Chieng Chau brocades establish themselves as popular products

10/11/2021 - 10:51:51 AM

(HBO) – The brocade weaving of the Thai ethnic group in Mai Chau district is a long-standing craft which has become a cultural identity of local people. Inheriting and upholding the craft’s quintessence, added with their creativity and subtlety, Thai women in Chieng Chau commune have created new products which still combine both traditional and modern features. Thanks to that, Chieng Chau brocades have become popular items attracting buyers in other localities as well as foreigners.

A tourist visits a booth of ethnic products in Lac village of Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district.

Established in 2013, the Chieng Chau brocade weaving and service cooperative in Chieng Chau commune firstly made such products as towels, fabrics, and traditional costumes to serve local Thai people in Mai Chau district. The development of local tourism has boosted travellers’ demand for these items, creating a driving force for local Thai residents to boost production.

In the past, brocade products were mainly blankets, mosquito nets, scarves, pillows, and clothes. At present, to meet customers’ demand, the cooperative has created new items like handbags, footwear, stuffed animals, and small souvenirs. Notably, its brocades are still made from natural cotton fibres and have production steps carried out manually, from spinning fibres, dyeing to weaving, requiring meticulousness. Machinery is only used to put final touches to products.

With the hope of making Mai Chau brocades, including those of the cooperative, be known far and wide in new markets, especially foreign ones, the cooperative has involved its apparel and souvenirs in Phase 2 of the "One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme since 2020.

Vi Thi Oanh, deputy director of the cooperative, said her cooperative always hopes that with diverse and eye-catching designs and practicality, locally-made brocades can gain a foothold in the market. Therefore, it has continually created new products matching the taste of different groups of customers.

Tran Manh Tan, deputy head of the agriculture and rural development division of Mai Chau district, said in 2020, handmade brocade products of the brocade weaving and tourism service cooperative in Lac village, Chieng Chau commune, were rated four stars in the OCOP proramme. This is a chance for the cooperative to continue developing their brands and expand the market, and it is also an encouragement for other production establishments to have right development directions to turn brocades into a tourism product.

To assist this cooperative to have the best products for the OCOP Programme, the district’s authorities provided it with 150 million VND (6,600 USD) in financial assistance last year, he added.

Bringing art to remote areas - promoting ethnic culture

Hoa Binh city - Vibrant community activities at cultural houses

Building a cultural conservation area for Muong ethnic group in Luy Ai hamlet

Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province, is widely regarded as the cultural heartland of the Muong ethnic group. Among its many traditional communities, Luy Ai hamlet (formerly Ai hamlet) stands out as a rare location where the customs and way of life of the Muong Bi people remain largely intact.

Truong Kha temple festival celebrates Muong cultural heritage

The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.

Hoa Binh city residents enjoy upgraded cultural houses

The demand for spaces serving community activities of residents in various areas across Hoa Binh city has been satisfied as local cultural houses now feature modern, spacious facilities thanks to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 49/NQ-HDND issued on December 28, 2021 by the city People's Council, which approved the plan for reorganising, converting, and allocating land for the construction, repair, and expansion of cultural houses in Hoa Binh’s villages and residential areas until 2025.

Enhancing cultural and spiritual life in remote and ethnic minority areas

At the end of May, the Hoa Binh Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe organized a series of performances for residents in Region 2 and Region 3 communes across the province. Bringing art to ethnic communities in remote, isolated, and especially disadvantaged areas has become a meaningful activity. These are not merely artistic performances but also journeys to disseminate cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.