Buying direct
Buying bronze direct from the foundry: step by step
What actually happens between a first enquiry and a container leaving Vietnam, and what the foundry needs from you at each of the seven steps.
A direct order runs through seven steps between your first message and a crate leaving Hai Phong. Each needs one specific thing from you, and the order stalls the moment that thing is missing. Casting takes 21–30 days; the steps around it decide whether that window starts on time. Here is the sequence, and what we need at each point.
| Step | What we do | What you send | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Enquiry | Say what we can and cannot cast | Models, sizes, quantities, finish, port | Same or next working day |
| 2. Quote | Cost metal, casting, finishing, crating | Nothing further | Two working days |
| 3. Spec sheet | Put every dimension and marking in writing | Signature, engraved text | One to three days |
| 4. Sample | Cast, measure and photograph one piece | Approval or changes | Inside the casting window |
| 5. Production | Mould, pour, chase, patina, photograph | Deposit; answers from the floor | 21–30 days |
| 6. Inspection | Check every piece, photograph, crate | Acceptance rule, inspector or video call | Two to four days |
| 7. Handover | Packing list, documents, load | Forwarder and consignee details | Set by your booking |
Step 1 — What to put in a first enquiry
The enquiries we answer fastest carry the same six things:
- What the pieces are — altar sets, statues, vessels, lettering; a photograph if you are matching something.
- Sizes, in centimetres or as the traditional size number. A piece called dinh 60 measures about 57 cm.
- Quantity per model. A range is fine; it changes how we mould, not just the price.
- Finish — polished, antique, or left to darken.
- Destination port and delivery term. Ours are on trade terms.
- When you need it on the shelf. Working back from that date tells us if the order is realistic.
Step 2 — How a quote is built without a price list
There is no price list because there is no shelf stock. A quote is built from the weight of metal in the piece, the casting and finishing hours, whether a mould exists or has to be made, and how it crates for sea freight. Change the wall or the finish and the figure moves — which is why a quote issued before the specification is settled is a guess. We answer within two working days of a complete enquiry; where something has to be weighed first, we give you the date instead of a number.
Step 3 — The spec sheet you sign off
This document decides every later argument, so it is worth an hour. It carries the nominal and measured height of each model, wall thickness, about 5 mm on our altar pieces and 8 mm at load points such as a foot, handle or lid knob; the finish; engraved text spelled exactly as it is to be cast; the tolerance you accept, given that 1–3 cm of variation on a large hand-cast piece is normal and over 5 cm a defect; and the crate markings. Sign it before the mould is dressed — after that a change is a new piece, not an adjustment.
Step 4 — Sample and sample report
One piece is cast, measured and photographed from four sides, with the inside of the foot shown so you can see the wall. You approve it or list changes; two rounds is common on a first order. On engraved work the text is proofed on a photograph before the mould goes ahead, because a wrong diacritic is a remake, not a repair.
It is also where we are straight about what we do not have. We hold no ISO or BSCI certificate — a village foundry our size does not — so the sample, the progress photographs, a video call from the floor while metal is poured, and the sets in our Nam Dinh, Hanoi and Hai Phong showrooms are the evidence we put in front of you. Still deciding whether we are a foundry or a trading house? That comparison is here.
Step 5 — Deposit, production and the 21–30 day window
The deposit starts the clock, and the clock is 21–30 days for casting. It runs from the day the spec sheet is signed and the deposit is in, not from your first message — which is why the earlier steps are worth doing quickly. Two things pause it: an unanswered question from the floor, and a change requested after moulding has begun. Use these weeks to plan your receiving end: a size 65 five-piece altar set weighs about 36 kg before crating, and weight decides whether your warehouse needs a forklift.
Steps 6 and 7 — Inspection, packing and handover
Every piece is checked against the spec sheet, numbered, photographed and crated, and the packing list carries measured weights, not estimates. You can accept on our photographs, send an inspector, or do it live on a video call — agreed in the order.
Then it becomes a shipment: the vessel is booked on the term in the contract, documents are issued to match the packing list exactly, and the crates are handed over. Freight rates and transit times come from your forwarder, not us; the customs side at your end is in importing bronze from Vietnam.
Questions buyers ask
There is no price list. How do I ask for a quote?
Send the six items in step 1. That is enough for a figure within two working days; anything less, and the first reply is questions.
How long from first enquiry to goods in my warehouse?
Casting is 21–30 days; the steps before it take one to two weeks if answers come back promptly. Sea transit we cannot quote — ask your forwarder and add it.
Do I have to come to Vietnam?
No. Most first orders are placed on photographs, a sample and a video call from the floor. You are welcome to come, and most buyers who do come for the second order.
Can we work in English?
Yes, in writing and on calls; spec sheets and packing lists are issued in English.
Does skipping the sample make it faster?
Rarely. It saves days at the start and risks the whole lot at the end. On a repeat of a model we have cast before, the sample can be dropped; on a first order, or anything engraved, it is the cheapest insurance here.
Start at step 1. Send the models, sizes, quantities, finish and destination port. Use the request a quote form or WhatsApp at +84 926 199 999; we answer within two working days.