For over two decades, the Quyet Binh Coal Handicraft Workshop has echoed with the rhythmic sounds of chisels and grinders. Carefully selected, mature, impurity-free coal from deep underground mines undergoes dozens of painstaking manual stages to become intricate works of art. Over the past 20 years of dedication to the craft, master artisan Nguyen Xuan Quyet and his family have created thousands of artworks, ranging from sailing ships and Dong Son bronze drums to carvings of Ha Long Bay and the iconic Fighting Cocks Islets, helping bring Quang Ninh's image to the world.
By breathing life into blocks of "black gold," local artisans have transformed raw coal into exquisite handicrafts, creating distinctive souvenirs while anchoring the memories and cultural identity of the mining land across generations.
By Thien Trang
