Where Is Chuong Village?
Chuong Village in Hanoi is a famous traditional craft village known for its conical hat making, located in Phuong Trung commune, Thanh Oai district, about 30km from the center of Hanoi. Chuong Village is also known by the name Thanh Oai conical hat village, with an area of over 481 hectares comprising 8 residential hamlets. This long-standing conical hat village always exudes the traditional beauty of the northern Vietnamese countryside, attracting distant tourists to discover the beauty and history of this village.
Chuong Village is located 30 kilometers southwest of Hanoi center
History
According to the elders in the village, the Chuong hat craft village has a history of more than 300 years. In the past, the village produced a variety of conical hats catering to different social classes. Initially, these hats were made solely for local use, but over time, the renowned Chuong conical hats gained popularity and reached beyond the village boundaries. They were eventually sold across the region and even presented as gifts to queens, concubines, and princesses at the royal court.
The craft of making conical hats in Chuong village has existed for more than 300 years
Hundreds of years of history have passed, and up to now, the small village on the Day River still preserves the village culture and traditional crafts of its ancestors. Phuong Trung commune has about 2,700 hat-making households. The artisans have been taught the hat making profession since they were very young and even in their golden years, they remain passionate and love this job.
Currently, Chuong Village offers a variety of conical hats with different colors, sizes and materials
In addition, Chuong village conical hats are increasingly diverse in designs and colors to serve as decorations and gifts. Hats made by skillful hands not only travel to all regions of Vietnam but also reach international friends, affirming the unique cultural beauty.
What To Do and To See?
Explore The Process Of Making Conical Hats
When you come to Chuong village, you will have the opportunity to learn how to make a conical hat. Making hats is a craft with many stages, requiring skill, patience, and a lot of effort.
It takes many different stages to create a conical hat
The hats are made from main materials such as Rhapis leaves, cork, sewing thread, and fabric for the hat straps. Rhapis leaves are crushed and dried in the sun to get a beautiful white color. The brim of the hat is made from bamboo trees that are sharpened evenly and bent in gradually smaller circles up to the tip of the hat. Layers of leaves are sewn into the hat rings to create a complete hat.
You can also participate in making hats in each step such as clawing leaves, sewing hats and painting and decorating your own hat.
A group of tourists visited a conical hat making household in Chuong village
Chuong Market
Normally, places of worship are not noisy commercial places, but Chuong village is different. The hat market operates right in the temple yard of the village. No matter how many years have passed, the conical hat market still holds the old tradition of meeting on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th and 30th of every month (lunar calendar).
On market days, the people of Chuong village wake up from 4 to 5 a.m. to prepare for the market. Market sessions usually last until about 10 a.m.
Thousands of conical hats are sold at each weekly market
Walking around the market in the early morning, you will see thousands of hats brought by sellers. At Chuong Market, people not only sell finished hats, but you will also see stalls selling materials to make a hat. Such as frames, bamboo boards, palm paper, leaves, needles, and threads for sewing hats. Therefore, customers at the market are not only people from far away but also hat makers.
That's why this market is always crowded and noisy even though there are up to 6 market sessions per month. A good tip for buying a good Chuong hat for you is to choose one that is sturdy, round, flat, and has a natural shine. The price of each knife ranges from around $1.5 to $5.5 depending on the quality.
The market opens on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th and 30th of every month (lunar calendar)
Continue your reading journey with our piece on things to do in Hanoi!
Chuong village has the rustic and traditional beauty of the Northern countryside, combined with the unique beauty that conical hat production brings. As a traveler from far away, you should visit Chuong village when you have the opportunity to travel to Hanoi. If you are looking for more information about Vietnam itineraries or destinations, contact the NEW team for support.
