In order restore brocade weaving of the Thai ethnic group, with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Chieng Chau Brocade Weaving and Tourism Services Cooperative was established in Chieng Chau commune (Mai Chau district) in 2009.
The Chieng Chau Brocade Weaving and
Tourism Services Cooperative has joined exhibitions
and fairs to promote its
products and expand the market.
The cooperative has continued its operation
after the JICA project concluded, and in 2013 it registered for official
establishment in line with the Cooperative Law.
Its Deputy Director Vi Thi Oanh said developing
the craft has created jobs for local residents, while preserving traditional
values. Its members have made efforts in production and
optimised local tourism advantages to popularise products to both domestic and
foreign tourists.
The cooperative has expanded its operation,
generating jobs for tens of labourers whose monthly income ranges from 3-4
million VND (123.5-164.67 USD) each. Chieng Chau brocade products have been known to
many people, especially foreigners, through fairs and exhibitions throughout
the country.
Moreover, the cooperative has coordinated with
local authorities and the farmers’ association of Chieng Chau hamlet to form a
Thai brocade weaving group within the cooperative, which aims to utilise the
existing resources, bring together weaving lovers, restore the traditional
craft, and raise income for local ethnic minority women.
After two years of operation, the group now
gathers 10 members whose skills have been improved significantly, contributing
to increasing productivity, fulfilling orders of domestic and foreign
customers. Most importantly, the members have enjoyed stable income and
improved living standards.
Pham The Anh, Chairman of the Mai Chau Farmers
Association, said the cooperative will further support the cooperative in
promoting the image of the group through exhibitions, fairs, television
channels and social networks.
Located on the right bank of the Da river in Quynh Lam ward, Hoa Binh city, the Ngoi communal house was recognised as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic in 1999. Upholding traditions, locals often come to the place on major festivals, full-moon days, and the first day of each lunar month, burning incense to honour deities and pray for favourable weather and good harvests.
In recent years, the movement of mass culture and arts in Kim Boi district has been maintained and developed, contributing to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values and building a cultural life at the grassroots level.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently announced a list of new intangible national cultural heritage items, one of which is the Keng Loong performance art of the Thai people in Mai Chau district, the northern province of Hoa Binh.
Holding some 18,000 exhibits related to the province’s establishment and re-establishment process and an array of antiques, Hoa Binh Museum has paid due attention to the management, exhibition, and communications work so as to preserve and promote the values of the local heritage.
In the aesthetic concept of the Mong people, a woman's beauty is partly reflected through her clothes. In Mai Chau district, there are two communes inhabited by the Mong ethnic people, namely Hang Kia and Pa Co, with a combined population of over 6,000. Despite the strong development of the society, the cultural identity, notably traditional costumes, of local people is still preserved and promoted.