The renewed vitality of Hmong ethnic brocade

The Hmong people still preserve their traditional clothing and use it regularly in their daily lives, especially during festivals and holidays. Driven by the increasing demand for traditional ethnic clothing, many Hmong women have boldly invested in the production and sale of ethnic brocade, providing a stable income and creating jobs for many women in the locality.

In the central area of ​​Hat Lot market, Mai Son commune, everyone knows the young couple Tan Thi Chan and Deo Ngoc Anh from sub-district 4. Quick-witted, lively, and enthusiastic are the first impressions we had when we met the couple. At 31 years old, the couple owns an embroidery workshop with three modern embroidery machines and five kiosks selling brocade products in Hat Lot market.

The modern embroidery machine set of Ms. Tan Thi Chan's family, sub-district 4, Mai Son commune.

Walking around Ms. Chấn's family's stall, we were impressed by the diverse range of modernized Hmong ethnic costumes on display; a full selection of fabrics, patterns, and accessories such as hats, bags, and necklaces were available. While selling her goods, Ms. Chấn also took the opportunity to embroider and sew handcrafted patterns to ensure timely delivery to customers.

Sharing her entrepreneurial journey in the brocade business, Ms. Chấn recounted: "In 2014, my husband and I worked for relatives sewing traditional Hmong brocade. After three years, with an initial capital of 20 million VND, we rented our first kiosk to start a brocade business. Initially, we sold simple designs we made ourselves, then expanded to sewing and designing complete, modernized outfits to sell to customers. Currently, our family sells about 4,000 products annually to businesses inside and outside the market, earning a profit of 300 to 400 million VND."

Ms. Tan Thi Chan sews the patterns for the traditional Hmong ethnic costumes.

Not far away is the traditional clothing shop of Ms. Giang Thi Chi's family in Dong San village, Ta Hoc commune. Having been doing business at Hat Lot market for 7 years, Ms. Chi's family rents two stalls: one for sewing machines to produce finished products, and the other for selling the finished items. Ms. Chi said: "Besides the peak sales period at the end of the year, I regularly livestream on Facebook and TikTok to sell my goods. Thanks to that, sales are quite stable, ranging from 200 to 400 sets of traditional Mong ethnic clothing along with hundreds of patterns and accessories each year."

Customers try on modern outfits at a shop in Mai Son commune.

In the mountainous commune of Co Ma, the traditional clothing of the Mong ethnic group consists of a shirt, hat, belt, trousers, and apron, distinguished by the sky-blue color of the shirt and headwear adorned with pink woolen pom-poms. Nowadays, with the advancement of technology, the patterns that used to take a long time to embroider by hand, such as the belt, the patterns on the shirt, and the sleeves, are easily available for purchase at markets or from textile businesses.

The modern embroidery machine set of Ms. Vu Thi Tung's family in Pha Khuong village, Co Ma commune.

The family of Ms. Vu Thi Tung, from Pha Khuong village, Co Ma commune, is a traditional brocade weaving business in the commune, owning 10 modern sewing and embroidery machines. Ms. Tung said: "Our machines specialize in embroidering characteristic patterns of Mong ethnic costumes such as spirals, flowers, and leaves... in many different colors. Machine-embroidered patterns are more uniform, beautiful, and save a lot of time and effort, making them much more efficient than hand embroidery. My family specializes in wholesale and retail sales of handcrafted patterns to individuals and businesses inside and outside the commune."

Hmong ethnic brocade items are sold at Mai Son market.

Currently, many Mong ethnic women in the province are engaged in the business of selling traditional brocade fabrics, such as in the communes of Phu Yen, Van Ho, Thuan Chau, Co Ma, Mai Son, Phieng Pan, Bac Yen, and Sop Cop… With the increasing number of customers buying Mong ethnic products, many households have learned and invested in modern embroidery equipment, costing 300 million VND per set. Investing in modern sewing and embroidery machines reduces labor and costs, while ensuring timely delivery of products to customers according to their needs.

The main products sold are modernized ethnic costumes with diverse designs to suit the tastes of a wide range of customers, from everyday wear to evening wear, wedding dresses, and stylish outfits for festivals, celebrations, and souvenir photos. Besides pants, skirts, and shirts, many accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, beaded headwear, and handbags are also designed and sold by the businesses, making the outfits even more striking and attractive. The products are mainly sold to the Hmong ethnic group within and outside the province, with some businesses also exporting to Laos and Thailand.

Women in Pa Khen 3 residential area, Thao Nguyen ward, accept orders for sewing traditional costumes.

Many families also run businesses while providing training for Hmong women to start their own businesses in the brocade weaving industry. Ms. Ly Thi Dua, from Nong Mon village, Mai Son commune, said: "Initially, my family only sewed clothes on demand, but for the past three years, we have been accepting students to teach them how to sew modernized clothing. Each course lasts from one month or more, depending on the student's ability to learn; the tuition fee ranges from 5 to 9 million VND per course. Each year, my family accepts 30 to 40 students. Currently, there are 4 students studying at my family's home."

The business of selling brocade and traditional Hmong clothing has become a source of livelihood, providing many families with a stable income. At the same time, maintaining embroidery and tailoring, and developing traditional clothing with new designs suitable for young people while still preserving traditional values, contributes to preserving and spreading the cultural identity of the Hmong ethnic group in the province.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/suc-song-moi-cua-tho-cam-dan-toc-mong-AoRgB2tvR.html