Bringing the conical hats of Chuong village to the world.

Even now, in the memories of the people of Chuong village, Phuong Trung commune, Hanoi, the fact that a woman brought thousands of conical hats to the world is truly rare and beyond imagination!

Ms. Huong is in the exhibition space showcasing conical hats and introducing the traditional hat-making of Chuong village.

I was so upset I wanted to quit my job.

We encountered many grand and spacious houses, bustling shops, and a lively market. The conical hats made by artisan Ta Thu Huong stood out with their vibrant colors. I sat with her in her house amidst thousands of hats.

Ms. Huong remembers, very clearly in her innocent memories, the small house with nothing of value. Her mother, Mrs. Pham Thi Nu, now deceased, with failing eyesight and no longer nimble hands, guided her through her first sewing stitches. Every time she came home from school or had free time, she would sit with her mother in the cozy house to embroider beautiful hats that the people of Chuong village once had to trade for a kilogram of rice to survive. Mrs. Nu, holding a hat in her hand, reminded her: "You must pay attention to the stitches, because only with even stitches will the hat be beautiful."

Recalling 1998, she coincidentally met a customer who loved conical hats and placed an order for export… nearly 10,000 hats! Sadly, the more she produced, the more damaged they became, and the hats piled up in her warehouse were constantly getting moldy. All the hard work and investment she and many others had poured into it were swept away. Ms. Huong was so disheartened that she no longer wanted to pursue this arduous profession. She sat silently at home, gazing at the hats, her hope fading with time. Her mother's words from years ago still echoed in her mind as a source of encouragement. Meanwhile, her husband, Mr. Hung, kept running back and forth, sometimes going to the city, sometimes to the district market, hoping to find more customers.

Just when things seemed to be at a standstill, thanks to the timely encouragement of the Handicraft Association and the people of Chuong village, the couple was able to export more than 5,000 hats per month to many countries in Europe and Asia. When they brought home the first contract, the whole family couldn't sleep, staring at each other in disbelief. After months of careful planning, Ms. Huong decided to use her meager savings to expand production and hire more workers in the area. As a result, after many years, 60,000 of her hats were exported to Japan, France, Russia, Thailand, and South Korea. Every day, there are about 20-30 workers in her household. Each hat sells for an average price of 50,000 to 100,000 VND. Orders increased, and more and more customers came to buy. The achievement was sometimes unexpected for her: "I felt like I was dreaming, and at times I felt hesitant, but if I didn't do it, I would miss the opportunity," Ms. Huong said. Then, the conical hats from Chuong village were regularly flown to Japan, then South Korea, Malaysia... Each time, at important cultural conferences, "Chuong village conical hats" appeared, and the name of artisan Ta Thu Huong left a special impression.

Every time a group of tourists visits, Chuong village becomes like a festival. Visitors buy the hats, carefully examining each one and showering Ms. Huong with effusive praise. Ms. Huong gives each person a hat as a gift, without charging any money. For the rest, she only takes enough to cover her daily wages, regardless of whether they are strangers.

Inspiration from culture enthusiasts

During a business trip abroad, an Australian couple was fascinated by Vietnamese conical hats. They placed a large order. This encounter gave Ms. Huong her first idea to create more hats as works of art, such as: "Vietnamese Bamboo," "Dark Blue Candlesticks," "Four Mythical Creatures Vases," and "Ancient Indigo-Colored Cracked Glaze Jars with Dragons." On another occasion, Andre, a French national who deeply loves Vietnam and is passionate about conical hats, bought two silk hats and three others embroidered with images of maps, mountains, and Vietnamese villages. These stories were quite coincidental and fleeting, but they became a "bridge" between people who love Vietnamese culture... Thanks to this, every day, she continuously improves her designs to enrich her small works of art. She has transformed them into Bodhi leaf hats, lotus leaf hats, chin-strap hats, prop hats, and many other types of hats that embody the spirit of Vietnam.

From selling thousands of conical hats to the market, she gradually expanded production, showroom space, signed contracts, and purchased many supplies for the craft such as palm leaves, sedge leaves, straw, bamboo, sedge leaves, pandan leaves, coconut leaves, etc. Besides her main production facility at home, she also sells about 60,000 conical hats to the market each year. As orders increased, in 2000, she established a traditional conical hat collection center and opened free hat-making classes for students and schools in need. She also established a Bamboo and Rattan Conical Hat Cooperative covering approximately 5,000 square meters, including a craft village tourism point, a check-in and rest area for visitors, a parking area, and a packaging area for export goods. The "Huong Hat" facility has become a reliable destination and provides employment for many people, including the elderly and children, with an average income of 6 million VND per month.

She recalls the days when she was a simple country woman, struggling with the craft and always facing poverty. Yet, even she can hardly believe that she has managed to build a cooperative with thousands of households. In her village alone, she has 7 members along with many satellite businesses, producing 200 different designs. She buys and sells many products because she wants to help her fellow villagers, providing them with a relatively stable income, allowing her to use her free time, and also connecting the village with tourism.

It was late afternoon. Outside, tourists were still leisurely making their way to Chuong village. From the quiet and peaceful countryside, I could still catch glimpses of young women in flowing dresses, each holding a conical hat—a beauty beyond compare.

Text and photos: VU MINH PHUC

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dua-non-la-lang-chuong-ra-the-gioi-post918240.html