Preserving the old craft: Bringing bamboo from poor countryside to the world

Learned weaving and became attached to 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 her tuition. Her love for the profession grew over the years, and at the age of 17, she boldly opened a facility to produce handicraft products from bamboo.

PHOTO: DUY TAN

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 over 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, etc. Currently, the cooperative owns more than 700 models of household, decorative, travel and gift products.

PHOTO: DUY TAN

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 across the country.

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"My husband and workers are currently constructing 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 have also built with bamboo, which is extremely sturdy," said Ms. Thuy.

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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 products of rattan, bamboo, wood and handicraft products to serve the needs of tourists, partners, students, etc.

People coming here will admire the sophisticated products, from small items like fingers to large products like tables and chairs 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.

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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 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.

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Not only does she stop at production, Ms. Thuy also actively participates in training courses on finance, information technology, supporting women in starting businesses, and market connection events. Through this, 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 by 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 and worry about tomorrow" now have money to save and escape poverty. Ms. Thuy also provides free vocational training, supports accommodation and training costs of 4 million VND per month for many young students.

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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."

PHOTO: DUY TAN

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 indigenous resources" in 2023 organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union; The Association of Vietnamese Artisans and Brands certified as national artisans in the bamboo and rattan weaving industry in 2023; The Vietnam Cooperative Alliance honored typical products and awarded the Mai An Tiem award for the first time in 2024...