Pham Ngoc Toan, 68, has been hand-making wooden stamps in the heart of Hanoi for over thirty years.

In his seven-square-meter shop at 6 Hang Quat Street in Hoan Kiem District, Toan makes and sells thousands of stamps to people from all over the world.

It was years ago when Toan decided to quit his job as a teacher to become a craftsman and continue his family's traditional stamp-making craft.

“I began to make stamps when I was about ten years old,” Toan recalled.

“Back then, stamps were not as varied in shape as they are now.”

The craft requires the artisan to meticulously choose the wood to carve stamps so that it produces 'soulful' print images.

Toan also does customized designs, including cartoon characters and family portraits.

It normally takes him around 15-20 minutes to engrave a simple stamp, though more complicated engravings require more time.

Each stamp sells for VND50,000 to several hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese dong, depending on the level of difficulty. (US$1 = VND24,000)

After more than 30 years of making wooden stamps, Toan is now worried that the craft might soon be lost.

He always welcomes those who love to learn the craft, and he even teaches others for free.

He also provides free accommodation to underprivileged learners and pays them for the products they make.

What he longs for is to find an apprentice to whom he can pass his torch.

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