Lung Tam brocade weaving village in Ha Giang

Last updated - April 15, 2024
Lung Tam brocade weaving village in Ha Giang

Lung Tam brocade weaving village in Ha Giang is a popular destination among domestic and foreign tourists. Besides being able to admire the product creation process and buy unique gifts to bring home, you can also understand more about the hilltribe local culture in the area.

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1. Overview of Lung Tam brocade weaving village

The stone plateau is where the famous Lung Tam brocade weaving village is located, not far from Quan Ba Ha Giang's heaven gate. Hop Tien village of Lung commune is where the H'Mong people live, using the long-standing brocade weaving profession. This land is a small valley located between four rocky mountains with the Mien River flowing through it.
- Address: Quan Ba, Ha Giang
The village was formed in 2001 when the cooperative model was born. Initially, only 10 people were living and now there are more than 100 people. Tourists visiting Lung Tam brocade weaving village can admire the scene of people being busy in their daily lives: H'Mong women sit in front of looms skillfully making beautiful fabrics or unique brocade products. Particularly, you will also have the opportunity to bring home products made from natural linen.
The weaving village not only brings income to the residents but also contributes to preserving the long-standing traditional values of the H'Mong people. Most of the people whose ancestral homeland grew up here continue the village's weaving profession.

2. Road to Lung Tam village

From Ha Giang center, visitors will have to run about 50km to reach Quan Ba Twin Mountains and Heaven Gate. Then, you continue to go straight along the pass to Tam Son Town. After passing the Tam Son gas station for a few kilometers, you will see a section of Cua Tay Ao (Coc Ma village), with 7 consecutive turns. At the 7th turn, you go right onto the small road to reach Lung Tam brocade weaving village.


Lung Tam village location in the map

3. Discover the unique features that attract most tourists here
 

3.1. Unique linen weaving technique in the village

Linen weaving in Lung Tam brocade weaving village has been around for a long time, not only providing a source of income but also helping to preserve the traditions of the H'Mong people. Currently, the village is still producing many products such as wallets, towels, clothes, brocade bags, tablecloths, pillowcases, decorative panels, etc. The highlight of these products is that they are made entirely of hand-woven linen using a long-standing method.

The main raw material is taken from flax plants grown by people in the village or surrounding areas, and they choose varieties very carefully. When H'Mong women reach adulthood, they also have their fields to grow flax. After being harvested, the flax plant will be soaked and separated into small and thin fibers. Next, the flax fibers are rolled into rotating frames, and after being broken into small pieces, they are boiled or steamed until soft.

The dyeing process is also quite special. Most colors will be chosen from leaves grown in the forest such as brown tubers, tea, and guava, etc. so there is no intervention from industrial chemicals. People here often choose linen weaving over cotton because they think it is more durable and sturdy. In addition, from a spiritual point of view, they also believe that linen is the bridge between people and the other world.

The H'Mong people weave fabric using belt looms, and after weaving, they create fabric panels. Then, they will wash it many times until it is completely white. Following this, they spread the fabric on a round wooden log, and use a beeswax stone to roll it back and forth until the fabric is softer and the fibers are shinier. The fabric is soaked in the indigo solution for about 1 hour, then dried, drained, then soaked in the solution, and this process is repeated 5-6 times.

Next, the fabric is dyed. The dyeing process also depends on weather conditions. On sunny days, it will only take 3-4 days to dry fabric, but when it rains, it can last several months. Because of this careful fabric dyeing process, the indigo color always feels fresh and long-lasting. One of the special features of linen fabric from Lung Tam brocade weaving village is the creation of patterns.

All motifs on the fabric are made using hand embroidery techniques, applying colored fabric, and drawing beeswax patterns. The H'Mong people also invent the use of beeswax to draw on white fabric in diamond or square blocks, because they are symmetrical, making the pattern on the fabric more durable. This stage is considered quite difficult, because it requires meticulousness, ingenuity, and creativity from the craftsman.

3.2. The meaning of Lung Tam brocade weaving village

Many elderly people in the village believe that the linen fibers show the way for the deceased to return to their ancestors and reincarnate as humans. Besides, linen weaving also shows diligence and skill, which is also a criterion to evaluate a woman's virtue. Before getting married, a H'Mong girl must also know how to weave linen, and the bride will be given a set of linen by her biological mother. After returning to her husband's house, the daughter-in-law will give her mother-in-law a set of hand-made linen clothes.

For H'Mong women, making good linen is a special pride. In each stage of weaving, they pay great attention and meticulously apply ancient manual methods. The H'Mong people also have a rule when weaving that when women are stretching the thread to thread it into the frame, men are not allowed to come close because they may break the thread or thread it wrongly.

3.3. Famous products reaching the world level

Most of the linen weaving products in Lung Tam brocade weaving village are exported to foreign countries, but rarely appear in the domestic market. With a wide variety of products such as clothes, handbags, wallets, etc. they are not only sold in the village but also used in restaurants, hotels or eateries. Each product is cared for by the people from the first stage, and also represents the culture of the people living in the Ha Giang stone plateau.

Products of Lung Tam brocade weaving village are also exported to more than 20 countries such as the US, Japan, Switzerland, etc. No matter where they are, they are popular because of their unique features from materials to brilliant patterns. Linen is known to be a durable material, beneficial to health, and creates ventilation when worn, so this is also seen as an opportunity for Lung Tam Village's products to reach further in the future.

3.4. Experiences gained when coming to Lung Tam village

Coming to Lung Tam brocade weaving village, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about how to sew and weave with local women. Visitors can witness them making every stitch and utmost patience to weave a cloth. They strive to do each step with the utmost diligence and meticulousness possible. In the past, linen was mostly woven to make shirts and dresses for major occasions, but now it is used to produce many unique souvenirs.

4. Visit some nearby spots

- Yen Minh pine forest: Not far from Lung Tam brocade weaving village, crossing the bumpy road, we will come to a Northeastern mountain and forest scene no different from being in Da Lat. What's more special is the feeling when you catch the sunrise and feel the cold breeze hitting your skin in the middle of the vast pine forest.

- Quan Ba Twin Mountain: A natural masterpiece with two round hills, seductive and firm like the breasts of a fairy sleeping soundly in the highland. From the top of Quan Ba Twin Mountain, we can look down below at the immense green of the corn fields.

- Tham Ma Slope: A winding road located on National Highway 4c running from Ha Giang to Meo Vac district. Tham Ma Slope is an extremely famous spot with nine winding turns in Ha Giang. This is a familiar route for young people who love to explore, like to conquer adventures, and admire the majestic natural beauty.

- Can Ty Ancient Citadel: A military project that is more than 130 years old. Can Ty Ancient Citadel covers the vital road of the Vietnam-China border area. The citadel consists of two walls located opposite each other across the banks of the Mien River. Each wall starts from the riverbank, extending up the steep cliff. This is an interesting but not well-known attraction on the way to explore the Dong Van stone plateau.

Don't miss the opportunity to explore Lung Tam brocade weaving village if you have the opportunity to visit Ha Giang. Not only are there beautiful handmade linen products, but we also learn more about weaving in the Northern mountains.

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