Traditional weaving craft: Thai brocade reaches Nghe An tourism

The traditional brocade weaving craft of the Thai people in Nghe An has just been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This is a worthy recognition of the cultural preservation efforts of the Thai ethnic community, opening up opportunities for community tourism development, creating sustainable livelihoods and enhancing indigenous cultural values in the integration process.

Preserving traditional crafts, spreading cultural values

Brocade weaving has long been closely associated with the cultural and spiritual life of the Thai community in Western Nghe An .

With rudimentary looms, skillful hands and the transmission of folk knowledge, Thai women create colorful fabrics with bold traditional patterns, containing the history, beliefs, aesthetic concepts and worldview of the community.

Many brocade products are used in wedding ceremonies, housewarmings, ancestor worship and daily activities.

Faced with the impact of cheaper and more abundant industrial products, the demand for brocade weaving has decreased. Meritorious Artisan Sam Thi Bich, Director of Hoa Tien Brocade Craft Village Cooperative, Chau Tien Commune, Quy Chau District, has made efforts to preserve and awaken the love of the craft among young people and develop tourism.

The local government also implemented conservation projects, provided capital support, provided training in silk dyeing techniques, and improved product designs and quality... from which, the brocade products of the Thai ethnic group in Hoa Tien became souvenirs and popular products for locals and tourists.

According to Ms. Sam Thi Bich, the special feature of Hoa Tien brocade is the closed manual process from preserving native silkworm breeds, growing mulberry, cultivating cotton to dyeing with natural materials from trees, tubers, and fruits in the garden and forest.

Currently, the craft village has created 52 natural colors to dye many different materials such as raw silk, silk, cotton and linen.

In addition, the Thai people in Hoa Tien also preserve the ikat weaving technique, a sophisticated weaving technique that creates sophisticated patterns from the stage of preparing the yarn. The products here have distinct characteristics: strong raw fabric, durable natural dyes, and meticulous hand-embroidered lines.

Ms. Vi Thi Hang, a resident of Hoa Tien village, said that since the weaving profession was restored, women in the village have had additional income during the off-season, from 2-3 million VND per month depending on the time and weaving output.

In Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district, Xieng village is also a locality that maintains the traditional brocade weaving craft well. Diverse products such as scarves, dresses, embroidered bags, wall paintings... all have typical Thai patterns.

"All women in Xieng village know how to weave and have sewing and embroidery skills. From the need to sell products, women from different villages and communes have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other through the activities of weaving groups and craft villages in the province, connecting consumption, learning about craft experiences, and doing community tourism," said Ms. Lo Thi Xuan.

Developing typical tourism products of Western Nghe An

The traditional brocade weaving craft has great potential for tourism development, especially community and eco-tourism. Preserving the craft not only preserves cultural identity but also creates livelihoods for local people, attracting tourists to experience and learn about local cultural life.

Many community tours in Nghe An have connected destinations such as the Museum of Ethnic Culture and historical sites with weaving experiences.

At Xieng village (Con Cuong), located on the tourist route to Pu Mat National Park, visitors can watch weaving, use brocade bedding, wear ethnic costumes, and learn about Thai customs.

Brocade products of the Thai ethnic group in Nghe An have become souvenirs and popular commodities for locals and tourists. (Photo: VNA)

Ms. Le Thuy Trang, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: “I was very impressed with the patterns on brocade fabric and was even more moved when I participated in the stages such as silkworm raising, silk reeling, and weaving. Each pattern seemed to tell a story about the identity and landscape of the homeland.”

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district said: "The brocade weaving craft village of Thai ethnic villages in Con Cuong is associated with eco-tourism, attracting tourists to experience the life of indigenous people and buy unique brocade products.

Preserving and developing brocade weaving has contributed to the tourism development strategy of the commune and district, creating stable income for local people."

With the desire to bring her hometown culture closer to the community, Ms. Sam Thi Tinh, daughter of the excellent artisan Sam Thi Bich, connected and opened two stores introducing Hoa Tien brocade products in Hanoi (Craplink and Hoa Tien Brocade), while promoting sales through e-commerce and fairs at home and abroad.

“I hope Hoa Tien brocade products will become meaningful souvenirs for tourists, thereby promoting Thai culture more widely. Currently, many products have appeared at night markets and souvenir shops in many provinces and cities, contributing to creating more income for people in my hometown,” said Ms. Tinh.

Currently, Nghe An province has 15 brocade weaving villages recognized by the Provincial People's Committee, mainly concentrated in mountainous districts such as Quy Chau, Que Phong, Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong...

On June 10, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the brocade weaving craft of the Thai people in Nghe An as a national intangible cultural heritage, a type of traditional craft.

Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An said: This is a recognition of the cultural preservation of the Thai ethnic group, an important bridge between traditional culture and tourism development.

Preserving and developing brocade weaving associated with tourism not only helps preserve cultural identity but also creates economic development opportunities for people and attracts tourists to experience unique culture.

To develop sustainable weaving with sustainable tourism development, mountainous districts need to form raw material areas, production-consumption chains, build brands for brocade products, and develop tours and tourist routes associated with craft villages.

The goal is to turn brocade weaving into a typical tourism product of the Western Nghe An region, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and sustainable socio-economic development./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nghe-det-truyen-thong-tho-cam-cua-nguoi-thai-vuon-tam-du-lich-xu-nghe-post1043692.vnp