Que Chi

Around the world, people associate Vietnamese women with áo dài tunics and conical hats. Workshops in the North, Centre andSouth specialise in making these hats, which often feature local variations. A famous village for conical hats in the northern delta is Chuong Village in Thanh Oai District, just 40km from central Hanoi.

“Whoever wants to eat white rice and catfish
And wear a fine leafy hat should come to Chuong Village”

People in Chuong Village have performed this traditional craft for over 300 years. long ago, the versatile craftsmen of ChuongVillage made conical hats for empresses and princesses. Nowadays, while conical hats are rare in Vietnam’s big cities, they remainimportant possessions for rural women

“Wearing a leafy hat from Chuong Village
To go into the fields, schools, markets and poems Keeping sunlight and rain from our feet
Flat or tipped, their love is impossible to fathom”

          – Excerpt from “Leaf Hats of Chuong Village – Hoang Cam Thach

In Chuong Village, front yards are piled with white hats and materials. Those who wish to buy hats should not miss the markets that take place on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th and 30th days of each lunar month. These unique markets continue today and offer only traditional wares made in the village. Visitors will see local women selling heaps of hats while working on new ones. Hat-making suppliesare also sold in the market and include moulds, steel strings and thread.

While the hats appear simple, they contain a variety of material and involve many steps. Hat-makers crinkle the palm leaves in sand, dry them, sort them and iron them. The ironed leaves are placed on a mould. Hat-makers in Chuong Village make the hat’s frame with 16 circular rings from the tip to the brim. These rings make the hats solid and durable.

The circular frames are made using bamboo rings. The joints are well hidden. Sewing on the leaves is the last and most difficult step since it is easy to tear the leaves. The stitches must be straight and even inside and out. More sophisticated hats are decorated on the underside with floral patterns made with coloured paper or thread. To finish the hat, a soft white chinstrap is added to accentuate the wearer’s feminine beauty.

Older people in Chuong Village pass their skills down to the youngsters. Many little girls go to the market and help their mothers to sew and sell hats. each hat is a token of the villagers’ affection for their hereditary craft. Chuong villagers are proud to welcome foreign and domestic visitors. A conical leaf hat from Chuong village is an iconic gift from Vietnam.