Mrs. Pham Thi Nhan
PANO - The title, “Mother of Palm-Leaf Conical Hat”, is a name that people in Phu Xuyen Village called Mrs. Pham Thi Nhan, a woman from Chuong Village, Thanh Oai District, who introduced how to make the conical hat to Phu Xuyen Village in 1954.
Nhan, a 90-year-old woman, was born in Chuong Village, Thanh Oai District, a famous village for making conical hats. That is the reason why she was very good at making conical hats when she was young. At the age 19, she got married to a man in Phu Xuyen Village and brought her skills along with her.
Since then, she started teaching people in Phu Xuyen Village how to make conical hats, and at present, 80% of local people can make conical hats. In 2000, production of the conical hat in the village was recognized as a traditional handicraft, and was supported by the Vietnamese Government.
Phan Thi Nam, a member of Women’s Union, said that “Thanks to Nhan, people in our village have extra income and it helped us work together”.
Nguyen Xuan Doan, Deputy-Chairman of the Phu Cuong Communal People’s Committee, said that “Thanks to State assistance, we have set up five classes to promote sewing technique and improve traditional handicraft.
Translated by Tran Hoai