In 2024, the craft village will welcome nearly 30,000 domestic and foreign tourists to visit and experience - an unprecedented number in this 400-year-old craft village, including about 10,000 international visitors.
Completely different from the quiet atmosphere of the past, these days, visiting Nam Cao linen weaving village (now Thong Nhat commune, Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh province) not only has the sound of machines resounding from the production households, skilled workers diligently spinning golden silk threads, but also many tourists from all over come to visit and experience the 400-year-old traditional craft village.
To achieve that result is the effort of more than 10 years with the miraculous journey of "reviving" a craft village that seemed to have been forgotten.
When talking about linen weaving, Nam Cao linen is a must-mention. At its peak, the village’s products were popular and exported to many countries around the world with millions of meters of fabric each year. However, from the 90s to around 2010, Nam Cao village operated at a standstill due to a shrinking market and its products could not compete with industrially made fabrics and clothing.
Many Nam Cao weavers have moved on to other jobs that bring in higher incomes. The once famous craft village has become quieter than ever, from the whole village and commune that used to do the craft, there are now only a few households that maintain the craft.
Although not a native of Nam Cao, with her love for rustic products of the countryside, Ms. Luong Thanh Hanh (born in 1985) decided to give up her high-income job as an interior designer in a big city to come to Thai Binh to start a business from scratch, gradually building the Hanh Silk brand and implementing projects to "revive" the Nam Cao linen weaving profession through the formation of a value chain from raw material areas, production to consumption and export.
Ms. Luong Thanh Hanh said that Vietnamese silk and linen products are always favored by the international market. Therefore, together with the artisans of the craft village, she hopes to “revive” the Nam Cao linen weaving village brand to “position” internationally that when mentioning silk and linen, it means mentioning Vietnam in general and Thai Binh in particular.
The good news is that from only 3-4 households remaining in production, many households have now returned to their traditional profession.
Currently, Nam Cao Linen Weaving Cooperative has nearly 300 members with about 500 different types of products supplied to the market, of which exports are to 20 countries around the world such as the US, UK, Italy, Australia, India, Korea and many other Middle Eastern countries, with a revenue of over 10 billion VND/year. Notably, at the end of this year, for the first time, Nam Cao Linen collection will appear on the Milan fashion stage (Italy).
This is not only the pride of Vietnam but also the pride of the people of Nam Cao (Kien Xuong, Thai Binh) in "reviving" a traditional craft village that seemed to have been forgotten.
As one of the artisans of Nam Cao linen weaving village, Ms. Hoang Thi Huong has witnessed all the joys and sorrows of this village. Since the establishment of Nam Cao linen weaving cooperative, the craft village has become more vibrant, making artisans like her very excited because they can both preserve the traditional craft of their ancestors and have an average income of 5 to 8 million VND/person/month.
Director of Nam Cao Linen Weaving Cooperative Luong Thanh Hanh shared that to preserve and develop the heritage of linen weaving, the Cooperative aims for green production and environmental protection, including applying natural fabric dyeing techniques from trees, fruits, and tubers.
In 2024, the craft village will welcome nearly 30,000 domestic and foreign tourists to visit and experience - an unprecedented number in this 400-year-old craft village, including about 10,000 international visitors who have known the Nam Cao-Thai Binh linen weaving village.
Excited to experience Nam Cao linen weaving village with friends on the weekend, Nguyen Linh Chi, a 6th grade student at The Dewey Schools (Hanoi) shared that the experience at the village was very special and interesting.
Here, Nam Cao Linen Weaving Cooperative guides students to experience the practical steps from spinning, spinning, winding to weaving and dyeing fabric, especially drawing and dyeing a scarf themselves. This will be a special gift for the children to give to their relatives after this meaningful trip.
In 2023, Nam Cao linen weaving was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. To promote the heritage value as well as preserve and develop the craft village, the local government has planned an area of 4.5 hectares; it is expected that after completion, the number of visitors will increase 3-5 times, thereby creating sustainable value in the development of the traditional Nam Cao linen weaving craft village./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thai-binh-hoi-sinh-lang-nghe-det-dui-nam-cao-gan-voi-du-lich-cong-dong-post1001919.vnp
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