Chan May, Vietnam - pt 2

After leaving King Tu Duc's tomb, we were given more shopping opportunities at a craft village. There we saw a craftswoman at work making incense as well and another woman making the traditional Vietnamese hats (nón lá or leaf hat). It takes a full day of work to make a basic (un-decorated) hat which sells for $5. The hats can be personalized in different ways and I would assume the price varies based on the design and time involved. 

 

entrance to craft store

 

bamboo sticks waiting for incense paste

 

coating bamboo sticks with spice mixture

bamboo sticks (L) clay-like mixture (R)

 

rolling incense mixture with flat board

 

First the thin bamboo reeds are dipped in different colored dyes to stain one half of them. The opposite end is then coated with a mixture of glue, lemon grass, wood powders, herbs and spices. The burning incense by Buddhist is more than just scenting a room, like we might use a candle.The incense is a big part of their religious rituals. Different numbers of sticks being burned together represent different things to them. 

 

one of many colorful incense and gift shops along the street

half dyed bamboo sticks for incense

 

Next we watched a lady making the traditional cone-shaped hats that are worn by almost everyone - both men and women - in Vietnam. Palm leaves are torn into strips, dried and pressed to be woven and sewn onto a bamboo frame. A plain hat sells for $5. Variations can be made by weaving different designs, painting pictures, etc.

These hats are actually very practical! Because of their geometrical shape, they protect the face and neck from too much sun. They are also coated with a layer of waterproof varnish to protect the head and face from rain. And...they can also be used as a fan (I saw this) or as a makeshift basket.

 

hat maker at work

 

palm leaf strips, pressed on hot metal

design cut from paper

light reveals pattern beneath

many different artistic designs

bamboo sole shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

wooden sole shoes

many colorful paintings for sale

hats for sale on the street

I hope you've enjoyed learning these things. It's late so I must hit the sack because we have our onboard church service in the morning. I will post some random "people" photos I took in Chan May tomorrow. I apologize in advance if I get some of these temples, places or names wrong. It's easy to do! By the way, did I mention that there are 200 Buddhist temples in Chan May? And like my sister Marilyn always says, "You've seen one (fill in the blank), you've seen 'em all!