Women in Western Nghe An connect with others to bring brocade fabrics to a wider audience.

Being able to "know many people and travel to many places"

Traveling to western Nghe An province and visiting the highland villages, you'll often encounter a familiar scene: women diligently working at looms, the rhythmic clicking of the shuttles; others sitting on the eaves of stilt houses, intently focusing on each stitch. In their hands are vibrant, colorful brocade products...

Growing up surrounded by looms since childhood, accompanying her mother to the fields, crossing streams, and climbing mountains to pick mulberry leaves, raise silkworms, and weave fabric, the craft of brocade weaving has become very familiar to Ms. Luong Thi May in Nong village, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district.

“I knew how to weave before I even went to school; then, when I grew up and was strong enough to operate the shuttle and spin the yarn, my grandmother and mother taught me. Now, for more than half my life, I have followed and preserved the traditional brocade weaving craft of the Thai people. The only difference is that my grandmother and mother, who in the past hardly ever left the village and wove only for their families, now I and the other women in the village can travel and meet many people thanks to brocade weaving,” May shared.

Speaking further about the "traveling here and there," Ms. May explained: Weaving brocade has become an economically developed profession, bringing in an income of 1.5-3 million VND per person per month, considered a relatively good income compared to farming in this area. Through the demand for selling their products, women from different villages and communes have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other through the activities of weaving groups and craft villages in the province. This allows them to connect with each other for sales, learn from each other's experiences, and share their joys and sorrows. Thanks to brocade weaving, many women have become close friends, like family!

When we arrived at Buoc village, Bac Ly commune, Ky Son district, Ms. Vi Thi Huong proudly told us that she had just gone to Muong Xen town to deliver brocade goods and also shop for some household items to prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year). From Ms. Huong's house – the center of Buoc village – to Muong Xen town in Ky Son district is about 50 km. Each time they go, the women from neighboring villages of Bac Ly and Huoi Tu communes usually gather in one place to "collect goods" to supply to traders, or for the team leaders of the weaving groups to deliver to customers according to orders.

“Through this weaving profession, many women often have the opportunity to travel abroad or to other provinces to learn from experience and receive training in embroidery and brocade weaving, such as Ms. Tinh in Cau Tam village, Ta Ca commune; Ms. Lo Thi Mai in Na village, Huu Lap commune; and the women at Hoa Ban Xanh Production and Service Cooperative who specialize in supporting production and product consumption, and providing training and sharing on brocade weaving…,” Ms. Vi Thi Huong confided.

Connecting to help brocade fabrics reach further.

The Hoa Ban Xanh Production and Service Cooperative is the first organization in Ky Son district established with the aim of helping local women preserve traditional crafts and earn a living from them; bringing brocade weaving out of the confines of each family, and thereby helping women connect more with the outside world, especially the Mong ethnic women. Through the cooperative's connections, hundreds of households in Ky Son district have a stable income of 2-4 million VND/month, with many households earning a higher income of 4-6 million VND/month.

Speaking about expanding connections and earning income from traditional crafts, Ms. Lau Y Denh from Muong Long 1 village, Muong Long commune (Ky Son district) said: "Mong ethnic women have become more modernized partly thanks to embroidery, brocade weaving, and community tourism. They have become the pillars of their families, met many people, traveled to many places, thus gaining more social understanding and absorbing more advanced civilizations."

According to Vu Ba Xu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Long commune: The commune now has a lace embroidery village, the first of its kind among the Mong ethnic group in Ky Son district. Ms. Lau Y Denh's household is one of 135 households participating in the Muong Long Lace Embroidery Village, which was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee at the end of 2023. The fact that women have "upgraded" the traditional lace embroidery custom into a profession and a source of economic development opens up opportunities for people to escape poverty and become wealthy.

The households engaged in this craft are mainly concentrated in Muong Long 1 village. Initially, income from embroidery increased from 5.3 million VND/household/year (2021) to 14.5 million VND/household/year (2022). This is a considerable source of income for the local people, helping women in the highlands become increasingly confident in their ability to earn a living effectively.

Currently, Nghe An province has 15 recognized brocade weaving villages, mainly concentrated in mountainous districts such as Tan Ky, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Ky Son, Quy Chau, and Que Phong. Among these, Ky Son district currently has 10 recognized villages, including established and developed villages such as Na village in Huu Lap commune and Noong De village in Nam Can commune, recognized since 2010, and the newly recognized embroidery village in Muong Long in 2023.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) arrives and spring returns, along with the joy of dressing up in traditional clothes to welcome the new year, women in the villages of the Mekong Delta find additional joy in professions that promote ethnic identity, further strengthening their connection to their homeland through labor and production.