Witnessing the rare remaining bamboo basket craft village in Phu Yen

At its peak, Phu My village had about 50 households with hundreds of workers making basket boats, but now only a few families remain, including Mr. Truong Van Trung and Ms. Truong Thi Bich Kieu.

At its peak, Phu My village had about 50 households with hundreds of workers making basket boats, but now only a few families remain, including Mr. Truong Van Trung and Mrs. Truong Thi Bich Kieu.

All the steps to make a basket from selecting bamboo, splitting bamboo, shaving bamboo to weaving bamboo mats, rigging, etc. are meticulously done by hand by the craftsman.

The steps to make a basket from selecting bamboo, splitting bamboo, shaving bamboo to weaving, rigging, etc. are all done meticulously by hand by the craftsman.

The raw material for weaving baskets is usually locally grown bamboo, which is very water resistant and has high flexibility, and does not break when woven.

The raw material for weaving baskets is usually a type of bamboo grown in the locality, which is very water-resistant and has high flexibility, does not become brittle or break when weaving. After being thinned, the bamboo is woven evenly into a basket grid. The craftsman will continue to shape the rim. This is an important step that determines the quality of the product, so that the basket after shaping must be round, balanced and not deformed.

When the basket is completed, the worker will continue to use fresh cow dung mixed with water to plaster both sides. This method is to seal the gaps between the bamboo slats. Two layers of dry cow dung are then followed by two layers of otter oil to complete the basket.

The waterproofing technique using cow dung and otter oil has been passed down from generation to generation, giving the baskets a beautiful color and preventing termites. This special waterproofing layer can be used in seawater for 4-5 years. If the basket is torn or punctured, it can be brought back and repaired.

The waterproofing technique using cow dung and otter oil has been passed down from generation to generation, giving the baskets a beautiful color and preventing termites. This special waterproofing layer can be used in a seawater environment for 4-5 years. If the baskets are torn, they can be brought back and patched.

A finished, quality bamboo basket for export to the market from weaving to completion takes about 8-10 days. The market price ranges from 1.8 million VND to 3 million VND/piece depending on the size and number of spokes.

Although it is hard to make a basket, the villagers of this craft live with an extremely unstable income. “Since the appearance of composite baskets (plastic baskets), bottle baskets have gradually become less popular. Most of them have quit the profession, switched to other jobs or gone to work far away,” Mr. Trung shared.

The income of households making bamboo baskets like Trung and Kieu mainly depends on orders from tourist businesses or just waiting for introductions to export to foreign countries. “Many times I thought about quitting the profession, but because of the tradition left by my ancestors, I tried to keep it,” Kieu confided.

The income of households making bamboo baskets like Mr. Trung and Mrs. Kieu mainly depends on orders from tourist businesses or just waiting for introductions to export to foreign countries. "Many times I thought about quitting the profession, but because of the tradition left by my ancestors, I tried to keep it" - Mrs. Kieu confided. To earn more income, Mrs. Kieu's family both produces and cooperates with domestic and foreign tourist groups to visit and experience.

Mr. Sidney Pool (a Dutch tourist) excitedly took a photo with Ms. Kieu, he shared: “A few days ago, I experienced the basket shaking activity in Hoi An. I felt very excited to come here and see with my own eyes the artisans making baskets like this”.

Mr. Sidney Pool (Dutch tourist) excitedly took a photo with Ms. Kieu during his trip to Phu Yen . The foreign tourist shared: “A few days ago, I experienced the basket shaking activity in Hoi An. I felt very excited to come here and see with my own eyes the artisans making baskets like this.”

Many photographers have come here to find inspiration for their work. Many of their works have won high prizes in photography competitions. This is an opportunity to promote unique Vietnamese products to the international market.