Con Cuong: The land of brocade weaving revived.

Thai women are skilled at rice cultivation and cotton farming, which they use to spin yarn, weave cloth, and find leaves for dyeing. The spinning loom is indispensable in every Thai household. From a young age, Thai girls are taught by their mothers how to weave silk, sew, and embroider. By the time they marry, they are already proficient in sewing clothes and pillows for their husband's family.

In the old days, life was difficult, and making a traditional Thai outfit required a lot of time and effort from the women, including growing cotton, spinning yarn, looming, dyeing with indigo, and embroidering. However, nowadays, mass-produced fabrics and Western-style clothing are readily available, beautiful, and inexpensive. As a result, Thai girls today are no longer willing to work hard growing cotton, weaving, and embroidering; the sound of looms is fading in the villages, and traditional dresses are becoming increasingly rare, risking the loss of their unique cultural identity.

To preserve and promote the ethnic cultural identity, Con Cuong district has implemented many support policies: coordinating with the provincial vocational school for small-scale handicrafts, the Department of Industry and Trade, and directing mass organizations such as the Women's Union and the Farmers' Association... to establish craft villages, weaving groups, and open many classes to teach brocade weaving to women in all 13 communes and towns in the district. These vocational training classes are free of charge and supported with embroidery and weaving materials. Thanks to this, the brocade weaving movement has been strongly revived throughout the district. Ms. Vi Thi Hong in Block 2, Con Cuong town, was the first person to revive the traditional craft. She established a weaving group with the desire to pass the craft on to her descendants. She encouraged mothers and sisters with similar interests and passions for embroidery and weaving to join the group, and the group's products are well-received.

From the weaving villages of Yen Thanh and Luc Da, to the weaving group in Block 2 of the town, the Hai Van Cooperative in Thuy Khe village, Chi Khe commune, has taken a new direction. The cooperative has invested its own capital in producing brocade garments. The designs of the clothing are constantly being innovated by the artisans, becoming increasingly suitable for the development of society while still preserving the unique characteristics of their ethnic group.

Along with the increasing number of weaving groups, the movement of Thai women wearing their traditional ethnic costumes has also gained widespread support. In particular, the movement of female students wearing Thai skirts at Muong Qua Ethnic Boarding School, as mandated by the school's Youth Union, has been implemented for many years with the aim of educating them about preserving their ethnic cultural identity.

Bao Ngoc