Ms. Chieu Thi Ngan is passionate about brocade weaving.

According to Ms. Ngan, Dao girls must know how to embroider and sew before getting married so they can weave their own wedding dress. Therefore, as soon as she turned 7 years old, she was taught embroidery by her grandmother and mother. She was taught from simple to complex steps, from small details to how to dye faded indigo-dyed garments; she embroidered and sewed her own clothes to wear at home, to the market, to weddings, to the fields, to spring festivals, etc.

Looking at a woman's clothes reveals her skill and dexterity. Completing a traditional Dao ethnic costume requires many steps and demands carefulness and skill. Dao women usually take advantage of their free time between farming seasons to weave and sew, so the time to complete a costume is not fixed; sometimes it only takes a few weeks, other times several months.
Compared to others in the village, Ms. Ngan is not the most experienced in weaving brocade. However, according to the comments of the older women, Ms. Ngan's products have a unique character; the items she makes are all exquisite and beautiful.

Chìu Thị Ngân (on the right) has always been passionate about the traditional brocade weaving craft of her ethnic group.

Not only is she passionate about preserving and developing the traditional brocade weaving culture of her own ethnic group, but Ms. Ngan also collects and learns beautiful patterns and unique color combinations from other ethnic groups. Ms. Ngan boldly participates in training courses to improve her brocade weaving skills organized by government agencies and organizations, and then passes on her knowledge to other women in the village.

Ms. Ngan shared: “Whenever I have the opportunity to teach the younger generation, whether at home or in a class, I always try my best to pass on all my experience to other women. I always combine teaching with analysis, conveying the beauty and unique characteristics of brocade culture to the younger generation so they understand and feel responsible for preserving the cultural beauty of our ethnic group.”

Thanks to Ms. Ngan's dedication and the enthusiastic support of the other women in the village, young women in Nam Thanh village now know how to sew and embroider dresses and blouses for themselves and their families to wear during holidays and festivals. During periods of agricultural inactivity or during Tet (Lunar New Year), the women in the village gather in groups to exchange experiences and teach each other how to sew traditional brocade clothing.

The elderly teach the young, those with more knowledge teach those without… all the Dao Thanh Y women in Nam Thanh village are working together to preserve the unique cultural beauty of their ethnic group.

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