Phu Gia horse hat receives certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Phu Gia horse hat, the conical hat 'masterpiece' of Phu Gia village, Cat Tuong commune (Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh) was honored to receive the certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage...

More than just a hat

The horse hat weaving profession in Phu Gia village, Cat Tuong commune (Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh) has been established for more than 200 years. Since then, the people of Phu Gia village have continuously preserved and conserved the traditional craft of their ancestors, creating unique products for society that not only captivate domestic tourists but also "capture the hearts" of foreign tourists. According to Mr. Do Van Lan (74 years old), who has devoted his whole life to the horse hat weaving profession in Phu Gia village, the reason the hat produced in Phu Gia village is called "horse hat" is because it is as durable as a horse's strength. In addition, Phu Gia horse hats were only for dignitaries and people of the upper class and nobility of that time, they only wore hats when sitting on horseback. The unique feature of Phu Gia horse hats is the "dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix" pattern embroidered on the hat. These patterns are symbols of the authority of the person wearing the hat. Each pattern shows the rank of the person wearing the hat in society at that time. Just looking at the patterns on the horse hat, one can know the rank of the mandarins in the feudal court.

Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee, spoke at the ceremony to receive the certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage for Phu Gia horse hat making craft. Photo: V.D.T.

Mr. Lan believes that Phu Gia horse hats are a typical product of costume culture, have high artistic value and are a typical product of Binh Dinh's craft village. Phu Gia horse hats are handmade with many elaborate stages, each stage requires a different method. To make a horse hat, the hat maker must perform 10 stages, from creating the frame to embroidering boats, weaving leaves... Phu Gia horse hats have a very special and very durable structure. "The hat is made of 10 layers, the materials to make the hat are palm leaves, giang tubes (kidneys), pineapple roots,... which grow naturally in the mountains and forests of Binh Dinh. The patterns on the horse hats are mostly images that are deeply imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity such as clouds, dragons, unicorns, turtles, phoenixes, lotus flowers, wine gourds,... Therefore, the hat maker must not only be delicate but also have artistic talent. Each horse hat, if completed in all stages, will have a durability of 150 to 200 years. Many horse hats from 200 years ago are still preserved in Phu Gia village," said Mr. Lan.

Phu Cat District People's Committee received the National Intangible Cultural Heritage certificate for Phu Gia horse hat making craft. Photo: V.D.T.

Heritage conservation

On September 12, at Phu Gia village, Phu Cat District People's Committee in coordination with Binh Dinh Department of Culture and Sports solemnly held a ceremony to receive the National Intangible Cultural Heritage certificate for the horse hat making craft. According to Mr. Lam Hai Giang, Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee, the horse hat making craft has been maintained and passed down from generation to generation by the people of Cat Tuong commune. Phu Gia horse hat craft village has been recognized by Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee as a traditional craft village, achieved the title of Typical Craft Village of Vietnam, and become a famous tourist destination of Binh Dinh; the village's products have been available domestically and internationally.

“The Phu Gia horse hat weaving craft has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, thereby affirming the sustainable value and strong vitality of the craft village; honoring and praising the community and artisans in preserving, conserving and promoting the value of the heritage. This is both an honor and a great responsibility of the Party Committee, government and people of Phu Cat district in particular and Binh Dinh province in general,” Mr. Giang affirmed.

Visitors enjoy the unique features of Phu Gia horse hats. Photo: V.D.T.

In order for the Phu Gia horse-hat craft to survive in the flow of national culture, Mr. Lam Hai Giang suggested that Phu Cat district needs to have a comprehensive and detailed plan, paying attention to traditional institutions and horse-hat spaces to preserve the cultural identity of traditional craft villages associated with economic and tourism development. Along with that, it is necessary to build and implement solutions, mechanisms and policies to support artisans; continue to propagate, raise awareness and responsibility of all levels, sectors, heritage subjects and people; encourage organizations and individuals to contribute and sponsor for the protection and promotion; strengthen connections with tourism service businesses to build tours and routes to serve the needs of domestic and international tourists, aiming to build Phu Gia horse-hat craft village tourism as a typical tourism product of the province. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Chairman of Phu Cat District People's Committee, in addition to traditional horse-hats, Phu Gia craft village today also produces many types of innovative hats. The hat makers only retain the main steps in the traditional horse hat making process, some hat making materials are also changed to suit market trends. Currently, Phu Gia horse hats are present everywhere, from North to South and even abroad.

Phu Gia horse hat “captures the hearts” of tourists. Photo: V.D.T.

“Phu Gia horse hat village has become a tourist highlight in tours to Binh Dinh. Each market session (5 days a session) has nearly 1,000 Phu Gia horse hats exported to provinces and cities across the country. The above exciting results are the motivation for the people in Phu Gia horse hat village to be determined to preserve the profession, preserve the culture and quintessence of their ancestors in the past,” Mr. Hung shared. According to Mr. Hung, in order to protect and promote the heritage value of Phu Gia horse hat making, in the coming time, the district is determined to successfully implement the Project to Protect and Promote the Value of Phu Gia horse hat making. Specifically, the district continues to create favorable conditions to support and encourage households and production establishments to develop in the direction of association, creating typical products. “Artisans and heritage keepers who have made many contributions to preserving, practicing, protecting and promoting the heritage value in Phu Gia horse hat village will be duly honored. Phu Cat district will also form an exhibition area, a traditional craft demonstration area associated with experiential tourism activities; invest in building technical infrastructure to serve tourism. Establish a cooperative group to organize production and consumption of products; build an electronic information page for craft villages...", Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Chairman of Phu Cat District People's Committee. Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/non-ngua-phu-gia-don-bang-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-d399767.html