Chuông Conical Hat Village

Located in Thanh Oai District, Ha Noi city, Chuông Conical Hat Village is well-known for its special product “nón” by many foreign and domestic visitors. This small village is crowded with people who not o­nly come here to place orders but also witness the process of making “nón”.

The main material for making “nón” is palm leaf. Chuông villagers have to choose the white shoots from Phú Thọ Province or “nón” leaf from Hà Tĩnh Province. Bamboo hammocks and conical hats must be imported from other provinces.

Not o­nly old people but also children in this village know how to make conical hats. They take advantage of leisure after harvest time to make “nón”. This occupation helps villagers increase their incomes, improve their living standards and contribute to bettering their home village.

“Nón quai thao”(a kind of conical hat with fringe hanging at both sides) has a unique beauty with pink fringes, 2 yellow and red silk tassels, which is suitable for girls in Spring festivals, village festivities, “chèo” and “quan họ” folk music festivals.

Many Chuông villagers are good at making “nón quai thao”, which is a special cultural feature of the Northern delta in Việt Nam. The conical makers must be meticulous, skillful and have experience as the process is complicated, including choosing, arranging palm leaves, then sticking them o­n the conical ring, and sewing colorful thread. It sometimes takes the artisan a whole day to complete a nice “quai thao” conical hat.

Not o­nly is “quai thao” conical hat ordered by artistic troupes but it is also foreign tourists’ favorite souvenir. Many visitors from Germany, France, England can’t help buying this unique souvenir when they arrive at Chuông Village.