The distinctive conical hats of Chuong village

The traditional conical hat-making village of Chuong is located in Phuong Trung commune, Thanh Oai district, about 30 km from the center of Hanoi . The conical hats from this village are famous throughout the country for five characteristics: strong, durable, long-lasting, elegant, and beautiful.

The conical hat is a simple symbol of Vietnamese culture. Photo: VGP/Thuy Linh.

Artisan Ta Thu Huong (52 years old) recounts: Making a conical hat requires 10 steps: crumpling the leaves, drying in the sun, drying in the dew, ironing the leaves, separating the leaves, breaking the rings, spinning the shell, sewing the hat, inserting the inner lining, splitting the brim, and layering three layers of leaves. To create a complete hat, the hatmaker must be careful in each step, patient and skillful with every stitch.

Regarding the specific steps in making the conical hat, Mrs. Pham Thi Nu (70 years old) said: "First, we choose the leaves. The leaves are brought back, crushed in sand, and then sun-dried until the green color turns silvery white. Then, the leaves are placed under a bundle of rags and quickly smoothed with a plowshare so that the leaves are flat but not brittle or torn. The hat frame is made of thin, evenly sharpened bamboo or reed strips; when joined, it must be round and without seams or bumps. Chuong village hats have 16 layers of frame, making the hat durable yet soft. Next, the craftsman arranges each leaf into the hat frame, a layer of bamboo sheath, and another layer of leaves, then sews. Sewing is a step that requires the craftsman's skill because if not done carefully, the leaves will tear."

The skill of the craftsmen in Chuong village lies in the fact that the stitches are cleverly concealed during sewing, so when you look at the hat, you only see perfectly even stitches… Once the hat is sewn, the craftsman uses sulfur fumes to make the hat pure white and prevent mold.

More elaborate hats will have colorful paper floral patterns or multiple loops of thread sewn in opposite directions to secure the chin strap…

Making hats is one of the most important steps in the process.

According to the artisans in the village, in the past, Chuong village produced many types of hats, used by various social classes such as the three-tiered hat for girls, the pointed hat, the long hat, the hidden hat, and the conical hat for boys and wealthy men.

During its development, Chuong village was a supplier of many types of traditional hats, such as the "quai thao" hat and the "nón lá già ghép sống" hat made from glued old leaves. The "quai thao" hat was worn by the elderly when going to temples, while the "nón lá già ghép sống" hat served women working in the fields because it was very sturdy and could withstand the elements, serving many different purposes.

Through the ups and downs of time, the craft of making conical hats is no longer as prosperous as it once was, but the people of Chuong village still diligently sew each hat, the elders passing on their skills to the younger generation, adults teaching children, and so the craft continues. They steadfastly and silently preserve the conical hat, which is both a tradition and a cultural feature that cannot be allowed to disappear.

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