Discover the Tay An sedge-weaving craft

Sedge weaving is one of the oldest traditional crafts in Tianhai district, Taibin province. But in the 1980s and 90s, the sedge craft declined and many people left home to find work because their products could no longer be sold. With the unexpected idea of supplying sedge baskets to traders and crab and frog field owners, Ms. Pham Thi Non, a daughter of Tianhai, revived an entire craft village. She also helped bring local products across the country and into international markets. Ladies and gentlemen, this episode of Craft Villages takes you to a rural area known for traditional products made from sedge, Taiyan commune, Tianhai district. Hello, Ms. What was sedge weaving in Taiyan like in the past? In the past, life was difficult. So people relied on sedge as their main livelihood. This gave local people work, some grew sedge, while others bought it to make sedge bags and hats. At first, we sold only to local markets. Then, as society developed, other countries began wanting sedge baskets, bags, and hats. We started offering them abroad, and demand grew across many countries. When you receive the raw material, do you need to pre-process it? We steam and cure it, then soak and wash it to remove mold. After that, we show the workers how to strip and prepare the color. Once the color is prepared, they dye it with a base color and white, depending on the design. Mixing those two colors is what makes it beautiful. Then it goes through the pressing process. Press and steam it until it softens. Then we shape it into a finished product. To make a sedge hat or basket, what technical requirements must skilled artisans meet? Take a handful of sedge like this. You have to sort it carefully. After sorting, put the thick strands together. And the thin ones together. They must also be the same color. Absolutely no mixing of two colors. A single sedge strand may not be uniformly white. One section may be streaked. You have to cut that part out and splice in another piece. Then the hat will have one consistent color throughout. Only then will it become a beautiful product. For a skilled artisan, how many products can you make in a day? It depends on the product size. For a small one like this, some can weave 10 a day. For a larger one, they can make 6 a day. What are your family's main products? We make baskets in many sizes and designs. As well as sedge hats, bags, briefcases, and many other sedge products. Sedge hats and baskets for export are now made not only in Taien, but across Tai Ben province. Today, the Taien Handicraft Production Enterprise has a network of 100 production groups across the districts and cities of Tai Ben with over 7,000 workers. During the agricultural off-season, many women take up this extra trade to raise their income to 3 million dong a month. Taien's handicraft products are now sold not only in provinces and cities nationwide, but also in many European and American countries. As for your products, what is their greatest advantage? Our greatest advantage is designing new patterns, using sedge to make these products. They're environmentally friendly and don't harm the environment. How do you preserve and develop the local traditional craft? We have a technical team that regularly visits the craft villages to guide the women in constantly creating new designs and improving their skills. Foreign buyers like changing designs, so they place large orders, and we never run out of work. I design one pattern today and another tomorrow. Constantly improving patterns and products helps secure people's livelihoods.