Travel to western Nghe An province to meet skilled craftsmen in traditional villages.

(Baonghean) - On the last day of the year, we traveled to the Mekong Delta to meet skilled artisans from traditional craft villages specializing in brocade weaving, incense making, and rattan and bamboo weaving. These are master craftsmen who have dedicated themselves to building and passing on their skills to future generations, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic minority communities in Nghe An.

Mr. Lo Hai Truyen, from Muong Ngoc commune (Que Phong district), is a skilled craftsman in rattan and bamboo weaving.

Mr. Lo Hai Truyen, from Na Nga village, Muong Ngoc commune (Que Phong district), is a skilled rattan and bamboo weaver. At 59 years old, he has been involved in the traditional weaving craft of the Thai ethnic group for nearly 40 years. Mr. Truyen said that in the past, he often wove items such as rattan trays, chairs, rice steamers, and baskets for household use and as gifts for relatives and friends.

It wasn't until 2006 that his rattan and bamboo products were selected by the district to be displayed at the Nine-Compartment Temple Festival. Since then, visitors from many localities have learned about his woven products and come to place orders.

During this pre-Tet period, demand is high, so Mr. Truyen rarely gets a break, working from 4-5 in the morning until almost midnight. Rattan trays are the most difficult and labor-intensive product; even after a month of weaving, he can only complete 4. If he focuses solely on rattan chairs, he can only make 15; and he can only make 15 sticky rice presses per month. In addition, he makes all the other products such as baskets, trays, carrying poles, and other items ordered by customers.

Now, every year, the traditional rattan and bamboo products he produces are displayed at the Nine-Room Temple Festival, the Hang Bua Festival, and most recently at the Sunflower Festival (Nghia Dan). Mr. Truyen shared: "After nearly 40 years of diligently working in the weaving craft, my back aches, my hands are tired, and my knees are weak. But if I stop weaving for a few days, I feel even more exhausted... Moreover, I'm doing this to preserve the craft for future generations. To date, I have passed on the craft to more than 50 workers in the district."

The craft of weaving brocade contributes to increasing the income of the people in Hoa Tien 1 village (Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district). (Photo: Archival image)

Ms. Sam Thi Bich, head of the Hoa Tien Brocade Weaving Cooperative (Quy Chau), is one of the province's skilled weavers. Born and raised in a family with a tradition of brocade weaving, she learned the craft from her mother at the age of 13. Back then, raw materials weren't as readily available as they are now, so Ms. Bich's family had to diligently cultivate cotton and raise silkworms to produce silk, spin yarn, and weave fabric.

In those days, according to Thai custom, before getting married, Thai girls had to weave dozens of skirts, blouses, cushions, and blankets as gifts for their husband's brothers and sisters in order to be respected by their husband's family for their diligence... Therefore, Thai girls all meticulously practiced the art of weaving brocade, and from this, the traditional brocade weaving village was established.

For Ms. Bich, who has been involved in the craft for nearly 40 years, brocade weaving has become like blood and flesh. She has mastered all the patterns characteristic of her ethnic group. She can't even remember how many skirts, blankets, shirts, scarves, etc., her hands have woven. The brocade patterns, rich in the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group, are largely preserved thanks to people like her.

Ms. Sam Thi Bich - a skilled artisan of Hoa Tien brocade weaving village, Quy Chau.

Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau district), has a long-standing tradition of brocade weaving, but it had declined for a considerable period. In 1992, participating in a brocade weaving project, the women received training and learned the basic knowledge of brocade weaving. From then on, the women of Hoa Tien village quickly began producing brocade as a commodity, reviving the craft. In 2010, the brocade weaving craft of Hoa Tien village was recognized as a provincial-level craft village by the Provincial People's Committee. Then, a village craft cooperative was established, headed by Ms. Sam Thi Bich, acting as a "facilitator" by supplying raw materials and guaranteeing the purchase of products from the villagers.

Passionate about her craft, Ms. Bich not only connects local farmers with buyers for their products but also enthusiastically teaches her skills to workers in her commune and other communes within and outside the district. Every year, through local vocational training classes, she personally guides and teaches her students. To date, Ms. Bich has trained nearly 1,000 workers in brocade weaving in the province.

Ms. Lo Thi Nga from Hoa Tien brocade weaving village was also honored with the title of skilled craftswoman. A Thai woman, she has been involved in brocade weaving for over 35 years. Her love for brocade has spread to many women in the highlands. Every year, Ms. Nga actively participates in teaching the craft to people in the district and other communes in Que Phong, Tan Ky, and Tuong Duong districts. To date, she has trained approximately 700-800 workers. She shared that perhaps the essence of brocade lies in the traditional dyeing method of the Thai people.

The brocade products are dyed with forest plants, resulting in natural colors. The lines, colors, and patterns displayed on the garments all carry specific meanings according to Thai beliefs. For example, green symbolizes life, red represents fire and blood, symbolizing love and desire, while black represents sprouting from the earth, and so on.

Mr. Hoang Nhat Minh - a skilled craftsman in the incense production village of Block 3, Tan Lac Town (Quy Chau).

For Mr. Hoang Nhat Minh, a skilled incense maker in Block 3, Tan Lac town (Quy Chau district), his passion for the craft has been with him since childhood. At 70 years old, with nearly 60 years dedicated to the profession, he is one of the few people who established the incense-making craft in Quy Chau. Born in Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen district), at the age of 10, Mr. Minh studied while also helping his parents make incense. In 1962, his father moved to Quy Chau district for work, bringing the whole family to settle there and the incense-making craft with him. At that time, Quy Chau had many agarwood roots. Mr. Minh went into the forest to collect the roots, washed them clean, crushed them with a hammer, then dried them and carefully wrapped them in plastic bags for storage until near Tet (Lunar New Year) when he would use the raw materials to make incense. Back then, making incense was only for his family and friends to enjoy. In 1965, several small traders, having heard of Mr. Minh's incense products, came to place orders to sell in the towns of the district. By 1972, incense had truly become a commodity; at that time, his family produced 30,000 incense sticks every Tet holiday. From then on, people came to his family every year to learn the craft, and incense production began to flourish.

Mr. Minh's facility currently produces 2 million incense sticks and 400,000 agarwood incense sticks annually, serving markets nationwide. Mr. Minh shared that incense making is a year-round activity, but during the Lunar New Year, market demand surges dramatically, requiring producers to maximize their production capacity to meet demand. However, to produce fragrant, high-quality incense, even the raw material selection process is very meticulous...

Despite remaining limitations and difficulties, the production of traditional handicrafts by ethnic minorities in Nghe An has developed into marketable goods, providing employment and income for workers, and helping villages to develop and integrate into modern life.

Quynh Lan