A woman in An Giang has been sewing national flags for over 30 years.

These days, in the small house of Ms. Nguyen Kieu Thu in Thanh Dong commune (An Giang province), the sound of sewing machines resonates steadily. Ms. Thu and her fellow seamstresses are diligently cutting fabric and sewing hammer and sickle and golden star designs to complete thousands of Party flags and national flags for local agencies and departments to display in celebration of the Party Congress at all levels and the National Day on September 2nd.

Ms. Nguyen Kieu Thu has been involved in the business of sewing Party flags and national flags for over 30 years.

A special connection with the profession.

Ms. Thu is currently an officer in the Party Building Committee of Thanh Dong commune. Previously, she worked for many years in the propaganda and mass mobilization sector. For over 30 years, she has maintained a special passion for flag making.

While carefully arranging the newly sewn flags ready to be sent to the Kien Hai Special Zone, she emotionally shared: " Sewing flags came to me like a destiny. It's a source of pride, a love for the homeland, and it contributes to creating additional income for the people in the commune, helping to stabilize their lives."

Having been involved in flag-making for over 30 years, for Ms. Thu, it's not just a job, but also a journey of preserving and spreading love for her country.

Ms. Thu's passion for this unique profession began in 1992. At that time, she worked in Thanh Dong A commune and was assigned the task of buying Party flags and national flags to display at the office. Seeing that the flags bought weren't very attractive, and with her existing sewing skills, she decided to make them herself. She measured every inch of fabric, carefully drew the star on paper, and bought fabric to sew a trial. The first national flag she made was quite well-made, further strengthening her belief in the profession.

To create a beautiful flag, she had to persevere through many failures. From choosing durable, colorfast fabric to measuring, cutting, and sewing, everything required meticulous attention to detail. " The most difficult part of sewing the Party flag and the national flag is creating the hammer and sickle and the star; they have to be assembled skillfully and symmetrically so that when hung, the flag looks beautiful and dignified," Ms. Thu shared.

Ms. Nguyen Kieu Thu feels proud to see the flags she sewed flying in her hometown.

Keeping the passion for the craft alive over time.

Over more than 30 years, through research and patient learning, Ms. Thu has perfected a flag-making process consisting of eight steps, from cutting the fabric, sewing the edges, gluing and sewing the stars, hammer and sickle, to ironing the finished product flat. As a result, the flags she makes are increasingly sophisticated and are ordered by many localities in An Giang province.

Ms. Thu irons the products flat before delivering them to customers.

Ms. Thu has passed on her sewing skills to many young people, union members, and elderly people in the commune. Currently, she provides regular employment for about 10 local workers, each earning between 3 and 5 million VND per month. “Sewing flags requires meticulous attention to detail, but those who love the craft find it not difficult. Thanks to sewing, I earn an extra 3-5 million VND per month; that income is sufficient to live on in rural areas,” said Ms. Doan Thi Minh Ha, a resident of Thanh Dong commune.

The craft of sewing Party flags and national flags allows Ms. Thu to express her love for her country and create jobs for rural workers.

Women in Thanh Dong commune are sewing banners at Thu's small house these days.

These banners are being prepared for distribution to agencies and departments in An Giang province.

Besides sewing Party flags and national flags, Ms. Thu also makes many other types of flags such as pennants, string flags, and table flags. These days, thousands of Party flags and national flags sewn by her are supplied to agencies and departments in the province, and sent to coastal, island, border, and remote areas in An Giang province to be displayed to celebrate important events of the country and the locality.

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"For me, over 30 years of working as a flag maker is not just a job, but also a journey of preserving and spreading love for the homeland, so that every flag that flies carries with it a sense of pride," shared Ms. Thu.

Text and photos: THU OANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-o-an-giang-hon-30-nam-may-co-to-quoc-a426700.html