Preserving the traditional colors of the Red Dao brocade.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, the Red Dao women in Thom Luong village, Thuong Nong commune, still diligently work with needles and threads to preserve the traditional craft of brocade embroidery. From vibrant costumes with intricate hand-embroidered patterns, this craft not only preserves the ethnic group's cultural identity but also provides a livelihood for many families in the highlands.

Members of the Thom Luong Village Brocade Embroidery Club embroider together, exchanging experiences and preserving the traditional craft.

Preserving the national spirit

The village has 165 households with 782 inhabitants, with over 95% being of the Dao ethnic group. Despite facing many difficulties in life, the people here have preserved many unique traditional cultural features, including the craft of brocade embroidery.

For the Red Dao people, traditional clothing is not simply something to wear, but also a source of pride and a cultural identifier. During weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, the Lunar New Year, or village festivals, Red Dao women wear elaborately embroidered outfits in striking red hues. Each outfit preserves the cultural values ​​of the Red Dao people through generations.

Despite being over 60 years old, Mrs. Hoang Thi Lai's hands still nimbly thread needles and weave threads. According to Mrs. Lai, completing a traditional costume takes several months with many meticulous steps. Each costume features intricate patterns combined with silver jewelry. Many motifs, such as multi-pointed stars, symbolize the power of nature, the universe, and the aspiration for a prosperous and peaceful life.

"In the past, almost all Red Dao women knew how to spin yarn, weave fabric, dye with indigo, and embroider clothing. Before getting married, a girl had to prepare clothes for herself and her family herself. Therefore, embroidery was not only a daily task but also a measure of a woman's skill and diligence," Mrs. Lai added.

To this day, many families in Thom Luong still maintain the tradition of passing down the craft to their children and grandchildren. Outside of school hours or on weekends, many children as young as 7 or 8 years old are guided by their grandmothers and mothers, learning each stitch. The patterns on headscarves, belts, and aprons, such as birds, leaves, flowers, and plows, are all connected to the working life, beliefs, and long-standing customs of the Red Dao people.

Red Dao women in Thom Luong village wear traditional clothing on holidays, festivals, and village celebrations.

Creating livelihoods from traditional crafts

Through shared embroidery sessions to exchange experiences, Ms. Ban Thi Chieu encouraged many women in the village to participate in preserving the craft. In September 2022, the Thom Luong Village Brocade Embroidery Club was established with 22 members, and has since grown to over 40 members, maintaining regular meetings twice a month.

According to Ms. Ban Thi Chieu, the head of the club, since its establishment, many women have found stable employment, earning between 4 and 6 million VND per person per month. The products are mainly made to order, so they are always in short supply to meet market demand. Many families have improved their lives and gradually escaped poverty thanks to the brocade embroidery craft.

Ms. Trieu Thi Huong shared that her family used to be classified as a poor household, and their lives depended entirely on farming, making life very difficult. Since joining the club, in addition to farming, she takes advantage of her free time to embroider brocade to increase her income. Each month, she earns a few million dong from embroidery, enough to cover her family's living expenses. "Having extra income and getting to socialize and learn makes me very happy," Ms. Huong said.

Currently, the range of brocade products in Thom Luong is increasingly diverse, including traditional clothing, bags, scarves, belts, keychains, etc. A complete outfit costs from 9.5 to 11 million VND, a bag costs around 400,000 VND, and many smaller items cost only a few tens of thousands of VND, making them suitable for the needs of tourists and the market. The products are sold in many provinces such as Cao Bang , Thai Nguyen, Lang Son, and Lai Chau.

Comrade Nguyen Anh Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuong Nong commune, said that the locality has many preserved traditional cultural values ​​such as costumes, stilt houses, cuisine , Pao Dung singing, bell dance, rice pounding festival... This is an advantage for developing community tourism associated with the consumption of local products. The commune is also orienting the development of brocade embroidery associated with OCOP products to increase income and sustainably reduce poverty for the people.

Besides creating jobs and increasing income for women in the highlands, the art of brocade embroidery also contributes to preserving the cultural values ​​of the Red Dao people. Amidst modern life, the women of Thom Luong still persevere with their needles and threads, keeping the traditional brocade colors from fading in their highland village.

Text and photos: Nhu Quynh

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/du-lich/202605/giu-sac-tho-cam-dao-do-5647564/