Preserving the old craft: Bringing bamboo from poor rural areas to the world

Learned to weave and work with bamboo at the age of 13

Born into a family with a tradition of weaving, since the age of 13, Ms. Truong Thi Bach Thuy (residing in Thuan Hoa commune, Can Tho city - formerly Phu Tan commune, Chau Thanh district, Soc Trang ) has been attached to bamboo. After school, she diligently weaved bamboo baskets to sell at the market to earn money to pay for tuition. Her love for the profession grew over the years, and at the age of 17, she boldly opened a facility to produce bamboo handicraft products.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 1. — Ms. Thuy (41 years old) at the display area of bamboo woven products

Many years later, fate brought Ms. Thuy back to her paternal hometown in Thuan Hoa commune. Witnessing the traditional craft village gradually sinking into oblivion due to its inability to compete in the modern market, she decided to "revive" the craft village. In 2023, Ms. Thuy established the Thuy Tuyet Bamboo and Rattan Cooperative (HTX) with 32 members. With a workshop area of more than 3,000 ^m2 , she and her colleagues both preserve the traditional craft and enhance the value of Vietnamese bamboo.

The cooperative's rattan and bamboo products are no longer limited to the role of household items or souvenirs, but have reached high-end hotels and restaurants and exported to the US, Switzerland, Thailand, Cambodia... Currently, the cooperative owns more than 700 models of household, decorative, travel and gift products.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 2. — Displaying bamboo products and handicrafts to serve the needs of tourists for sightseeing and learning.

In addition to weaving, Ms. Thuy also makes architectural works from bamboo with the desire to use natural materials, aiming for a green life. Up to now, she and her husband have made many architectural works from bamboo in provinces and cities in the country.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 3. — Bamboo tables and chairs

"My husband and workers are building 10 bamboo houses for a homestay in Ben Tre (now Vinh Long) and preparing to hand them over. Bamboo is considered golden steel, because its hardness is hard to compare with that of cajuput trees. All the structures, including the house foundations and pillars in the cooperative's product display area, I also built with bamboo, which is extremely sturdy," said Ms. Thuy.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 4. — The product display area has an investment of more than 1 billion VND.

The cooperative's product display and storage booth was built with an investment of 1 billion VND by Ms. Thuy and completed within 1 month. This place displays and introduces about 700 rattan, bamboo, wood and handicraft products to serve the needs of tourists, partners, students, etc.

People coming here will admire the exquisite products, from small items like fingers to large products like table and chair sets or whole bamboo houses, household items, decorations... The products are crafted by the skillful hands of local people (mostly Khmer people), purchased and consumed by the Cooperative.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 5. — Bamboo houses at the exhibition area

Free weaving training for young people

Currently, Thuy Tuyet Cooperative creates stable jobs for more than 70 Khmer households, of which more than 50% are households in difficult circumstances. The average income is from 6 to 17 million VND/month/person through product processing. In addition, the Cooperative also creates jobs for more than 200 local workers and those from neighboring provinces and cities. In particular, this place has become a "center" for transferring techniques and inspiring the younger generation to preserve Khmer cultural identity through each rattan and bamboo product.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 6. — Bamboo baskets at the exhibition area

Not only production, Ms. Thuy also actively participates in training courses on finance, information technology, support for women in starting a business and market connection events. Through that, she expands opportunities to exchange, promote products and learn management models from many other localities.

To create the best conditions for people to feel secure in working and producing, Ms. Thuy is willing to advance money, then gradually deduct it from the products. Sometimes she even borrows money from the bank to lend to workers without interest.

Thanks to the weaving profession at the cooperative, many workers have a stable income. Some who previously had to "eat today, worry about tomorrow" now have money to save and escape poverty. Ms. Thuy also provides free vocational training, supports accommodation and vocational training costs of 4 million VND per month for many young students.

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 7. — Bamboo lamps

Ms. Tran Thi Phien (35 years old, living in Thuan Hoa commune, Can Tho city) shared: "Previously, manual work took time and materials, and the products were difficult to sell. Now, thanks to the cooperative's consumption and guidance on making products of suitable sizes, my income is more stable. Every day, I can earn more than 200,000 VND from processing products for the cooperative."

Níu giữ nghề xưa: Đưa cây tre từ vùng quê nghèo ra thế giới- Ảnh 8. — Bamboo lamps are created in many beautiful designs.

With her passion for bamboo weaving, in recent times, Ms. Thuy and Thuy Tuyet Bamboo and Rattan Cooperative have been honored many times at major awards and competitions. Typically: first prize in the national finals of the contest "Women starting a business, promoting local resources" in 2023 organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union; Vietnam Association of Artisans and Brands certified as a national artisan in the bamboo and rattan weaving industry in 2023; Vietnam Cooperative Alliance honored typical products and awarded the Mai An Tiem award for the first time in 2024...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/niu-giu-nghe-xua-dua-cay-tre-tu-vung-que-ngheo-ra-the-gioi-185250810092545841.htm