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Today, Nguyen Long Buu is one of
the most famous artisans in the area,
but he remains unaware of the price
of his works. “If you want to know how
much something costs, you will have to
ask my wife. I do not trade, I focus on
carving only,” he says.
Carving passion
With more than 30 years of experi-
ence in sculpture, Nguyen Long Buu is
known to everyone in the village. He
was born here to a family with a long
history in marble carving.
Buu’s grandfather was artisan
Nguyen Chat, who drew praise from
Emperor Tu Duc. His grandfather,
Nguyen Binh, was invited by Cambo-
dia’s royalty to upgrade Angkor Wat
and his father, Nguyen Sang, was
named the most talented carver in
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ished the restoration various impor-
tant Cham relics.
Having inherited a talent and pas-
sion for stone carving from his forefa-
thers, Buu has created many outstand-
ing artworks. He has also developed his
own unique style.
“In my mind, the previous genera-
tions are grand trees that I must follow.
I do not think that I will pass over them,
but I am thinking to bring modern style
into the tradition, to be more creative
and motivated to develop this tradi-
tional skill, so that foreigners may know
more about the caving profession in
Vietnam,” Buu says.
Highly acclaimed
In 1999 the Asian Artisan Association
chose four of Buu’s artworks for parks in
Japan and Singapore. In 2002 he was the
only Vietnamese artist who participated
in a 15-country competition in Thailand,
where he received the silver cup.
From 2003 to 2004 he received
more awards and in 2005 his work
was awarded the Vietnam Star at the
Vietnam Cultural Day in Hanoi. In 2006
his work was displayed at the APEC
conference held in Vietnam. Danang
authorities recently decided to honour
Buu for his many contributions to the
country’s culture.
Another of Buu’s greatest honours
is that one of his Buddha statues is now
located in the area that suffered the
devastating tsunami in Thailand.
After more than 30 years devoted
to his career, Buu’s statues are now
displayed in Thailand, the US, the UK,
Canada, France, South Korea, Japan
and many other countries.
Buu has loved marble and carving
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his service in the army, he studied at
the Hanoi Fine Art University and then
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of marble never faded and 30 years ago
he decided to go back to Danang to
develop his career in stone.
“I am not simply proud of what I
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Buu says.
Following generations
He hopes his trade will be passed
on to the next generation and he is
thankful that his two sons are follow-
ing his career. One of them is keen
on trading marble, while the other
carves.
“I still wish to set up an art stone
park in this village, then every visitor
can enjoy different styles of stone and
understand our traditional profession,
helping us preserve it for the coming
generations,” Buu says.
Row upon row of carvings exhibit
the varity on offer in the village