Thanks to the wide diversity of wood species and to the carpenters and joiners’ know-how, the houses, furniture and all the wooden objects are still made locally.
One of the most famous wood species in the Lao Cai area is peumou
(Fokienia Hodginsii), a species of slow-growing cypress whose wood is
rot-proof. Chinese buyers have been paying a heavy price for it for
over a century.
Using reclaimed materials, blacksmiths used to
make ploughshares, knives and trivets. Despite the competition of
industrial products, the high-quality knives and pruning knives made by
the Hmong are still much sought-after by farmers from all ethnic
groups.
Silver jewellery is still made by numerous ethnic
groups. The Hmong from Sa Pa and the Dao are renowned for their
necklaces consisting of several silver circles put together – the
weight of the jewel is also a wealth and status symbol as silver metal
used to be one of the main ways of hoarding wealth. The Tà y from Văn
BÃ n make beautiful silver bangles. Depending on the area and on the
subgroups they belong to, the Hmong and the Dao are distinguished by
the shape of their earrings.
