Ban Thach traditional mat village seeks to serve tourists

The glory of the past

According to many elders of Ban Thach mat village, the craft village was born more than 300 years ago. Some documents say that the craft village has a history of nearly 400 years, during the Trinh Nguyen conflict. At major festivals such as Hue Festival, My Son Impression or Ba Thu Bon Festival, festivals in the Central region, Da Nang... Ban Thach mats have been present. Here, in addition to displaying traditional mat products, with various sizes for sale to tourists , artisans also demonstrate the stages of mat weaving for visitors to admire...

Weaving sedge mats for tourism in Dong Binh village. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Dong Binh land and the surrounding villages of Duy Vinh commune used to be a sedge growing area of ​​tens of hectares, providing raw materials for mat weaving. Ban Thach mat village is famous for its white mats, flowered mats, carved mats, cotton mats, embossed mats... which are bright, beautiful and durable.

At its peak, more than 50% of Ban Thach village's residents were engaged in mat weaving. Ban Thach Market is a market, the only place in Quang Nam that sells only mats. This market has all kinds of mats, not only Ban Thach mats but also mats from places like Binh Dinh and the West with beautiful patterns, designs, and diverse prices...

Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc, a Ban Thach mat trader, has been in the business for 40 years, since she was a girl. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc, a mat trader in Ban Thach village, shared: “I have been in the mat trading business for 40 years. I don’t know if it is fate or not, but I have been doing it for so long. My mother was a mat trader for nearly 50 years here, and later I followed her profession. At one time, this profession was very fun, with a very high income. Our boats and trucks transported mats everywhere, from selling at Ban Thach market, to Duy Vinh commune, then Duy Xuyen district, to the South, to the North. But then, due to market fluctuations, consumers had many choices, so Ban Thach mats no longer had a place. Partly because the market demand was different from before."

People in Ban Thach mat-making village want to develop community tourism, which is also a way to preserve the traditional craft. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Every day, Ms. Ngoc collects 30-40 pairs of mats made by Dong Binh people to sell. Ban Thach mat village currently maintains 70-80 hand-woven looms, but most of these looms are only used by people to weave mats during the off-season or when there are orders.

Travel sedge mats in many sizes. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Efforts to find direction

Some households in Ban Thach village have tried to find ways such as investing in modern machinery and equipment for the sedge mat weaving process, improving labor productivity, creating new and beautiful products, but these establishments cannot compete in the market. Some sedge mat weaving establishments in Duy Vinh such as Mr. Do Hai and Mrs. Vo Thi Trang (Dong Binh village), and the mat weaving establishment of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Que and her daughter (Tra Nhieu village) are at the forefront of the trends and tastes of tourists coming to the countryside of Duy Vinh.

With the brand name “Ban Thach mat”, “Tra Nhieu sedge mat”, these establishments are one of the places that welcome tourists to visit and experience the mat weaving profession. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in nature, weave their own mats, small mats that can be held in hand as souvenirs…

The process of drying dyed sedge fibers. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Tourists are guided by artisans on how to split, dry, dye, and weave mats. For each group of tourists who visit, these establishments are often given profits by travel agencies and tour guides to the locals, in addition to selling products. The Ban Thach mat establishment of Ms. Vo Thi Trang, Mr. Do Van Dai, and Mr. Do Hai also produces large and small mats, with various sizes and sophisticated patterns, creating excitement for tourists.

"Each tiny mat, tea pot mat, rice cooker mat... is sold for 50 thousand VND/piece. On average, each skilled worker only needs to weave 10 products/day to make a living, not to mention other additional fees. Meanwhile, a skilled worker weaves 2-3 mats/day, after deducting expenses, only earns about 50 thousand VND/person/day" - Mr. Do Van Dai said.

Sedge field in Dong Binh, Duy Vinh commune. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Mr. Vo Ngoc Thai - Head of Dong Binh village, Duy Vinh commune said that the trend of linking traditional craft villages with community ecotourism development will help villagers benefit and be able to sustain their profession.

"Currently, some traditional mat weaving and wine making establishments can "survive" when foreign visitors come to visit and experience. However, only a few establishments have benefited, while the craft village still has dozens of households that still maintain the profession, and still preserves up to 70 mat weaving frames," Mr. Thai added.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/lang-chieu-truyen-thong-ban-thach-tim-cach-phuc-vu-du-khach-3154492.html