Vietnamese Brocade is a type of woven fabric made from raw cotton, flax or hemp, and is rich in texture and motifs.  It is typically dyed various colors; and sometimes wax is painted on portions of the woven fabric before the dyeing process, to prevent those portions from absorbing the dye.

The brocade weaving patterns are derived primarily from the traditional methods of three (3) ethnic minorities: the Mong people from northern Ha Giang province; the Ta Oi people from central Thua Thien; and the Cham people from Ninh Thuan province.  Their weaving traditions are preserved and passed down through the skillful hands of the women in the family.

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Visit the brocade village of Chau Phong

Located along the bank of Vinh An canal, opposite the town of Chau Doc, is the Chau Phong village of the Cham people. This is an old village which still preserves the characteristics of the Cham culture in the Mekong Delta.

Ancient Cham people had the custom of keeping girls of 10-12 years old at home to learn weaving. Cham girls were very skillful in weaving brocade. Today, this practice is no longer maintained, but Cham women in Chau Phong still preserve traditional crafts.

The main materials for weaving brocade are cotton yarns dyed with indigo and silk dyed with natural colors, extracted from latex, bark and fruit. The colors are only blue, white, yellow, and black, but they are always bright and impressive.

To save time, industrial silk is used more today. To deal with the weakness of industrial silk as thin and its tendency to lose color, the Cham create beautiful embroidery patterns so each product is unique.

Brocade is used to make bathing suits, floral sarongs, dresses, jewelry boxes, bags, and especially beautiful and interesting hair ties. Also, the Cham girls weave icat - a kind of towel as a dowry – before they get married.

With its rustic but exquisite and luxurious beauty, Chau Phong brocade has become more and more popular.

Ta Phin Village - A brocade villge in Sapa

Ta Phin Village is about 17 km from Sapa Town surrounded by mountains and spectacular rice terraces where the Red Dao and H’Mong live together share the land and still retain traditional tribal cultures.

Ta Phin Village

Local People working on the field

Ta Phin Village

Stroll through the surrounding countryside and enjoy the picturesque landscape of spectacular rice fields, mountains, streams, and hill tribe houses. Travelling to and from Red Dao and H’Mong communes you will learn the difference between the traditional tribal cultures. Some of the locals may invite you to go to their homes to show how they live, what they have and tell you about their families. On following them to their houses, you will find out how simply they live. Any homestay in Taphin is a perfect base for exploring the village and enjoying the nature without disrespect of the natural environment and local village life. The village is not only famous for the pristine and spectacular natural beauty, but also attracting every traveler for the unique ethnic culture values, of which the brocade weaving and Red Dao traditional medicinal herb bath are two “specialties” that you should not miss. Tourists come to Ta Phin can find many distinctively hand-made brocades made by ethnic people. All of the products are eye-catching with numerous bright colors and patterns, ranging from bag, scarf, purse, to skirt, and even backpack and coat. Bathing in medicinal herbs is a Dao New Year’s Eve tradition and nowadays, many Red Dao households are ready to provide tourists with medicinal herbal bath service.

Cham Brocade in My Nghiep Village

The traditional craft of weaving brocade has existed for hundreds of years in My Nghiep Village, Phuoc Dan Town, Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province. Over the years, the local people have maintained techniques on weaving brocade according to the traditional method that helps preserve the Cham cultural features.

According to locals, artisan Ponuga is the founder of the craft that was then handed down to the Cham people in Ca Klaing (present-day My Nghiep) Village. 

Previously, to have the materials for making brocade products, it took the locals much time and effort to grow cotton plants, take the fibres, dry and dye them. 

They used Chum bau leaves for dyeing and then soaked it into mud for seven days to create the black colour, the latex of Canh kien plants in the forest to create the red colour and leaves and barks of indigo plants to create the indigo-blue colour. 

However, all the materials, from fibres to artificial colourings, are now available in the market, facilitating the craft of locals. 

Among the steps of weaving brocade, the most difficult one is blending the colours for patterns that require the artisans’ aesthetic sense and experience. For the step of weaving, the weavers must manipulate the threads in a harmonious way so the brocade will be flat with striking colourful patterns. 

Each brocade made by My Nghiep villagers is different from others in terms of patterns, motifs and designs even though they are made by one weaver. 

It is the unique feature of My Nghiep brocade products. On the background colours of red and black, the typical colours of Cham brocade, are diverse patterns, such as basic geometric shapes, clouds, dragons and animals. The patterns on the Cham women’s costumes also reflect their position and class in society.

The brocade weaving craft has been preserved and developed by the Cham people in not only My Nghiep Village, but also in Huu Duc, Chung My and Van Lam in Ninh Thuan and other villages in Binh Thuan Province. In other villages only women engage in the craft whereas both men and women in My Nghiep practice the craft. 

Besides traditional products, the My Nghiep villagers now make different products, such as bags, purses and backpacks which are sold in the domestic market and exported to Japan, German, France and the US. The craft has provided jobs for local people, improving their living standards. 

To further develop the craft, artisans in the village pay much attention to creating new, unique patterns to meet the demand of customers while young people start promoting and introducing their products in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces nationwide.

Thanks to their high quality, the products of My Nghiep Village have won many great prizes both at home and abroad and artisans are invited to participate in many trade fairs and exhibitions in China, Thailand, France and Malaysia. The village is also recognized by the Vietnam Handicraft Villages’ Association.

The traditional brocade weaving craft has existed for hundreds of years in My Nghiep Village. Cham girls in their traditional costume. Weaving brocade. To create delicate and unique patterns, the artisans must have an aesthetic sense and experience in mixing colours. The craft shows a distinctive cultural feature of the Cham people.

Some brocade products of the Cham people in My Nghiep Village. Diverse patterns on brocade products. High quality brocade products made by My Nghiep locals. Diverse products for tourists. Inrahani production workshop has made a contribution to introducing the brocade  products of My Nghiep Village to other countries.

The quintessence of Vietnamese brocade

Collections of visually-striking, colorful Vietnamese tho cam(brocade) from different regions and demonstrations of how artisans produce it have enthralled spectators during the five-day 2013 Hue Traditional Craft Festival, which ended yesterday in Hue.

The tho cam items, which come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and purposes, are made by Mong ethnic minority people from northern Ha Giang province, by Ta Oi minority people in central Thua Thien – Hue province, and by Cham people from Ninh Thuan province.

The northern brocade

At the section displaying the tho cam produced by Mong people inhabiting the northern mountainous region, the artisans in colorful brocade clothes are seen weaving over their traditional looms.

The painting of wax on the fabric before dying it is the key to the beauty of the region’s tho cam. The cloth areas with the wax won’t absorb dye, creating unique patterns.

These are only a few of the 41 phases involved in the making of tho cam by the Mong people.

“Our tho cam is all made from lanh (flax). Our art dates back thousands years. For us, wearing lanh is just like staying in an air-conditioned room, it keeps us warm in winter and cool in summer and even absorbs our perspiration while we’re toiling hard,” artisan Vang Thi Mai proudly said.

The central region’s brocade

A much-awaited highlight of the International Textile Fest, which was part of the 2013 Hue Traditional Crafts Festival, was a fashion show by famed designers which featured designs based on Asian and European traditions and raw materials.

Zeng, the brocade made by Ta Oi ethnic minority people in central Thua Thien-Hue province, inspired Minh Hanh, a gifted Vietnamese designer, to come up with a design using this special material.

“This is a unique product which is congruent with the world’s modern fashion trends,” Hanh quoted French textile experts as commenting onzeng.

Though Ta Oi people live near the Vietnam-Laos border, their zeng is quite distinct from the tho cam made in other regions.

The geometric patterns, which are depicted in only black, red, white and green, are simple reproductions of objects such as mountains, vegetation and animals in the forests nearby.

The allure of zeng lies mostly in the technique of attaching glass beads to the cloth during the weaving process, which is completely unique, making zeng stand out from other kinds of cloth by other ethnic minorities.

Apart from the horizontal bamboo poles, the artisans’ limbs and the curve of their backs are also indispensable parts of the looms, which are incredibly simple and portable.

“Zeng, which is known for its simplicity and rawness, meets the modern world’s simplifying fashion trends,” Hanh remarked.

The Cham people’s brocade

What draws the most attention from visitors about the tho camproduced by the Cham people from Ninh Thuan province are the two looms in one set which are distinctly different in their sizes, structures and weaving methods. The artisans at the high loom with coral pieces hung over it resemble artists playing musical instruments.

The brocades and demonstrations of the brocade making process appealed to local and foreign tourists alike.

“I’ve heard quite a lot about Vietnamese tho cam, but it’s the first time I’ve watched the distinct making processes of artisans from the three regions in Vietnam. I think the making of brocades will go much further and appeal even more if better promoted,” said Torsten Schawarz, a German tourist.

“In today’s modern world, Vietnamese brocades deserve to be celebrated as a national treasure,” Hanh noted.

Vietnam Brocade – The Essence of Vietnamese Handicraft

Over the past decades witnessed great movements towards textile digital printing in the textile industry like others including digital cameras, CDs, DVDs and so forth. Advances in digital technologies – let’s say a ‘real’ digital camera – have made shooting pictures easier for amateur photographers yet as for someone who thirst for ‘true’ art of photography, an ‘old’ motion picture camera is irreplaceable.

Unlike digital printed textiles, hand – made fabrics are unique yet beautiful. Music lovers are still falling in love with classical music records worth at least hundreds of dollars. International Exhibition of Hand – made Textiles sponsored by UNESCO is going to be held in Clermont – Ferrand in France in September, 2012 with the motive to promote and preserve traditional and religious artifacts.Vietnamese brocade fabrics are also on display at the exhibition. Vietnamese famous designer Minh Hanh takes advantages of the beauty of Vietnamese brocade fabrics made by ethnic minorities in North – West Vietnam and Central Highlands. In fact, most Vietnamese textile products are fabricated by H’Mong locals, mostly skillful and meticulous craftsmen, in Ha Giang Province and Bac Ha Province and others in Central Highlands. Minh Hanh – inspired fashion collection fascinated more than a thousand guests of all nationalities at the exhibition in France – The Empire of Fashion.Vietnamese brocade fabrics vary according to their textile materials and designs. In the old and present days, hand – made brocade products are closely associated with the habits and customs of most Vietnamese ethnic minorities, for example, brocade fabrics serve as essentials, goods or even used as marriage portions. Textile engineering driven by manpower brings beautiful brocade textile with unique yet wonderful colors and patterns.Brocade textile manufacturingTextile materials are mostly raw fibers of cotton together with antiar skin. Old – fashioned wooden looms transform smooth white cotton fibers into brocade. Beautiful brocade colored are true amazing artworks.Dying color+ Black Color: a mixture of indigo leaves or a special type of dark – blue leaves soaked and fresh mud.
+ Dark Red or Brown Color: dark red or brown dyes mix different types of tree barks.+ Blue Color: the baked shells of the snails living in springs mixed with lime water, Krum or indigo leaves.
+ Red Color: the bark of the century – old Krung trees
+ Red – Brown Color : A boiled mixture of tree bark, vinegar and alum. Textile fibers are dyed at high temperature of about 80 degrees.
+ Yellow: turmeric fabric dye.
The final step is to brush dyed textile fibers, clean and dry them out.Local brocade fabric are strongly attached to the traditional customs of the Vietnamese ethnic minorities, each has its own unique hand – made brocade textile.+ H’Mong: H’Mong brocade textile embroidered with cruciform, rhombic or triangular patterns .
+ Dao: most of Dao brocade textile dyed in light – red color. Dao’s bright colored brocade textile embroidered with dark – blue patterns looks beautiful and elegant.+ Tay: Tay’s brocade textile is distinctive in its arrangement of rhombic dark colored patterns on smooth white background.
+ Nung: Nung people usually wear colorful dresses, in particular, the colors of the sleeves and the shirt tail are different from its body.
+ Khmer: Unlink textile dying in North – West Vietnam, Khmer textile engineering enables texture patterns to be directly woven into the fabric.
+ Cham: Dark or red colored brocade textile decorated with geometrical patterns.
+ H’re: H’re brocade textile dyed in black and red color and its beautiful patterns depicts meaningful pictures painted with natural colors and geometrical shapes.
+ Bana: The main colors of the Bana’s brocade are black, red and white.
+ Lolo: The colors of the Lolo’s brocade fabric are mostly bright colors. They are produced by sewing a shaped fabric onto a larger fabric, a patchwork square or a foundation fabric.
+ Cotu: The patterns of the Cotu’s brocade textile are simple yet beautiful. It varies according to designs, mostly, with multiform color and unique vignettes.
Vietnamese brocade handicrafts serve as meaningful presents and souvenirs. Fashion designers inspire their creations with traditional brocade textile patterns, besides its advantages also seen in graphic design and home decoration. Vietnamese brocade textile brings out the spiritual and heritage value of Vietnam fashion in particular and the world’s art of textile as a whole.