For a long time, the Mong people in Dong Van Karst Plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang have preserved a technique of casting a special kind of plough that is suitable for rocky soils.
With its high geological value, the plateau was officially recognised as a Global Geo-Park by the UNESCO Global Geo-parks Network (GGN) in 2010. It is the first certificate ever issued in Vietnam and only the second in Southeast Asia.
Over the years, the plateau has been home to several ethnic groups, but primarily the Mong people who survive by farming in rare plots scattered on rocky mountainsides.
The image of the plateau is one of an immense, rugged, rocky, mountain area with occasional strips of rocky earth dispersed between mountainous creeks and rivers. Predictably, it is no easy task for local people to farm here.
They cannot use the normal ploughs that are typically used in the plains because the ploughs simply break or are quickly damaged by rocks.
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| Grinding clay to make the mould |
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| Mixing the rock and oak charcoal flour to coat the casting mould |
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| Making the mould smooth with a mixture of oak charcoal and rock flour |
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| The mould consists of two pieces made from clay, mixed with charcoal flour and rock flour and then placed on a wooden stand |
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| Grafting two pieces of the casting mould using a layer of clay |
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| To cast a plough, it requires about 7kg of pig iron |
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| Pouring the melted pig-iron into the mould |
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| After three minutes, the plough can be taken out of the mould |
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| At the market, each plough is sold for VND350,000 |
In Sung La Hamlet in Sung La Commune, Dong Van District, the casting technique is now preserved by the Mua family.
The secret and experience in casting the firm and durable ploughs are handed down from generation to generation.
At first glance, the Mua’s casting technique appears to be nothing unusual, but in fact it consists of many interesting secrets.
For example, besides common pig-iron, they add other materials such as rock flour and charcoal from oak trees. Coal for firing the kiln is also from the oak tree.
After completion, the ploughs are kept in ash instead of water just like the traditional plough-casting method.
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| Thank to the special plough, Mong ethnic people can cultivate on the Dong Van Karst Plateau |
Despite harsh conditions, green corn and rice fields are seen on the plateau, promising to bring the local people in the border areas of the country a better life.
