What did Gen Z tell on Threads and TikTok that "revived" an entire traditional craft village?

(Dan Tri) - Thousands of views and followers of Gen Z descendants tell heritage stories on social networks.

From childhood memories to sales stories

Since childhood, Le Thuy Trang (22 years old) has followed the artisans of Chuong village ( Hanoi ) to dry palm leaves under the hot midday sun. Trang has become familiar with the smell of leaves drying in the yard, the sound of needles passing through each hat flap and the image of adults working meticulously with calloused hands.

Drying palm leaves is an important step in making beautiful and durable Chuong conical hats (Photo: Provided by the character).

After graduating from university, the young woman decided to revive a traditional product that her family had stopped selling for 30 years.

In mid-June 2025, Trang started posting colorful silk-covered hats on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads under the name: Non Chuong.

After just one week, a post on Threads suddenly attracted more than 62,000 views, nearly 2,000 likes and hundreds of comments, turning the familiar country hat into a "trending" product on social networks.

Le Thuy Trang (22 years old) is currently selling Chuong village silk conical hats on 3 social networking platforms (Photo: Huong Nhi).

“At first, I sold 40 pieces in nearly 2 weeks. After I paid more attention to the images and storytelling, the number of orders increased significantly. Now I import more than 100 pieces every week and they all sell out,” Trang shared.

Born in the mother-of-pearl inlay village of Chuon Ngo (Hanoi), Nguyen Thi Minh Chau (23 years old) grew up with the sounds of drilling, chiseling, and grinding in the workshop, and the image of her painstakingly grinding each piece of mother-of-pearl shell flat.

In college, her hair was weak due to repeated dyeing, so she had to struggle to find a way to tie it up. One time, while tying her hair, looking at the mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden painting hanging on the wall, she remembered her grandmother’s diligent hands and asked herself: “Why don’t I try to combine mother-of-pearl inlay into a hairpin?”

Nguyen Thi Minh Chau (23 years old) has a passion for her family's mother-of-pearl inlay products (Photo: Character provided).

At the end of 2023, Chau and four friends founded the Mun Artisan brand, creating products and telling the story of mother-of-pearl inlay on social media. TikTok became a place for Gen Z girls to share the journey of creating each collection, while Instagram was used to build the brand image with aesthetically pleasing posts.

“The first 5 videos introducing the Xuan Dieu collection attracted tens of thousands of views. By the 6th video, when I talked about the idea of ​​the Trang product, the video unexpectedly reached more than 300,000 views and nearly 16,000 likes,” Chau recounted the surprise beyond her imagination.

The products that open the journey of telling stories about mother-of-pearl hairpins of young girls (Photo: Huong Nhi).

Products from craft villages are going viral all over the internet.

While many artisans in their 60s and 70s in craft villages worry that "not many people are interested in this profession anymore", Trang and Chau chose a different path.

Instead of just stopping at making products and traditional marketing, the heritage inheritors use social media as a promotional tool. There, the silk conical hats or mother-of-pearl inlaid hairpins are not simply for sale but also to tell the story of a generation that is trying to find ways to promote and preserve the century-old craft.

For Trang, she started building her channel from the first posts that had little interaction. After a period of experimentation, she gradually found the “formula” to make traditional products attractive to young people: beautiful images, interesting stories that easily attract viewers.

Thanks to that, in just over a month, Non Chuong's posts on Threads have exceeded 93,000 views, attracting 5,500 likes and hundreds of comments. One post even reached nearly 400,000 views and more than 10,000 likes.

Trang maintains a steady rhythm of posting every two days, focusing on everyday life. On Instagram, she prioritizes carefully taken product photos with customer feedback.

“In July alone, I have to go back to my hometown to get hats 2-3 times a week, more than 100 each time. Many people buy hats to protect themselves from the sun and as photo props,” Trang shared.

Hats have now become an indispensable "hot trend" accessory for many girls during the travel season (Photo: Phuong Mai).

Social media not only helps Trang connect with customers, but also turns product feedback into promotional content: "What color should I choose to go to Hoi An?" or "What pattern goes with this outfit?" Thanks to that, Non Chuong's Instagram page is increasingly filled with images from customers who have asked Trang for advice.

Unlike Trang, Chau persists in her methodical storytelling. Each collection of mother-of-pearl brooches launched on Mun Artisan is prepared by her for many months: from design, testing, to photography, building key visuals (main image) and choosing hairstyles and costumes.

Mother-of-pearl hairpins depend on natural light conditions to best display their colors (Photo: Huong Nhi).

Thanks to the investment in image, after only 4 months, Mun Artisan's Instagram account reached 1,000 followers, before rising to more than 10,400 followers and 21,000 followers on TikTok today.

A simple photo reel about an artisan grandmother and the products she and her grandchild made together has unexpectedly reached nearly 2 million views, attracting 143,000 likes. This is proof of the spread of storytelling - a type of content that is popular among young people.

On Instagram, each collection has about 25 posts within 2 months: from launch photos, albums to material details, ideas for each product. On the TikTok platform, Chau and his colleagues post a mix of behind-the-scenes content, experiments, mini vlogs,...

The Gen Z owner brings mother-of-pearl inlay, which has been associated with handicrafts, to every customer's hair (Photo: Phuong Mai).

After their startup journey, what Trang and Chau appreciate most is the feedback from the community.

For Chau, from the early days of building her TikTok channel, comments like “You should add hashtags for your brand name and related products to make it easier to trend” or compliments for the products have all become the motivation for her to perfect her brand. Trang, even though she has only started for more than two months, was also moved when reading the comment: “I am also from Chuong village, looking at this image makes me miss my hometown so much”.

What both Gen Z girls are most proud of is not only the increased number of orders but also the fact that they have contributed to preserving their hometown's craft. Thanks to digital platforms, many artisans have more jobs and more motivation to continue their work.

Traditional products are used as accessories in daily life (Photo: Huong Nhi).

Conical hats and hairpins are no longer just souvenirs of the past, but have become accessories that young people confidently wear in their daily lives. This is also the way Gen Z spreads traditional values ​​in the language of the times.

How does Gen Z deal with having their images stolen?

Not every post can become a trend. Trang and Chau both realize that to survive in a fiercely competitive market, craftspeople must constantly innovate, including the participation of 4.0 successors.

Product images need to be carefully invested, the content must be attractive enough and in tune with the tastes of social network users. But that creativity must still maintain core values, so that when young people approach, they not only see a beautiful item but also feel the cultural spirit behind each product.

Along with building a brand, copyright issues are a big concern. The site has had product images taken by others many times for business purposes. Even though the logo was carefully attached or the name was clearly written in the image, after just a few edits, the traces disappeared and the image became a sales tool for another place.

Each stitch on the conical hat is done entirely by hand (Photo: Phuong Mai).

“When I saw my own photos being stolen and then sold on platforms at cheap prices, I felt very unfair. Behind that was the dedication and effort of the ladies who sat sewing hats for 7 hours, but it was easily copied and profited by others,” Trang shared.

Chau also fell into a similar situation when the product image was used without permission. However, instead of being upset, the young girl chose to have an optimistic view.

“I think I have made a small impact on the community when I see many people imitating the product. Some people even copy the product's image and name to do business. But they can only copy the design, but not the spirit and story behind each product,” Chau said with a smile.

According to Chau, each of her products has its own story that is difficult to copy (Photo: Huong Nhi).

The contrast in Trang and Chau’s perspectives partly reflects the challenges and opportunities for young people entering traditional professions. They learn to protect their creative achievements while firmly asserting their personal mark.

That journey helps Vietnamese handicrafts go beyond the role of a souvenir to become an item that both contains a personal story and represents the generation inheriting centuries-old traditional values.

Photo: Huyen Mai

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/gen-z-ke-gi-tren-threads-tiktok-ma-vuc-day-ca-lang-nghe-truyen-doi-20250922103245524.htm