Not only is Thai Binh a land of rice paddies but it is also well known for its many traditional craft villages. Let’s pay a visit to some of these villages, where our ancestors have left many great traditional values.
- Phuong La textile village
Also known as Meo Village, this is the only textile village among the 5 villages of Thai Phuong Commune, Hung Ha District. Phuong La people now weave silk, tussah, satin with treadle and motor-driven weaving machines rather than manual looms, making tens of meters of silk a day. It has become one of the billionaire village of Thai Binh thanks to the weaving craft.
- Theu village
Theu Village, Minh Lang commune, Vu Thu District, is a famous village in Thai Binh. It has taken its name from the craft of embroidery. Almost everyone here, from children to the elder, can embroider and is a professional embroiderer; 70% of the households maintain this traditional craft. Their skillfulness and creativity help embellishing Japanese kimono or Korean Hanbok with stitches so delicate that the cost for making them only is up to 1,000 USD.
- Hat weaving village
This village, located at Tay An Commune, Tien Hai District, employs more than 1,500 craftspeople. With a little of creativity, they can make hats of any material. Nonetheless, it is not so easy to make ones customers like that can sell well. This craft village has provided jobs for thousands of people, contributing to developing the country.
- Rattan and bamboo craft village
Located at Thuong Hien Commune, Kien Xuong District, this village has been developing the craft gradually from domestic to foreign markets. The craft has existed here since the 18th century, under the Nguyen Dynasty. The people have maintained, preserved and passed this craft on from generation to generation. There are families where 5 to 6 generations have been successively occupying the job of rattan and bamboo weaving.
- Hoi Mat Village
Hoi Village, now Hai Trieu Village, Tan Le Commune, Hung Ha District, is a traditional craft village of weaving mats. For a long time, manually woven mats of Hoi Village have been an emblematic products of not only this small place but only of the whole province. They come in many sizes of various kinds such as floral mat, reed mat, plain mat, hemmed mat. Not only nice and durable, they are also warm and can be used as a replacement for blanket. A special fact about the village is that it only cultivates jute but not sedge.
Many people know Thai Binh for being a rice farming area and its great heroes. Through this post, hopefully you have learned some more about its craft villages that not only represents this province but also our country.
