Yixing straw broom

(Baonghean)No one remembers exactly when the broom-making craft in Nghi Hung commune (Nghi Loc district) began, but to this day, people in the village, from young children to the elderly, all know how to make it. This traditional craft provides income and a stable livelihood for local workers.

Production of broomsticks in Xuan Son Broomstick Village (Nghi Hung commune).

We arrived in Nghi Hung on a sweltering day in mid-May. Under the scorching corrugated iron roof, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, wife of Mr. Ho Van Nhan in Hamlet 10, was nimbly weaving each bamboo leg to make the broom strong and durable until all the fibers were worn down. Their family is one of the largest producers of broomsticks in the village. Besides their craft, Mr. Nhan also travels to the mountainous districts of Quy Chau, Que Phong, Ky Son, and even to neighboring Laos to buy raw materials to supply to the villagers. Many households lacking capital are allowed to buy materials on credit by Mr. Nhan, with repayments made at the end of the season. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Nhan, many households in the village have access to raw materials, ensuring employment. Each season, Mr. Nhan buys 100 tons of raw materials for his family's production and to supply the local community.

Thanks to their readily available raw materials, Mr. Nhan's family produces brooms year-round. On days when they're not busy with the harvest season, he, his wife, and their eldest son can make 50 brooms a day, priced from 25,000 to 35,000 VND each. Every five days or so, Mr. Nhan makes a shipment to wholesale distributors in Cua Lo Town, Vinh City, and several districts in Ha Tinh Province. Although 44 years old, he has over 30 years of experience in this craft. This family-inherited profession has helped his family develop economically and support their four children's education. While not yet truly wealthy, Mr. Nhan is well-known in Xuan Son broom-making village for his year-round production of brooms, supplying large distributors. In 2013, his family produced 10,000 brooms, selling them all as soon as they were made. After deducting the cost of raw materials, they earned a net profit of over 10 million VND per month. During the end-of-year period, when demand was stronger, his family earned a profit of over 15 million VND per month from making brooms.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhu, originally from Nghi Thiet, married and moved to Nghi Hung 40 years ago, and for that same amount of time, she has been dedicated to making brooms from reeds to earn money to support her children's education and make ends meet. With a large family and only enough rice paddies (8-9 acres) to provide food and livestock, the broom-making business has helped stabilize her family's life. In previous years, before her children started their own families, she would buy 1.5 tons of dried reeds each year for them to make extra brooms. Now, only she and her husband are left to work in the trade, diligently producing 10 first-grade brooms a day, selling them for 35,000 VND each. After deducting the cost of raw materials (reeds and rattan), they earn a net profit of 170,000 VND per day. With years of experience and meticulous work, her brooms are durable and beautiful, and she receives orders every day. Some buy them for personal use, while others purchase them as gifts for relatives far away in the South and North of Vietnam. The simple broom, though not worth much, is a practical and humble gift from the countryside for every family.

With 40 years of experience in the craft, Mrs. Nhự shared: To make a beautiful and durable broom, the broom-making materials must be young, dried reeds to prevent mold, but the rattan fibers must be mature, flexible, and dried to ensure durability. The broom maker must carefully and meticulously craft each reed, each weave, and weave the reeds evenly. The more tightly woven the reeds are, ensuring even distribution of the reeds, the stronger and more durable the broom will be. The broom handle must be securely tied with a beehive knot to ensure it stays in place even when the reeds are worn out.

Mr. Dau Huu Khanh, in charge of the Xuan Son broom-making village, said: "The broom-making craft in Nghi Hung has a long history. In the past, local people used to go into the forest to harvest broom grass to make brooms, which they sold at markets to serve the needs of local people and neighboring communes... Hamlet 10 has 113 households, of which 68 households are engaged in broom making. The advantage of this craft is that the elderly, children, and even students can all do it. Making brooms is not difficult, but it requires the producer to be meticulous and careful in each weaving step to produce a beautiful broom that consumers trust and choose. Nghi Hung brooms are never unsold; everything produced is sold. The only concern for the workers is not having enough capital to buy raw materials to produce a large quantity."

Nghi Hung commune has two broom-making villages: Xuan Son and Khe Cu, with nearly 120 households engaged in the craft. Previously, the people in these two villages were the poorest in the commune. In recent years, the broom-making industry has developed, improving the lives of the people. They now have the means to build decent houses, purchase necessities, and provide their children with a proper education. In 2013, both villages consumed approximately 380 tons of raw materials for production, generating a total revenue of about 9.4 billion VND. After deducting production costs, the net profit was over 3 billion VND. However, the biggest concern for those involved in the craft is the lack of capital to purchase raw materials. The broom grass only grows for one season, concentrated in the first few months of the year, so people need a large amount of capital to stockpile. Furthermore, natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce, and without a solution for cultivating these resources, it will be very difficult for the future development of the craft village…

Quynh Lan