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Tri Le - a village that makes traditional palm leaf hats
30km from the center of Hanoi in the outskirt district of Thanh
Oai lies Tri Le village, a famous hamlet that makes the iconic Vietnamese
traditional palm leaf hats such as Non or conical hats, Quai Thao or flat palm
hats, and Thung.
The brilliant mid-summer sun these days provides the perfect condition to dry
out the palm leaves that Tri Le residents hang along the road which leads to the
village.
From generations making hats…
Arriving in Tri Le, visitors can immediately recognize the familiar atmosphere
of a village in Northern Vietnam.
In front of the village stands an over 80-year old gate with some flaking
paintwork. Take a quick glimpse in any open door, the grounds seem to be dyed
white by the white color of dried palm leaf.
Under the shady roof, old women and some children were busy sewing hats – an
iconic accessory to Vietnamese people over generations.
Tri Le village has a population of around 4,000 people, three-quarters of whom
already know how to make palm leaves.
The simple and clean production makes hat craftsmanship most suitable to farmers
with little farm.
Nghiem Phu Luan from one of the oldest families producing hats in the village
said, “Our village has been making hats for over 400 years. We grew up watching
our father, grandfather and other elderly working with hats. We just inherited
the craftsmanship and then elaborated it. Our hats are still 100% handmade."
"Other villages can use machine to split the bamboo and thresher the rattan to
make other palm leaf furniture and products. We don’t. There has not been any
machine that can support the hat production in Tri Le though many people have
tried,” he added.
Tri Le is the most famous for making conical hats. Like any other palm leaf hat,
the hat-maker first needs to create a wooden frame to firmly situate several
bent bamboo rings, which differ in size.
This may be the most complicated and time-consuming step of the whole hat-making
process.
Mrs. Vu Thi Hong is over 80 years old and has been doing this work since the age
of 7. She said, “A beautiful hat depends a lot on how you bend the bamboo
strands into round rings. If the rings are perfect and steady, you can easily
sew the leaves. But if they are done carelessly, the hat will turn ugly.
Therefore, not everyone but those with skills can do the work."
"Moreover, the bamboo must grow naturally in the forest and be straight and
strong. You see, we even have a layer of bamboo strands between the outside and
inside leaf coating to keep the conical hat firm and durable,” she noted.
After a strong frame is completed, leaves will be attached to it by threads. Tri
Le’s conical hats are famous for having two layers of leaves. Craftsmen must be
very skillful to make the two layers very thin.
Mrs. Hong said, “The leaves are still freshly green when we buy them. Then, we
dry them until they turn white, usually after 15 days or more. After that, we
use the heat of the kitchen, together with a pack of hot clothes to iron the
leaves many, many times until they are completely “cooked”. It means the leaves
are now flexible, smooth and easy to sew”.
Tri Le village does not grow palm trees but buys the materials from other
provinces.
Nghiem Phu Luan said, “We mostly use the young leaves of palm trees to make
hats. Other leaves can be used are from a kind of rhapi trees, which only grow
in the Central Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces. In the past, hats were made
from sugarcane or reed leaves. Later, we figured out that young palm leaves were
the best materials as they are light, cool and mostly waterproof”.
Apart from the iconic conical hats, Tri Le village is also famous for preserving
and restoring other Vietnamese traditional hats such as Quai Thao, Xuan Kieu,
and Thung.
For artist Nguyen Huy An, this makes Tri Le one of the best places to learn
about the lives and craftsmanship of the people in Northern Vietnam.
He said, “It’s amazing to visit Tri Le village, where I can learn about the
history and the ups and downs of Vietnamese traditional hats. For example the Ba
Tam hats at some point in the past completely disappeared; no one used or made
them. But people in Tri Le restored and made them alive again. Each traditional
product tells history in a very unique way, unlike in the pages of a text book”.
…to the struggle to survive
Sold at cheap price, each hat can only earn to its makers as little as VND8,000,
or 40 US cents. Thus most residents here consider hat making a part-time job,
which they can do between farming sessions.
However, as the market and the buyers’ preferences change, Tri Le hat products
now face many challenges to survive.
Mr. Luan said, “Talking about the market, our hats are still mostly sold inside
Vietnam. Since the 1990s when the market was opened, Tri Le hats were introduced
to the international market. However, it does not change the fact that more and
more young people are giving up the job, because of its little income and
time-consumption."
"In my village nowadays, only those who cannot find any other job outside, old
people and children continue making hats. With our limited workforce, we cannot
fully supply the needs of the market,” he said.
Mr. Luan believes it is purely passion and love that helps this traditional
craftsmanship alive and keeps Tri Le’s people making hats. But to keep up with
the market, the remaining workers still try to innovate and transform the hats
into more modern styles.
Mr. Luan said, “During the history of our village, we always innovate the
traditional palm leaf hats. The first one comes up with an idea, and then each
maker contributes a little: the shape, the frames and the materials. Take a look
at this cap for example."
"Vietnamese people did not wear caps in the past. This is Western and only came
to be known to us since we opened the market. We also had a type of hat called
Lam Xung, which we designed after a famous Chinese hero. It’s one of the most
popular products made by my family,” he added.
Artist Nguyen Huy An also showed big concerns about the future of this
particular tradition.
He said, “It’s hard to believe that the hat craftsmanship in Tri Le village can
survive strongly in the future. Its survival will mostly depend on those who
actually care, such as artists, fashion designers or moviemakers, not on those
who make them. Craftsmen need to find a better way to make a living."
"However, what I worry the most, not only in Tri Le village but also in many
other traditional craft villages, is the designs are decided on the orders of
foreign companies who import those products. This can kill the authentic and
original characters of the hats if local authorities do not act quickly in
response,” he added.
The conical and other palm leaf hats are unique to the Vietnamese people and
have been in use for centuries.
Realizing the need to preserve hat production in Tri Le, Six Space platform, a
group of multidisciplinary artists and art researchers, recently opened an
exhibition and workshop in Central Hanoi to introduce Tri Le’s products to a
wider audience and art lovers.
Artist Le Giang, head of the project, said, “We chose to hold an exhibition of
conical hats because this is one of the most significant features of the
Vietnamese people, especially in the past. But the craft is gradually fading and
not many people really know about the history and the development of these
hats."
"Our project aims to discuss the internal and external factors that influence
the aesthetics, creative process and the production of Tri Le villagers, and how
to preserve and innovate the art,” Giang added.
In these summer days, the children in Tri Le village, who do not have to go to
school, stay at home to help grandmothers and mothers making palm leaf hats. The
laughing and giggling melt away the quietness of the village.
Visitors go to Tri Le not only to learn about its traditions or to buy souvenir
hats, but also to enjoy fresh air, the beautiful landscape and the friendly
people.
Source: VOV |
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