This is the story of Thanh Oai commune – a land renowned for its traditional conical hat-making craft. Here, the Thu Huong Bamboo and Rattan Conical Hat Cooperative is honored to be one of 10 outstanding collectives awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Hanoi City Women's Union for its efforts in implementing the Project to support cooperatives managed by women, creating jobs for female workers.
A fortunate encounter with the conical hats of Chuong village.
It is often said that the profession chooses the person, but for artisan Ta Thu Huong - a daughter born and raised in the cradle of Chuong conical hat village (Thanh Oai commune), it seems like a "blessed destiny" that was predetermined.
Driven by a deep love for the conical hat, Ms. Huong refused to let this traditional product remain confined within the village's bamboo fence. She tirelessly strived to bring these handcrafted hats to the forefront, beyond the boundaries of a single craft village. At many key cultural events and promotional programs in the city, Ms. Huong's hat display booth always became the center of attention.
Sharing with a reporter from Hanoi Moi Newspaper, Ms. Ta Thu Huong confided: "Behind a beautiful conical hat lies the meticulous work of the craftsman, the love they pour into every stitch."
Making a conical hat requires many meticulous and careful steps. Even in this technological age, these hat-making processes are almost entirely preserved using traditional methods. A skilled craftsman can only make one good conical hat a day, from the stages of splitting the leaves, ironing them, and shaping the rings... Modern machinery cannot match the intricacy and the delicate touch of a skilled craftsman's hands.
Having dedicated many years to the craft, experiencing both ups and downs, this artisan's love for conical hats has never diminished, but rather grown stronger. She is always deeply concerned about the development of the local hat-making industry. More than anyone else, she understands that to thrive, one must be a pioneer, daring to take risks, confront difficulties, and face the harsh realities of the market.
With her own determination and the encouragement and support of the Women's Union at all levels, the Thu Huong Bamboo and Rattan Hat Cooperative was established in 2023. As the person "at the helm," Ms. Huong traveled extensively both domestically and internationally, bringing her Chuong village's conical hats to showcase at every fair and exhibition.
Thanks to persistent efforts, the conical hats from Chuong village have been well-received by the market. Not only domestically, the cooperative's conical hats have been exported abroad, leaving a strong mark of Chuong village... Through innovation, the cooperative's conical hats achieved OCOP 4-star rating in 2024.
From Chuong village, conical hats, imbued with the spirit of Vietnam, have traveled with tourists to many places around the world . On average, the production facility of artisan Ta Thu Huong exports 5,000-6,000 silk and embroidered hats depicting landscapes to Japan, South Korea, and Europe each year. This not only brings in a high income for her family but also creates jobs for 30 regular workers with an average salary of 5-6 million VND per person per month. In addition, the female artisan also runs classes teaching conical hat making to hundreds of workers in the commune and surrounding areas...
Sharing and supporting women entrepreneurs.
With the development of the Cooperative and the support and assistance of the local government, the Cooperative's business activities are also linked to experiential tourism tours. Many foreign tourist groups have come to Chuong village, wanting to participate firsthand in the hat-making process and witness the skill of the artisans... As a result, Chuong village has become more vibrant, and the services have also expanded accordingly.
The visiting delegations not only bring revenue to the locality, but also bring about a change in awareness, a change in service delivery methods, and a change in how people cherish and preserve the brand of the craft village. At this point, these benefits are no longer solely for the Cooperative, but have become benefits for the community. Ms. Ta Thu Huong shared: "We have to work alongside the women, we have to struggle to find markets for their products. We have to create stable income from the craft so that the women will be committed and passionate about it."
It is known that, in the past, the Cooperative has closely coordinated with the Women's Union of the commune to disseminate policies and guidelines supporting women's entrepreneurship and economic development; sent members to participate in business startup training courses; the "Smart Entrepreneurship for Women" program organized by Thanh Oai district (formerly); actively participated in major fairs and exhibitions to promote traditional conical hats and rattan products; and created jobs for women in the commune and local branches. In particular, the Cooperative has helped three women start businesses with a model of displaying and selling conical hats and rattan products. The Cooperative's activities have contributed to increasing income, promoting entrepreneurship, and developing traditional crafts for local women.
According to Nguyen Thi Hong, Chairwoman of the Thanh Oai Commune Women's Union, in implementing Decision No. 939/QD-UBND dated June 30, 2017, of the Prime Minister approving the Project "Supporting women's entrepreneurship in the period 2017 - 2025," the Thanh Oai Commune Women's Union has supported women in developing cooperatives owned by women.
Accordingly, many activities have been "activated" to support women in starting businesses and developing the economy. Among them, the Bamboo and Rattan Hat Cooperative, owned by Ms. Ta Thu Huong, is a prominent highlight in the locality. The Women's Union of the commune has collaborated with the cooperative and several other businesses to create seasonal jobs for nearly 100 local workers during the off-season, helping to increase income for local people.
In addition, the Women's Union of the commune also helps women access credit sources, promotes and guides them in applying digital transformation, and introduces handicraft products on e-commerce platforms... This activity helps women keep pace with the development of society, while also increasing the promotion of the handicraft brand.
“Currently, we are also developing several ideas to promote local products to the market both broadly and deeply. We will focus on solutions to provide women with more opportunities to develop economically and further spread the beauty of Chuong conical hat making village,” emphasized Nguyen Thi Hong, President of the Women's Union of Thanh Oai commune.
In those simple, rustic conical hats, we see not only the essence of craftsmanship but also the image of the talented Vietnamese woman, who knows how to cherish heritage and build the future.
The fact that the Thu Huong Bamboo and Conical Hat Cooperative introduces jobs for women in the village and commune, while also helping them access knowledge about management, digital technology applications, and e-commerce, clearly demonstrates the role of women in Hanoi: both preserving traditional crafts and pioneering in the development of the digital economy, making positive contributions to the new rural development program and sustainable poverty reduction.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nang-cao-quyen-nang-cua-phu-nu-trong-giam-ngheo-bai-3-nguoi-giu-lua-dam-me-tao-sinh-ke-ben-vung-voi-non-la-lang-chuong-726375.html
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