Phu Cam conical hat making village

Hue conical hat or Phu Cam conical hat has not only a beautiful form but also modest color. It is light and so thin that light seems to pierce through it. Through natural light, one can see Hue landscapes with verses engraved on paper placed between two layers of leaves. Hat-making village Phu Cam (also Phuoc Vinh) lies on the southern bank of the An Cuu River in the centre of the former imperial capital of Hue. It’s a village famous for its traditional way of making conical hats for hundreds of years.

From the front look, Phu Cam-made hats look graceful, soft and thin as silk. Hue landscapes or even poems can be seen clearly through the hats in the sunshine. It takes woman much time to make the frame and iron leaves before young girls start sewing. The beauty and grace of a hat depend much on the frame (made of 16 brims from the hem to the top). Artisans use sharp knives to prepare the brims and make the frame that needs skills, techniques and experiences, as well as mathematical calculations which have been handed down for generations.

The leaves to make hat play a vital part, leaves have to be blue-white, neither too young nor too old. Collected leaves are to be put to dry in the sun, put to be moistened by dewdrops, and then to be ironed flat on a steel- plank above a kiln, cleaned with a towel. After all this, leaves are cut to fit the frame.

Moreover, how to arrange the leaves on to the frame is not easy. Each hat needs 50 leaves and between the leaves are coloured papers with pictures or paintings of landscapes, or even poems. Hat-makers are hardworking and careful and diligent. Hats are served with silk-threads and the chin-straps are made of coloured silk (black, white, yellowish, purple, violet…) to harmonize with Hue climate and beauty.

Most remarkably, poem-hat is a distinctive feature of culture in Hue. Locals say they like to do the job not only to earn money but to preserve their age-old tradition as poem-hats have been absorbed into folk music and songs. Today hat are still used by young girls to shade their heads in the sun and to make them look more graceful in the traditional Ao Dai (long dress).

Tay Ho conical hat making village

The Tay Ho village is the hometown of the Hue conical hats- a thing is considered as the beauty of Hue’s soul.Located near Nhu Y river, the Tay Ho village (Phu Ho commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien-Hue province) has long been well-known for traditional conical hat making craft. The conical hat making craft has established for 100 years and poem conical hats – a typical feature of Hue also originates from Tay Ho village ( the land has been famous for beautiful girls).

The poem conical hat was first made in Tay Ho village by accident. In period 1959- 1960, Mr. Bui Quang Bac- a craftsman of making conical hats and also a poetic lover in the village who had an idea to make the poem conical hat by adding poems between two layers of leaves, highlight the beauty of the conical hats (at that time, Hue conical hats were mainly sold to Southern market).

The first two verses are pressed into the conical hat by Mr. Bac:“Who visit poetic Hue, buy the conical hat as the gift”

Women in Tay Ho village at the age of 10 learn to make conical hats by themselves and some people spend their whole life to make this traditional craft. To men, apart from farming, they help women iron leaves or cut bamboo to make frames. A kind of bamboo, they sophisticatedly polished bamboo strands into 16 strands; then bend them into round rings. To get beautiful leaves, craftsmen often choose leaves remaining light blue, iron leaves many times until flat and smooth. After that leaves will attached to the frame. This stage is called “cham,” which is usually made by young girls.

Hue’s conical hats are famous thanks to this stage. Hue’s conical hats always have two layers of leaves. Craftsmen must be very skillful to make the two layers very thin. After this stage, the hats will be covered by oil and dried under the sun.

At first time, the poetic conical hat was made to present relatives, but after that it is preferred by a lot of people. Since then, craftsmen have started to produce the poetic conical hat for sale. The verses which are pressed into hats are more diverse. They usually are verses of Hue.

Moreover, to make the hat more beautiful, craftsmen also add paintings of Perfume river and Ngu mountain next to verses. Over quite long time, the poetic hat is proprietary products of Tay Ho village.

Chuong conical hat making village

Located 40 kilometres on the west of central Hanoi, Chuong Conical Hat Village is well-known for its special product conical hat called “Non”, which has given a discreet charm to Vietnamese women across many generations; rich and poor, big cities and rural areas. In visitors’ mind, the hat has become a unique feature of Vietnamese culture and is well-sought after.

Located 40 kilometres on the west of central Hanoi, Chuong Conical Hat Village is well-known for its special product conical hat called “Non”, which has given a discreet charm to Vietnamese women across many generations; rich and poor, big cities and rural areas. In visitors’ mind, the hat has become a unique feature of Vietnamese culture and is well-sought after.

A village of conical hat 

Just like Van Phuc Village with their fine silks, Dong Ky Village with their fire crackers in the past and now sophisticated wood pieces, Chuong villagers have their own pride for the famous conical hat. Handed down through generations for hundreds of years, the village works quietly to preserve and uphold the that longstanding tradition of conical hat. Chuong Village’s conical hats are strong, beautiful and once can be found at every corners of the country as the favorite head wear that shelter from the sun and the rain. Nowadays, it is one of the most unique souvenirs that visitors can bring home from Vietnam. 

 Patient and meticulous 

A proper hat requires not only a clever hand but also the craftsmen's experience. Bamboo must be split into very thin strings during the dry season and then then submerged in water to preclude tearing and breaking. Main rings of the frame must be even, smooth and shiny. The makers buy dark green palms, then clean them by sand and work them with a light touch or otherwise they will tear. After the step of treading the palms, they sun-season them. The palm will go from dark green to white. The stronger the sun the whiter the palms will become. Before using the palms, makers expose them briefly to sulfur to make them whiter and to preserve the color. Finally, before using them, they are exposed to frost to make them soft, then split and ironed. The palms and rings are then sewn together.