Tourists experience the art of beeswax printing on brocade fabric with the people of Sung village, Cao Son commune (Da Bac district).
Traditional single-story houses with wooden walls and thatched roofs are still common in Sung village. The villagers maintain the habit of living in single-story houses, built close together without dividing walls, fostering a sense of community. Later, with the development of tourism and accommodation services, households building community guesthouses have retained the original traditional architecture. However, they have renovated the foundations, replacing earthen floors with bricks, and arranged decorative items and household goods using bamboo, rattan, and wood to create a closer, more natural feel.
The craft of brocade weaving has been intertwined with the lives of the Dao Tien people for generations. In the Sung village community, people still dye indigo, weave fabric, and sew traditional clothing by hand, imbuing it with the beauty of their local culture. Locals say that what makes Dao Tien clothing unique is the decoration with silver coins and patterns that combine the art of beeswax printing with tailoring, embroidery, and indigo dyeing. Besides directly embroidering dresses and blouses, Dao Tien women often embroider small pieces of fabric, then sew them onto the garments as appliqués.
Along with the community-based tourism model linked to cultural identity preservation, the traditional brocade weaving craft in Sung village is being carefully preserved and promoted. Local authorities and non- governmental organizations have supported its restoration and development into a brocade weaving cooperative, attracting 11 female members from the village. Simultaneously, it has become one of the attractive tourism products, drawing visitors to experience activities such as indigo dyeing and beeswax painting. Besides clothing, scarves, and other items, the women in the cooperative also create diverse products such as tablecloths, handbags, and wallets, meeting the needs and preferences of tourists looking for souvenirs.
Other traditional crafts such as herbal medicine and dó paper making are maintained. According to Mr. Ly Van Quy, head of the herbal medicine production group, in the past, households in the village relied on the abundant natural resources of medicinal herbs to create remedies, mainly for family use. With support from the Sustainable Community-Based Tourism Development Project, the village established a group, invested in workshops, provided equipment and designs, and developed products to sustainably exploit resources and increase the competitiveness of local herbal products. Currently, the production group has launched four products on the market: sweet Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea, herbal bath leaves, herbal mosquito repellent spray, and red ginger massage alcohol. The cooperative producing dó paper and developing products from dó paper is also one of the attractive experiential products.
At the Sưng village community-based tourism destination, ethnic cultural aspects such as Dao script writing, Dao language classes, herbal medicine gathering, and herbal baths have become popular tourist products, contributing to a fresh and diverse tourism image for the Dao Tien village. Alongside raising awareness and promoting cultural identity, the livelihoods of local people are improving. To date, over 80% of households in the village earn income from participating in services such as accommodation, food, tour guiding, performing arts, brocade weaving, medicinal herbs, and Do paper making. Traditional craft groups regularly welcome visitors for tours and hands-on experiences, especially those involved in Do paper making and brocade weaving.
Ms. Le Thu Phuong, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "I was impressed by the spacious and peaceful Dao ethnic village on the shores of Hoa Binh Lake. During my stay, I had memorable experiences visiting a herbal medicine production workshop with a closed-loop process, a solar-powered drying facility; and participating in beeswax painting, indigo dyeing, and Do paper making with the local people."
Ms. Dinh Thi Hao, Director of Da Bac Community Tourism Joint Stock Company, said: Currently, along with the development of community tourism in the Hoa Binh Lake tourist area, Sung village is one of the unique destinations thanks to the exploitation and promotion of local cultural values, attracting many tourists, especially foreign tourists.
Bui Minh
Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/16/199979/Doc-dao-diem-den-du-lich-cong-dong-cua-nguoi-Dao-Tien.htm
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