Bringing rattan and bamboo weaving to the border highlands

After 3 years of implementing the Socio-economic development program for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, period 2021 - 2025, Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province has increased the average income per capita in the area by 10%, from VND 39 million in 2021 to an expected VND 43 million this year.

The rate of poor households according to multi-dimensional criteria and the new poverty line for the period 2021 - 2025 continues to decrease. Statistics for 2021 are 25.35%; by 2022, it will be 21.36%. A number of projects have been implemented with positive results such as concentrated resettlement in the Bang Luom area, and Yen Nhan commune.

Rejoicing in the common joy, Ms Dinh Thi Tham, residing in Yen Nhan commune, said that her family life is currently stable. Not only that, she was also facilitated by the Commune People's Committee to study rattan and bamboo weaving classes according to the vocational training program of Thuong Xuan district.

Starting around June 2023, more than 30 elderly people like Ms. Tham were taught about every technique in the handicraft-making and weaving process. Thanks to the People's Committee of Thuong Xuan district creating conditions and supporting vocational training costs, Ms Tham and most of the students have mastered their skills after more than 3 months. She is now able to receive orders from the district.

Excitedly showing off her large basket, which can be used to store clothes, Ms Tham said: "The work is light and suitable for my health". Weaving is especially suitable because she can take advantage of her free time or leisure time to increase her income.

On average, every day she earns about an additional VND 30,000 - 40,000. The amount of money is not large for people living in urban areas, but for people in the western mountainous district of Thanh Hoa province, it is very valuable. With the extra money, Mrs. Tham's family's daily meals have an additional salty dish. If she decides to save, she can buy her grandchild a new shirt at the end of the month.

The joy of Thai ethnic women is also the wish of many people in mountainous and remote areas. They long for a job that can help their family, improve their quality of life and save money for retirement.

However, with the small, fragmented nature of production and the inability to keep up with general tastes, people's products mostly rely on the government to cover the output.

"Because we do not know how to exploit and preserve the profession, many of our products show signs of sinking. According to statistics, many products do not have their own brands and are only associated with regions. Resources are not enough for comprehensive and inclusive development", said Dr Vo Tri Thanh, Director of the Institute for Brand and Competitiveness Strategy.

However, products from ethnic minorities and mountainous areas always contain two great values, according to Mr. Thanh. Those are the trends of green living, and green production and very clear regional culture.

How to get people's products, after vocational training and proficiency, to be consumed more on the market is also the concern of Mr. Le Ba Ngoc, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Handicraft Exporter Association. He assessed that many practical programs and activities to support people in developing handicrafts, unique occupations of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, have been built in recent years.

Most of them receive great attention from the producer community, people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, as well as the business community.

To position brands for products in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and at the same time position brands for regions and businesses, Mr. Ngoc emphasized the precision in identifying market needs and having products suitable for the mid-range and high-end segments.

"We must combine people's cultural traditions with developing regional brands and building national brands. Additionally, we also need to locate the space of handicrafts in ethnic minority and mountainous areas", he commented.

Mr Le Ba Ngoc also proposed to further strengthen the connection between production households and businesses to create a sustainable production chain. All levels, sectors, organizations and local authorities join hands to coordinate and promote product propaganda and promotion in a more professional manner. In particular, it is necessary to issue stronger policies to promote the consumption of products in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

One effective way of promotion, according to Mr. Ngoc, is to build "stories" associated with the product. Through village elders and artisans, they can tell stories and insights to create "depth" for products, helping them become more widely popular in cyberspace.

The large area, divided rivers and streams, difficult transportation, and frequent natural disasters... are the difficulties mentioned by Mr. Cam Ba Dung, Vice Chairman of Thuong Xuan District People's Committee when implementing the Socio-Economic Development Program for Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period 2021 - 2025.

In addition, the number of communes exiting the extremely difficult area in the period 2021 - 2025, according to Decision No. 861/QD-TTg, is relatively large. This affects regimes and policies for students, health insurance, officials, and civil servants, forcing the People's Committee of Thuong Xuan district to make timely adjustments, closely following reality.​