The shimmering silk weaving village of Luong
(Baonghean.vn) - Since ancient times, Dang Son commune (Do Luong district) has been known for its mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, silk reeling, and yarn spinning. Once upon a time, the vast fields along the Lam River within the commune were covered with lush green mulberry plantations; however, over time, the craft village gradually shrank. Although no longer as bustling as before, visitors to Dang Son today are still amazed by the shimmering golden silkworms and learn about the traditional "standing while eating" craft of the area.
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| In Dang Son commune, there are currently nearly 40 households engaged in mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing, and about 6 households involved in silk reeling. The work is not easy, as silkworms feed approximately every 3 hours. Silkworm rearing is therefore jokingly called "eating while standing," because no matter what you do, you must feed the silkworms at the right time to ensure they mature quickly and achieve high yields. Photo: Hai Vuong |
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| Here, households typically raise two types of silkworms: white silkworms and yellow silkworms. The white silkworms are raised for cocooning and silk production, while the yellow silkworms are raised for food. Silkworms are very sensitive to sunlight and pesticides, so they are usually raised in separate rooms with screens to maintain the correct temperature. (Photo: Hai Vuong) |
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| While silkworms are spinning their cocoons, breeders must carefully monitor the sunlight to ensure the cocoons dry and become fragrant, so that when the silk is spun, the cocoons do not disintegrate, resulting in lustrous golden silk threads. Photo: Le Thang |
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| A beautiful sight easily encountered when visiting the silk weaving village of Luong: shimmering golden cocoons and the radiant smiles of the kind-hearted silkworms evoke positive feelings in any visitor who has the chance to stop by. Photo: Le Thang |
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| Raising silkworms to produce cocoons and extract silk involves many complex processes. Previously, manual spinning wheels were used, but recently, machinery has helped, making the work less strenuous for the farmers. (Photo: Hai Vuong) |
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| The thick, delicate threads begin to be pulled up. Photo: Le Thang |
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| Ms. Huong, 53 years old, lives in Hamlet 4, Dang Son Commune. She says she has been involved in this craft for about 20 years, experiencing the ups and downs of this traditional village trade. Currently, she works 8 hours a day, earning about 150,000 VND per day. While not high, it's stable because the work is year-round. (Photo: Hai Vuong) |
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| From the time silkworms spin their silk until it is woven into fabric, many stages are involved: silkworm rearing, silk harvesting, silk processing, winding, spooling, setting up the loom… then joining the loom, and finally weaving. In Dang Son, silkworm silk is coiled into bundles or spools. Photo: Hai Vuong |
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| Silken strands, shimmering and lustrous, hang to dry along the village road. Photo: Hai Vuong |
