Ms. Thi Thanh started a business from traditional culture.

Stable income with brocade weaving

Although it was noon, the young girl Thi Thanh was still diligently weaving the wool for the new loom. She was rushing to finish weaving the brocade shirt to deliver it to the customer according to the previous order. Each weaving step was done meticulously and carefully by the 31-year-old girl. Under her skillful and agile hands, square and rectangular patterns with beautiful stylized motifs and brilliant colors gradually appeared on the brocade. To be as proficient as today, Ms. Thanh knew and started learning weaving at the age of 13, taught by her grandmother.

Ms. Thi Thanh, in Dak B'lao hamlet, Kien Duc town, Dak R'lap district, started a career from traditional culture with brocade weaving.

At first, Thanh only used her spare time to weave brocade for family use. Gradually, Thanh realized that the demand for traditional costumes was of interest to many people, while the number of people who knew how to weave in the village was decreasing. The desire to preserve the craft and, at the same time, create income for herself urged the young girl to pursue the profession seriously.

Thinking is doing, Ms. Thanh researched new ways to weave patterns, combining ancient patterns taught by her grandmother to create beautiful products that attract customers. She invested in buying more materials, reinforcing the loom, and learning how to weave more productively. Currently, on average, Ms. Thanh can weave about 3 finished shirts per week. Each month, the job also helps her earn an income of 7-9 million VND.

Expanding the market

To expand the market for her products, Ms. Thi Thanh not only weaves products according to orders from her fellow villagers but also proactively seeks out customers. Ms. Thi Thanh posts her products such as bags and brocade clothes for sale on social networks such as Zalo, Facebook, and TikTok. Ms. Thanh connects with other sisters in the village to weave brocade with her to increase productivity and make more products to meet customer needs.

Ms. Thi Thanh (fabric weaver) cooperated with other women in the village to weave brocade with her to increase productivity, making many products to meet customer needs.

Ms. Thi Thanh said: "I have promoted posting and selling products on social networking platforms and customers have come to me and placed orders. Many regular customers who live nearby come to my house to order. I am very happy because I can sell products, earn money with my own efforts and contribute to preserving the cultural traditions of the M'nong people."

Along with pursuing the weaving profession, Ms. Thi Thanh also connects with households in the village to produce traditional rice wine for sale. The initial consumption demand is mainly for festivals, New Year and important occasions of families in the village. The good news spreads far and wide, the rice wine produced by households and Ms. Thi Thanh is known and sought after by many customers inside and outside the province. The work not only helps Ms. Thanh and the people in the village have more income but also helps people love and preserve traditional culture.

Ms. Thanh (middle) connects with households in the village to produce traditional rice wine for sale.

Mr. Ton Duc Bao, Secretary of Dak R'lap District Youth Union, said that Ms. Thi Thanh is a very active and enthusiastic young person in the local youth union and association movements. She is an example of economic development among local youth. She knows how to creatively apply digital technology in selling traditional ethnic products, and her awareness of preserving ethnic culture is very commendable.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/chi-thi-thanh-lap-nghiep-tu-van-hoa-truyen-thong-233704.html