Yên Tập Bamboo Weaving – Exceptional Tourist Gift Products

December 9, 2022 | Craft Village

The region of Cẩm Khê has long been recognized as a fertile land with lush palm forests, green tea hills, and abundant fields of cassava and vegetables. It is also known for its historical and cultural relics, along with traditional handicraft villages that have flourished over the years. Nestled along the gentle Thao River, rich in labor and abundant natural resources, these conditions have fostered the creation of traditional craft villages in Cẩm Khê district.

Yên Tập Bamboo Weaving – Exceptional Tourist Gift Products

In Cẩm Khê, there is a mix of both traditional and modern crafts, including traditional crafts such as palm leaf hats, woodworking, tea processing, and bamboo weaving. In recent years, alongside well-established traditional craft villages, new individual households and production units have emerged. Located along National Highway 32C and bordered by the Red River, Yên Tập commune in Cẩm Khê is experiencing rapid and comprehensive economic development. The economic and labor structure is shifting positively. Visitors to Yên Tập have the opportunity to visit the production facility of Yên Tập’s Căn Liễu bamboo weaving, situated in An Phú hamlet. This facility has been established for over a decade, inheriting the traditional handicrafts of the region to produce and trade handmade products, especially those geared towards tourism gifts. Presently, the products from this workshop are widely consumed within the province and are regularly ordered by service businesses and tourism gift shops.

The products are entirely handmade using natural materials, crafted by skillful farmers during their leisure time. These creations result in practical, durable items suitable for daily life and serve as ideal gifts. The workshop utilizes bamboo, rattan, and canes—materials known for their flexibility and durability. Crafting these exquisite and durable products takes time and involves several steps. Bamboo and rattan, once harvested, are split into small strips, boiled in oil, and then sun-dried naturally for several days. This crucial step ensures the high durability of the raw materials. The dried strips are then skillfully woven by local women to create warm blankets, gift boxes, and more. Next, the items are trimmed, coated with glue, and finally painted with two to three layers of paint, providing a beautiful gloss and absolute durability to the product. For items like warm blankets, an additional step of adding a lining is done, using fabric lined with cotton or foam to retain heat.

In the modern era, with advancements in science and technology gradually modernizing labor tools, machinery now replaces manual labor in certain stages of production, such as splitting bamboo, rattan, and weaving cane mats. However, the crafting of bamboo and rattan gift products remains entirely manual.

With ingenuity, a love for the craft, and a dedication to preserving traditional handicrafts, the people here continue to produce unique, simple, and aesthetically valuable products. The Yên Tập bamboo weaving promises to be an exceptional tourism product, adding a distinctive touch to the journey of travelers, contributing to the development of high-quality rural tourism products that reflect the characteristics of the region.