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| Handcrafted flutes by Mr. Nguyen Van Tam |
Meticulous at every step
Inside his modest home in An Cuu Ward, the flute-making process unfolds through several rigorous stages. Mr. Tam selects mature bamboo stalks with appropriate thickness and length. After heat-straightening them, he uses a drill to position the finger holes before moving to the most crucial step: using a specialized sharp knife to carve, shape, and fine-tune the sound.
"Crafting a flute is not overly difficult, but making one with accurate pitch, a clear tone, and an effortless feel for the player is a different story," he shared. "Machines can help check the pitch, but whether the sound is bright and smooth—that is something only the human ear can feel."
These steps are repeated thousands of times, yet never done carelessly. For him, crafting flutes is not merely about making a musical instrument, but a journey of infusing emotions into every sound. However, preserving this craft has never been an easy path.
Amid a modern context, the manual flute-making craft confronts significant pressure from the market. Industrially produced flutes, with their wide variety and clear advantages in speed, price, and design, are favoured by many players. Meanwhile, for handcrafted flutes, the carving and acoustic fine-tuning alone consume the vast majority of the production time.
Though hard-pressed to compete on price and volume, handmade flutes maintain their status thanks to superior quality and the unique identity of each piece. "Every natural bamboo pipe has a distinct thickness, density, and inner diameter," Tam explained. "Based on those traits, the craftsman tailor-makes the instrument, adjusting the depth of each finger hole so the flute achieves its finest timbre." It is for this reason that many players, after trying his work, return to order more, drawn to the accurate pitch, pitch stability, and meticulous detail of every single flute.
Conveying a spectrum of emotions
Driven by a long-standing passion for the flute, Mr. Tran Van Trung from Thuy Xuan Ward currently owns several instruments crafted by Mr. Tam. Trung noted that each key aligns with different musical pieces and emotional nuances. Thus, he often selects a variety of flutes to deliver more versatile performances.
“I favor handcrafted flutes for their authentic tone and high level of finish. Every instrument possesses its own unique character, unlike mass-manufactured products that look completely identical,” Mr. Trung remarked.
Mr. Trung noted that beginners typically turn to factory-made flutes because of their reasonable cost. Yet, as their proficiency and pitch perception improve, many seek out handcrafted flutes. In addition to accurate intonation, each custom piece possesses a unique sound quality, enabling musicians to fully express their technical skill and emotions in every tune.
Beyond local flute enthusiasts, many international tourists also seek out Mr. Tam’s modest home during their visit to Hue. Mr. William Roberts, a traveler from the United Kingdom, spent considerable time testing various flutes before making his selection.
What fascinates me most is that the person crafting the flute truly understands and cherishes its sound. That gives every instrument its own unique signature,” William Roberts shared.
On average, Mr. Tam now sells between 60 and 80 flutes each month, priced from 100,000 to 700,000 VND apiece depending on the variety. This stable demand not only secures a livelihood to cover his living expenses, but also fuels his ongoing passion to pursue his craft.
Amid competition from mass-produced goods, flute handcrafting quietly endures through unique values that machines can hardly replicate. It lies in the meticulous precision of each stage, the exactness of every note, and the passion the artisan breathes into each instrument. For Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, more than a decade spent with simple bamboo tubes has not only provided him with a stable livelihood, but also helped preserve the beauty of a craft associated with traditional music.