The rhythm of life in the conical hat-making village.

In Truong Van commune, there are winter mornings when the sun rises very slowly. The light is just enough for people to open their windows, sit and sew conical hats, and listen to the gentle breeze rustling through the verandas. In that setting, the conical hat appears not only as a handcrafted product, but also as a part of the village's memory.

Ms. Ngo Thi Toan, owner of Hung Toan conical hat production facility, finishes the product.

The "torchbearers"

Since around 1867, the craft of making conical hats in Truong Giang has been established and deeply intertwined with the lives of the local people. Although the place name changed when Truong Giang merged with neighboring communes to form the present-day Truong Van commune, the conical hat remains, like an underground lifeline sustaining countless lives.

According to local elders, in the beginning, Mr. Le Van Huay, originally from Ky Anh ( Ha Tinh province ) and belonging to the Le Van family, was the one who brought the hat-making craft to Tuy Hoa village (now divided into Tuy Hoa and Dong Hoa hamlets), thus initiating the formation of Truong Giang hat-making. However, for the craft to take root and become a sustainable livelihood for the people, the role of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuan, daughter-in-law of the Le Van family, is mentioned as a crucial milestone. From her first stitches, the hat-making craft was passed down to her descendants within the family, then spread to other families in the village, enduring in Truong Giang for over a century. Although there are no stone tablets or written documents recording the details, in the memory of the people of Truong Giang, the image of Mrs. Thuan sitting quietly sewing hats on the porch is still remembered as a symbol of the origin and preservation of the craft. Building upon that foundation of traditional craftsmanship, Truong Giang conical hats have gradually affirmed their position as a traditional craft village, receiving recognition in the following ways: In 2014, they were recognized as a traditional craft village; in 2015, Truong Giang conical hats were among the top 100 famous brands nationwide; and in 2016, they were further certified for collective trademark protection.

Drawing from historical stories, Mr. Le Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Public Administrative Service Center of Truong Van Commune and Vice President of the Truong Giang Conical Hat Production Association, led us back to the present-day life of the conical hat-making village. Our first stop was the house of Ms. Le Thi Ly (born in 1958), located right on the main road. The windows were wide open, letting in plenty of sunlight and fresh air. Four or five women sat close together, each holding a conical hat. The working space was peaceful, with only the rhythmic sound of needles sewing. Ms. Ly recounted that she learned hat-making from her grandmother, mother, and sisters. She knew how to hold a needle and handle the brim by the age of ten; and so, the conical hat has been with her throughout her life. "In the old days, farming was the main occupation. But during the lean season, hat-making was what supported the whole family," she said, her hands still sewing steadily.

Ms. Le Thi Ly splits the brim and sews the hat stitch by stitch, thread by thread.

In another corner of the village, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Chat (born in 1940) still sits beside her conical hat, just as she has done for over half a century. She married into a family in Truong Giang at the age of 25 and began learning the craft from the women in her husband's family. Sixty years of dedication to the craft have made the conical hat an integral part of her life. Her back is hunched, her hands tremble slightly, but each stitch remains familiar. “This job isn’t physically demanding, but it requires patience and dexterity. Before, I could make 3-5 hats a day, now only about 2. I only make a few tens of thousands of dong profit per hat, but I’m happy that I can still do it,” Mrs. Chat said.

In her youth, she was primarily a farmer, making conical hats during her leisure time. Now, in her old age, no longer working in the fields, hat-making has become the main occupation for the elderly couple. For the women of Truong Giang in the past and Truong Van today, hat-making is both a secondary and primary occupation. In their homes, with open doors welcoming the sunlight, they maintain this traditional craft with steady needlework, as a part of their livelihood intertwined with rural life.

When traditional village hats enter the market.

Leaving the houses by the windows, we arrived at Hung Toan conical hat production facility – one of the largest in the area. In the spacious, covered courtyard, stacks of white conical hats were neatly arranged, interspersed with hand-painted hats, embroidered hats, and hats for tourists .

Ms. Le Thi Ly dries the leaves for the conical hat – a familiar step that marks the beginning of the process of making the Truong Giang conical hat.

Ms. Ngo Thi Toan (born in 1974), the owner of the establishment, was born and raised in Truong Giang conical hat village. At the age of ten, she was already skilled with needle and thread, learning the craft from her mother and grandmother during their time sitting on the porch. In that familiar space, the conical hats were not only made for sale but also preserved and passed down as a family tradition. Growing up amidst bamboo frames, palm leaves, and the familiar sound of sewing needles, Mr. Le Van Chung (born in 1999) – Ms. Toan's son – naturally inherited the craft from his mother. Building on the foundation of the craft passed down through generations, he chose to continue his family's traditional profession while also seeking ways to integrate the traditional conical hat into modern life through new approaches.

Not only preserving the craft, Mr. Chung proactively applied technology to expand the market for his products. He created a Facebook page to introduce Truong Giang conical hats, posting images and designs, and connecting with customers far away. He also personally traveled to Hue and Nghe An to learn how to make and create designs, thereby developing additional hat lines for tourism and souvenirs. As orders increased, in 2021, Mr. Chung's family boldly invested in four hat-making machines to reduce manual labor and meet large-scale orders. From a small-scale family production model, the conical hat workshop gradually became more organized, creating regular jobs for more than 30 female workers in the commune. Depending on skill and production volume, workers earn approximately 200,000 - 500,000 VND per person per day, contributing to providing many women with a stable source of income right in their hometown. For Mr. Le Van Chung, each conical hat he makes is not just a product, but also a way for him to preserve the traditional craft of his family and lineage, so that the traditional hat continues to be present in today's life.

In Truong Van commune, nearly 2,000 households are involved in hat making, employing over 5,000 workers, mainly rural women. Each year, the craft village produces millions of conical hats, contributing significantly to the local economy. However, with the trend of young people leaving their hometowns for work elsewhere, the hat-making craft faces numerous challenges, particularly the issue of preserving the craft and enhancing its value. In response, the local government and the Truong Giang Conical Hat Production Association are gradually implementing solutions to preserve the craft, pass it on to the younger generation, and expand the market. Above all, the vitality of the craft is nurtured within the homes where the conical hat remains a part of the daily lives of the people.

At Truong Van School today, the craft of making conical hats is not just a means of livelihood, but also a continuation between generations, a story of a village that cherishes the past and seeks a path for the future. Even in the warm winter sunshine, the hats remain uniformly white under the window frame, and the village story is told slowly, through each bamboo ring, each layer of leaves, each needle stitch, without haste...

Text and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhip-song-lang-nghe-non-la-276585.htm