Hung Long (Hung Nguyen): Escaping poverty through rattan and bamboo weaving.
No one knows exactly when the craft of basket weaving originated in Hung Long commune (Hung Nguyen district), but it is known that Hung Long has been famous for its basket weaving from ancient times to the present day.
Among them, Hamlet 12 is considered the village with the longest-standing traditional craft. The people of Hung Long consider the rice fields their close friend; year-round, they work with their hands and feet covered in mud. In their free time, they work together to create familiar products such as winnowing trays, baskets, and other containers, which they sell at local markets in the district and province. This place was once the headquarters of a famous cooperative known for its rattan and bamboo weaving, exporting to the former Soviet Union.
And it is this traditional craft that has ensured a livelihood for generations in this rural area. Families such as Nguyen Van Cong, Le Van Thoi, Nguyen Dinh Loc, Nguyen Quoc Phuong, Nguyen Thi Cu, etc., are considered to be among the families with the longest-standing traditional craft; they quickly escaped poverty and also became wealthy from this traditional weaving craft.
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Products from the Hung Long handicraft village's weaving and basketry industry. |
Mr. Hoang Nghia Nhan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Long commune, said: "Previously, people only wove bamboo baskets and other similar items to sell in Vinh City and surrounding areas. But nowadays, consumers are not very interested in bamboo baskets and have switched to using plastic and aluminum products."
Therefore, to revive the craft village, the commune has opened training courses in rattan and bamboo weaving, creating conditions for households to borrow capital to develop and expand the weaving craft with products that meet consumer tastes. In addition, the locality is also actively seeking markets for the products, linking with businesses to purchase products from the people.
Currently, the weaving craft continues to thrive and develop strongly, attracting 400 workers. The average daily income is 40,000 VND per worker. Thanks to this craft, many households have escaped poverty.
In Hung Long, Hamlet 12 is the most developed in this craft. Located outside the dike, the hamlet suffers from natural disasters like floods every year, so weaving has been chosen by the residents as a sustainable way to escape poverty. Over the past three years, in response to market demand, the hamlet has developed many more handicraft products such as flower baskets, various types of flower arrangements, wreaths, etc.
On average, workers earn between 1 and 1.5 million VND per month. Basket weaving is a supplementary occupation, allowing them to utilize their free time and family labor resources (from students to elderly people, everyone can participate). Ms. Phan Thi Thanh, who is dedicated to basket weaving, said: "Besides farming, basket weaving provides the main source of income for my family. Thanks to my good skills and hardworking nature, I earn an extra 1.5 million VND each month. In my hometown, that income is quite stable enough to confidently invest in my children's education."
Visiting the rattan weaving workshop of Hoang Minh Khanh and Nguyen Thi Yen (Hamlet 12) in the last days of the year, one can truly feel the bustling and urgent atmosphere: everyone is rushing to complete batches of goods to deliver to customers on time.
Realizing that simply producing basic products would make it difficult to reach the demanding consumer market, Khanh and his wife decided to visit several handicraft production facilities in the North to learn from their experience and familiarize themselves with market-based business practices.
After accumulating sufficient resources and securing orders, Mr. Khanh and Ms. Yen boldly opened a production facility and improved product quality, expanding their reach to markets outside the province. Currently, their production facility employs five main workers with an average salary of over 1.5 million VND per worker per month.
The flower arrangements, flower baskets, decorative lamp stands, etc., from Hung Long craft village have now spread beyond the province to the northern and central provinces.
Mr. Hoang Manh Hung, head of Hamlet 12 in Hung Long commune, affirmed: As a hamlet where one-quarter of the population follows Catholicism, thanks to the restoration and development of traditional crafts, the socio-economic and cultural lives of the people have become increasingly prosperous.
In particular, the percentage of students from the hamlet admitted to universities, colleges, and vocational schools is increasing. Social vices have significantly decreased, and the village roads and alleys are clean and beautiful. However, for the craft village to develop sustainably, Hung Long urgently needs the attention of the commune, especially the guidance of Hung Nguyen district in expanding its development into a craft village in the near future.
Thanh Thuy