, as there weren't many local resources available to him.
His workshop was impressive, having 2 homemade kilns, a big press, a power hammer, 3 grinders, a disc sander, a drill press, and a few other small tools.
His speciality is brass/copper/steel Damascus cladding, and he loves experimenting to get different patterns. I was so impressed that we’re working on having some of his steel made and sent over for us to sell here.
Tu’s workshop was connected to a much larger one which had a laser tasked with cutting out farm hoe blanks and a range of other tools. His parents ran the factory, and in his spare time he helped out, using his knifemaking tools for jobs like welding, bending, and grinding.
We chatted at length using Google Translate about all things knives, what he makes and how, where he gets his steel from (USA and Korea), how he protects his knives from rust in such a humid area (glad wrap and oil), as well as a great many other things that I wish I had some way to look back on. Tu has even competed in BladeSports in Thailand, which he travelled to for.
As it was time to go, he insisted I take a small knife he made, and after shaking hands I was on my way home for the day.
Heres a link to Tu's Facebook Page
The second makers I visited were Luyến and Tiến. [Hanoi City]
Thankfully, on the day I visited them it started to pour heavily, which was a blessing as they already had the coal forge hot in anticipation of my arrival. We started to forge out a traditional tuna knife, which was absolutely huge in width. They too had the same power hammer that Tu had, but in their workshop they also had a GIANT induction forge and the largest rolling mill I’ve ever seen in my life. Luyến and Tiến are a powerhouse couple team that make knives full-time.
Now it’s important for me to note that I hadn’t been on the tools in a while by the time I got there, and I also hadn’t driven a power hammer in a couple of years, so I was a little out of practice. But if you’ve ever visited another person’s workshop I’m sure you’ve felt like your left and right hands have switched sides and you look and feel like a fool. I’m used to this experience, it happens every time I visit another person’s shop and I can usually laugh it off and push through. But with a language barrier this was a touch harder, and I have a feeling Tiến thought I was an idiot.
But we forged on! Tiến wanted to roll out a billet of steel to make it wider to turn into the aforementioned tuna knife. So he turned on this giant rolling mill, and I mean it’s giant. With a large motor and flywheel that had a completely ungeared belt, and big intermeshing gears to get the right ratio. It was impressive. I stood on the receiving side and Tiến fed steel through to me for me to pass back to him.
After that we went to the little hammer and forged out bevels. This was where Tiến probably felt most sceptical of my “skills” as a knifemaker.
(Tiến and Luyến, if you’re reading this, I promise I can make knives, I was just nervous.)
The other impressive tool they had was the giant induction forge. The water tank for this thing was larger than their power hammer and was capable of bringing reasonably sized billets of steel up to forge-welding temperatures. I was beyond impressed and jealous of all their tools at this point, but this had to be one of the coolest things they had. So we stacked up a new billet of steel and forge-welded it under the hammer, heating it up with the induction forge and fluxing. If I ever get myself a large blacksmithing shop one day, this will be one of the things I’m getting. I don’t care how much power it draws.
Tiến and Luyến were beyond gracious hosts. They took me out for lunch and made me feel very welcome—even if they probably thought I was a bit of an odd and uncoordinated weirdo.
As I was leaving, they gave me a bar of steel they’d made and a shirt!
Heres a link to Luyến and Tiến's Website
The third maker I visited was Tung. [Hanoi 1 Hour out of the city]
Tung was probably my favourite maker to visit. Again, we had pretty much no way to communicate other than Google Translate on my phone, but Tung made sure I felt welcomed and comfortable the entire time. He even opened a pack of new gloves and glasses for me while we forged.
Tung walked me through how he made his own special copper Damascus, from welding up the pieces to forging it out. Here in Australia and in the States you’ll see a lot of people freak out and stress over surface preparation when making damascus. Tung? Naaahhh!! Just slap the bent pieces of copper, steel, and whatever else you want in the vice and weld the bejesus out of the edges with the MIG so that no air can get in. The heat inside the billet will sort the rest out.
Tung was a specialist in making homemade kilns. He told me he showed Tu how to make his, and honestly the wiring on them was tidy. He’d recently finished a super long one for doing larger billets and some of the sword projects he’s been dreaming about for some time.
I still had two left hands on this visit, but Tung overlooked my lack of coordination and showed me everything he knew. This was the first opportunity I had to showcase some of my skills, as he invited me to grind a knife at his homemade grinder. Searching for a push stick, I couldn't find one, so I improvised with the end of a large drill bit. I demonstrated the push-stick grinding technique, and Tung seemed impressed. He tried it himself, and I hope he has continued to develop this easier method since then.
It’s so much easier than trying to hold your arms locked in place and grind the “normal” way.
Tung also had one of those mysterious power hammers. I asked him about them and he told me they were Vietnamese-made, which really impressed me. They ran so smoothly and quietly. I wish we had them here in Australia.
The billets we pressed out at Tung’s came out great despite my shoddy welding skills, and while we cooled down Tung drove me arround on his bike pointing out every single temple in the town (there were about 50) and the one Catholic church, we headed back and it was time to leave. Once again I was presented with a gift, and Tung really blew me away—he gave me a full knife he made, including a handmade box for it! This thing is gorgeous and I absolutely love it. I feel so blessed to have been given it.
Heres a link to Tung's Website
Conclusion
Witnessing the challenges faced by makers in Vietnam firsthand was an incredibly educational experience. It's easy to see people in other countries as "others," but meeting them in person and hearing their stories helps illuminate our shared humanity. The knowledge exchange and craftsmanship moved me deeply. I learned various tips and tricks and had the opportunity to share tools and materials I brought along, including teaching Tung how to push-stick grind.
Overall, this trip reinvigorated my passion for making and sharing that creativity with others.
Special thanks
To Tu, Luyến, Tiến, and Tung—thank you for inviting me into your homes, showing me your workshops, sharing a meal with me, and putting up with my awkwardness as I bumbled around your spaces and spent the day with you. I know how busy you all are, and I greatly appreciated how generous you were. The gifts you gave me are treasures. I can’t wait to use the knives and steel I was given. If I’m ever in Vietnam again, I hope to meet you once more. If you ever come to Australia, please let me know so I can show you around.
Heres a link to Tu's Facebook Page
Heres a link to Luyến and Tiến's Website
Heres a link to Tung's Website
