Turning 'dry wood' into unique works, Thai Nguyen boy earns millions

Unexpected discovery

Although his parents were carpenters, Nguyen Van Huy (born in 1996, Phu Luong district, Thai Nguyen) did not follow in his family’s footsteps. He went to school, graduated, worked many jobs, and then became a barber.

One day, Huy accidentally saw a driftwood branch decorating his cousin’s aquarium. The young man was immediately attracted by the natural, rare beauty of this type of wood.

Huy researched, searched, and collected driftwood pieces to make miniature landscapes and decorative models for his home and fish tank. While arranging the driftwood pieces, Huy noticed that they resembled familiar animal shapes.

From this discovery, Huy selected pieces of driftwood and combined them according to his imagination to create unique, vivid animal models. Huy posted the finished product on social media to "show off" to his friends.

Surprisingly, the above products were loved by many people, who continuously asked to buy them. Realizing that grafting driftwood satisfied his creative passion and brought income, Huy quit his job as a barber to pursue a new career.

He bought driftwood in many sizes and shapes from Ninh Thuan province to create. After cleaning the materials, Huy formed a product idea in his head.

He searched for and selected available driftwood pieces, then joined and fixed them together with glue and stainless steel screws to resemble the image of the animal he imagined.

While assembling the wooden pieces, Huy did not build a frame or mold for the model first. However, after completion, his products are still considered beautiful, soulful and vivid as if they came from real life.

In this way, the young man created dinosaurs with sharp teeth, robots with vivid expressions, deer with majestic horns, peacocks, phoenixes with soft, graceful feathers...

High income

Huy shared: “This is a job that requires creativity and aesthetic sense. When working, the craftsman only uses available pieces of wood and then joins them together to create shapes.

Depending on the product to be created, the craftsman must find and look for suitable driftwood pieces so that when they are put together, they will create an animal model with the most natural and vivid shape.

I often spend a lot of time searching for and selecting pieces of wood that can express the shape, depict the face and eyes of the animal. This is the key point that creates the spirit and soul of the product.

Currently, Huy almost only works on orders and is always fully booked. Usually, customers will send Huy pictures of the models and miniatures they want.

Based on that image, Huy searched for and assembled pieces and sticks of driftwood to create the shape. During this process, the young man minimized the carving and chiseling of the wood.

Instead, Huy prioritizes choosing suitable wooden pieces, then arranging and fixing them skillfully to make the model as soft and natural as possible. Depending on the need, Huy uses decorative paint to add special details...

The young man confided: “Each product, I usually complete in 7-10 days, some products even take a month. Because only when I have inspiration, I can work. I do not force myself because the more I force myself, the more I will ruin the product.

Therefore, in addition to depending on the size, difficulty, and completion time of the product, it also depends on my mood and inspiration.

I always want to create products that are not only beautiful and sturdy, but also have soul and vitality. To me, they are not simply models but works of art.

Huy's animal models and miniature landscapes made from hundreds and thousands of driftwood pieces are considered by many to be unique and one-of-a-kind. Many players seek them out and order them.

Depending on the size and aesthetics, each of Huy’s driftwood products costs from several million to tens of millions of VND. This job also helps Huy have a stable income of 30-40 million VND/month.