Unique hat made from water fern

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung introduces the hat product made from water fern after completion.

While checking the hats that the workers had just woven, Ms. Le Thi Kim Thoa - Director of the Cooperative shared: "The hat products made from water fern have been made since 2024 and have been maintained continuously thanks to the raw materials purchased directly from the locality. The hats are woven from water fern, keeping their natural color after drying in the sun, absolutely no dyes are used."

Even without a shaping frame, the bon bon hat still has harmonious, soft lines. Each leaf is woven tightly and evenly, requiring the craftsman to have skillful, meticulous techniques and good hand strength. As one of the long-time hat weavers, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung is not only proficient in weaving techniques from water hyacinth and bon bon, but also directly instructs new workers. With her hands skillfully weaving the hat, Ms. Nhung enthusiastically said: “Dried bon bon stems are longer and tougher than water hyacinth, so bon bon hats are more durable. In addition to plain hats, we can also add motifs such as flowers, butterflies, hat straps... according to customer requests to create fashionable products.”

According to Ms. Nhung, to complete a bon bon hat, it takes many steps: Selecting leaves that meet the standards, drying them in the sun for over 3 days, stripping the leaves into individual pieces (3 - 5cm wide), then weaving them by hand. Skilled workers can complete a hat in 2 - 3 hours, on average each person can weave 4 - 5 hats/day.

Bon bon hats are currently sold for about 100,000 VND each. Many travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and other provinces such as Phu Quoc and Ha Tien come to the Cooperative to order raw hats to bring back for further processing and sale to tourists. Northern customers and international tourists are very fond of the product because of its durability, aesthetics and unique rustic features.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thong - Secretary of Ruong Sa 2 Hamlet Party Cell said: "Not only creating a stable output for water hyacinth, hat weaving also creates jobs for many female workers in the locality. The work is light, flexible in time, suitable for women with young children, middle-aged women... On average, each worker has an income of about 5 million VND/month". In the coming time, Ruong Sa 2 Hamlet Party Cell will continue to support the cooperative to promote products through fairs, e-commerce platforms and expand the output for handicrafts made from water hyacinth and water hyacinth, contributing to the implementation of local socio -economic development goals.

In addition to hat products, the Cooperative is researching and developing more handicraft products from water fern such as handbags, cosmetic baskets, and household items to diversify products and increase competitiveness in the market.

Article and photos: TUONG VI

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/doc-dao-non-lam-tu-bon-bon-a424662.html