For more than 10 years, Vi Thi Thuan has been the “leading figure” behind a famous traditional handicraft brand and the owner of the Hoa Ban+ homestay in the Lac village tourist area, Mai Chau (Hoa Binh).
On a visit to the capital, Hanoi, the highland girl Vi Thi Thuan was immediately drawn to the handicraft products of craft villages from across the country on sale in the street specialising in souvenir goods. The idea of collecting brocade goods from her home village to sell in Hanoi suddenly struck her, and Thuan was determined to carry it out at once.
That was in 2006 – 2007. Every day, she travelled to the most remote communes in Hoa Binh province – where there were many brocade goods hand-embroidered by women to exchange for rice and salt…
A special workshop
On such collecting trips, she met many children with disabilities and single women in difficult circumstances. Why not set up a production facility in the locality to create jobs and income for the women and develop the products? A handicraft workshop was born.
Using the capital she had saved from small-scale trading, Thuan bought sewing machines and weaving frames and built a workshop. She called it a “warm home” – a place welcoming women with disabilities and women in difficult circumstances to live together, giving them stable work.
But not everyone understood, sympathised with or supported that good intention. Many people said she had set up the centre for personal gain. Hearing such remarks, she was sad and sometimes discouraged. But that was precisely what made Thuan determined to do her very best.
Finding every way to develop the brand
For the facility to work well, Thuan spent time in Hanoi learning good ways of working and looking for popular designs. Some of the products were sold to tourists visiting Lac village, and some she took the risk of bringing to trade fairs in Hanoi to sell.
What makes her happiest is that the quality and designs produced by the women in the workshop are in no way inferior to those of skilled artisans from other regions. Indeed, one company has placed orders for its own designs of brocade bags and scarves to take abroad for export.
Wanting to keep her workshop’s handicrafts distinctive, Thuan has more than once had to resist the temptation of machine-embroidered products or Chinese goods. Selling those goods could bring quick, large profits, but it would mean less work and lower income for the women in the workshop. She firmly said “no” to machine-embroidered goods to preserve her people’s traditional hand-embroidery craft.
In 2013, Thuan took the name Hoa Ban+ for the workshop, to take a further step on the road to building the brand and exporting products directly. She also invested in the Hoa Ban+ stilt-house homestay to serve tourists.
She is gradually fulfilling her wish to build a small museum to preserve the distinctive cultural features of the Thai ethnic group and introduce them to friends and visitors coming to Mai Chau.
Handling everything alone, from raw materials to finding outlets for the products, Thuan cannot hide her happiness when she sees the smiles shining on the faces of the women in the workshop. Without Hoa Ban+, these women with disabilities in difficult circumstances in the highlands would still be living in hardship.
Now they have a stable monthly income, support themselves and help their families. Tears are giving way to smiles and faith in life.
Le Thuy – http://phunuvietnam.vn