The sound of looms echoes through the old village.

For generations, weaving has been closely intertwined with the lives of the Tay people in Pac Ngoi, Ba Be commune, symbolizing the skill and love of culture of the highland women. But with the pace of modern life, the creaking sound of the loom is becoming increasingly rare, facing the risk of disappearing in this rural area located right next to the emerald green "Ba Be Lake"...

Ms. Trieu Thi Dung is weaving indigo fabric using a traditional Tay loom.

When traditional crafts are fading away

Like many Tay villages in Thai Nguyen , the sound of the loom was once a familiar sound, a rhythm of life closely associated with the image of diligent, gentle mothers and grandmothers in Pac Ngoi. Over time, looms have become increasingly rare, quietly fading into nostalgia.

Beside her time-worn loom, Mrs. Trieu Thi Dung worked tirelessly weaving while humming a lullaby to the baby behind her. Her gentle singing, mingled with the creaking of the loom, transported visitors back many years. Back then, fabric was scarce and difficult to obtain, which is why almost every Tay family owned a loom.

According to Ms. Dung, weaving is not only a labor skill but also a time-honored cultural tradition of the Tay ethnic group. Textile products such as indigo shirts, headscarves, tablecloths, blankets, and bags not only serve daily life but are also closely associated with traditional customs and rituals. Tay girls were taught to weave from a young age so that by adulthood they could weave their own fabric to make wedding dresses and blankets for their new families.

Creating a piece of fabric involves many meticulous steps. First, cotton is grown. When the fields are covered in white cotton, it is harvested, dried, the seeds are separated, and the cotton is fluffed and spun into yarn. The yarn, after being carefully spun, is dyed with indigo. Each family usually has a vat of indigo dye ready for dyeing fabric. The dyeing process requires patience: the yarn must be dipped many times, dried, and then dipped again, repeating this process to achieve a durable and even indigo color. Finally, the weaving is done carefully and skillfully by hand on a loom.

Ms. Dung shared that because of the many steps involved, in the past, only 6-7 sets of clothes or 3-4 duvet covers could be woven in a year. For women back then, weaving was not just about making household items, but also about conveying many emotions. Mothers and grandmothers wove cloth for their husbands and children so they would have decent clothes and warm blankets. Young women had to prepare for a whole year before getting married, because on the day they went to their husband's house, each person had to bring: a set of Tay clothes, a duvet cover, a mosquito net... Because it was so important, weaving beautiful cloth was one of the things that Tay girls in the past strived for and were proud of.

To help us learn more about weaving, Mrs. Dung enthusiastically led us to the large courtyard of the Pac Ngoi Cultural Center, where her neighbor (Mrs. Duong Thi Lan) was carefully drying the freshly boiled yarn from the previous day. Mrs. Lan smiled gently: "I stopped weaving a long time ago because I found fabric easy to buy and cheap. But whenever I saw someone in the village sitting and weaving, I felt sad, so I had a new loom made."

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Over the past 20 years or so, weaving in Pac Ngoi has gradually declined. In our conversation, the women said that weaving requires meticulousness; if one concentrates, it can be done very quickly, but few people are willing to learn because weaving is time-consuming, and the finished products are difficult to sell and don't fetch good prices.

"In the past, almost every household had a loom, but now only a few families still practice the craft," Mrs. Dung said with regret. Currently, Pac Ngoi has nearly 100 households, but only 9 looms remain.

Reviving traditional crafts through community tourism.

Not wanting the sound of the loom to fade into nostalgia, the local people and authorities are striving to revive the weaving craft, starting with the village's strength in community tourism. In 2022, a training course on preserving and promoting the value of the intangible cultural heritage "Traditional Handicraft Weaving of the Tay People," listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list, was held in the commune with the participation of nearly 30 trainees. The course provided support for purchasing additional looms and instructed villagers on weaving some souvenir products suitable for the needs of tourists.

Drying the yarn is an important preparatory step in traditional weaving.

Currently, households in Pac Ngoi village are still maintaining and promoting traditional hand-weaving crafts, attracting tourists to experience them. Many homestays have incorporated indigo-dyed clothing and hand-woven products into their decorations and tourism experiences. This helps tourists understand traditional weaving and creates an outlet for the products.

According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Thinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Be commune: The traditional hand-weaving of the Tay people in Pac Ngoi was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2014.

Currently, the People's Committee of Ba Be commune continues to direct specialized agencies to encourage local people to maintain the weaving craft, research, learn, and weave products that are both traditional and suitable to the tastes and needs of tourists to serve local tourism. Skilled weavers are encouraged to pass on their knowledge to younger generations to preserve the ethnic cultural identity. At the same time, connections are being made with OCOP (One Commune One Product) and community tourism support programs to create stable markets for the products.

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Ms. Dam shared: "When I started running the homestay, I noticed that foreign tourists really liked handicrafts, so I started weaving them again to decorate and sell. I sell a few items each month, mainly scarves and small bags. But what's most exciting is that both domestic and international tourists are very interested in the loom and want to learn more about the traditional weaving craft of the Tay ethnic group."

Despite facing many difficulties, with products like bags, wallets, and handkerchiefs selling in small quantities at an average price of around 200,000 VND each, the Tay women here still hold onto hope. They hope that the traditional weaving craft will not be confined to family businesses or a few small stalls, but will gradually expand further, becoming linked to tourism and trade, and a sustainable livelihood for the community.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202508/tieng-khung-cuivang-trong-long-ban-cu-1f330ec/