Hà Nội oldest silk village preserves its own style

Thuan Phuong

HA NOI — While many handicraft villages in Ha Noi are still struggling to build a brand for themselves in the market economy, Van Phuc Village has found a way to preserve the traditional craft of silk weaving that has been the staple of the area for hundreds of years.

Located about 10km west of downtown Ha Noi on the Nhue River, the village is well-known for the finest silk in Viet Nam. It has also become a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists thanks to its products and tourism promotions.

Van Phuc silk products include brocade, satin and chiffon.

The most valuable of these is lua van, or silk cloth, with subtle designs weaved in the most sophisticated of styles.

Based on traditional designs, workers in the village are creating more modern products to meet the increasing demands of domestic and foreign markets.

Despite ups and downs, villagers are proud of their products, which have established a name for themselves in domestic and world markets, while making the village one of the top tourism attractions in the capital.

Customers who visit Van Phuc are attracted by high-quality silk products made by local villagers.

Hard times

Van Phuc has faced challenges preserving its traditional craft, especially with an influx of Chinese imports that made it difficult to differentiate between the original and the fake products.

Some buyers searching for the genuine article were disappointed when they could only find Chinese fakes, leading to negative comments about the village.

This led to a drop in the number of visitors until a programme was launched by local authorities to improve villagers’ awareness of their traditional craft by saying no to the sale of imported Chinese silk.

Kieu Thanh Hai, vice-chairman of Van Phuc Ward’s Motherland Front, said local authorities started the project two years ago with a focus on encouraging local shops to sell Van Phuc products instead of imported goods.

They set up inspection teams and warned locals that the sale of imported goods, particularly those from China, would destroy the village’s reputation.

This led to a boost in sales of local products and a drop in Chinese silk, according to Hai.

“Since the programme started two years ago, our inspection teams have not found any shops selling Chinese silk,” said the official.

“Authorities have also asked shops that sell silk made in other provinces and cities to inform customers of where it is from,” Hai added.

Van Phuc’s residents were now aware of the importance of preserving and promoting their traditional craft, according to Hai.

Do Hien Mai, a shopkeeper in Van Phuc, told Viet Nam News that the village now realised the importance of their products so they were working with authorities to promote the village trademark.

“More and more tourists are coming to Van Phuc to admire the essence and beauty of the village and its silk products. They can learn how the traditional craft is being restored and preserved instead of buying silk imported from other places,” said Mai.

The number of households directly producing and selling silk products stands at about 145 and 160, respectively - a very modest figures compared to the 3,900 households in the village, but a high increase in production has been recorded.

Annual production had reached about 2 million metres of silk fabric in the past few years but only enough to meet 60 per cent of local demand, so the remaining fabric was still imported, according to a local report.

The village’s silk products were particularly popular during the Nguyen Dynasty, which used them to dress the royal family and aristocrats.

Not only prominent in the domestic market, the traditionally hand-woven and hand-dyed silk has captured the loyalty of customers outside the country.

In 1931 and 1932, Van Phuc silk was displayed at international exhibitions for the first time in Marseille and then Paris. At the Paris Fair in 1932, the Vietnamese silk was praised by the French as the most sophisticated product to come out of Indochina.

From 1958 to 1988, the silk was mostly exported to Eastern European markets.