With just a few awls and a pair of scissors, these craftsmen can “patch up a life” for old shoes and sandals—and sometimes, patch up their own lives as well. This humble shoe-repair trade has seen artisans remain devoted to it for nearly 30 years.

A Family’s Traditional Trade

At an intersection in Mỹ Tho City (Tiền Giang Province), sisters Ms. Ngọc and Ms. Đào have spent nearly 30 years devoted to repairing old shoes and sandals. Thanks to this trade, they were able to raise their children to adulthood. Now, in their later years, they can still support themselves without depending on their children.

With deft hands threading needle after needle to mend a torn shoe for a customer, Ms. Ngọc shared that repairing a worn heel is fairly simple. First, she places a piece of cloth across her thigh, trims the heel to fit, then applies a rubber patch with adhesive to the more worn side to restore balance. Using a small knife, she cuts, trims, and shapes the newly attached section, carefully checks it, then adds another piece of rubber firmly bonded to the entire heel and glues the sole tightly to the shoe upper.

Thus, a shoe with a worn, uneven heel is restored to its original, level shape after just a few simple steps by Ms. Ngọc.

The investment required for sidewalk shoe repair is modest: a few plastic chairs, a small rack holding various old shoes, pieces of leather, knives, scissors, glue, pliers, needles, and thread—all costing around VND 500,000—along with a permitted, visible spot to sit and work.

Although it is merely a livelihood earned on sidewalks and streets, shoe and sandal repair provides a relatively stable income, averaging about VND 100,000–200,000 per day. It is not a path to wealth, but it is enough to cover daily living expenses.

Nearly all shoe repairers in Mỹ Tho share one thing in common: they earn a living through a traditional family trade. However, while earlier generations could prosper from making shoes, today their descendants can only make ends meet through repairing and mending.

The Trade of Patching Up a Life

After many ups and downs in life, Mr. Dương in Biên Hòa City (Đồng Nai Province) chose a corner of Tam Hòa Market as the place to rebuild his life through the trade of repairing old shoes and sandals.

In 2010, Mr. Ba Dương (56 years old) was granted amnesty and released from prison three years early. At the time, he had no wife or children, and his parents had passed away. Thinking that his life was over, he was unexpectedly helped by a kind-hearted person who gave him VND 1 million. With this modest capital, Mr. Ba Dương gradually “patched up his life” using needlework skills he had learned informally from fellow inmates. Although the income was not high, he felt his life had become more meaningful, gradually leaving behind his criminal past by being able to support himself.

Like Mr. Ba Dương, many years of repairing shoes and sandals for women at a corner of Dầu Giây Market (Thống Nhất District, Đồng Nai Province) have helped Sáu Thanh find purpose and fulfillment in life.
To repair a pair of shoes or sandals so they fit comfortably, the craftsman must be meticulous and skillful. The most important thing is ensuring a proper fit so customers are satisfied. The clientele of this trade is mostly working-class people and low-income laborers.

Whether business is brisk or slow, whether it rains or shines, the repairer still opens the stall each day. This work demands perseverance and patience—and the joy comes from caring for the feet of women, children, and hardworking laborers, which is its own kind of happiness.

Compiled by Bang Tam