Client Focus Along with the traditional dresses, the Hue hat has a close link with Vietnamese women and is regarded as a national costume of Vietnamese women. There are many kinds of coconut-palm leaf conical hat over three regions in the territory of Viet Nam; however, the Huế coconut-palm leaf conical hat especially expresses the cultural beauty of the region and has become the symbol of gracefulness, slenderness and charming of Huế women.
Wherever the product appears, it also bears typically spirit, beauty and characteristics of rural handicraft villages where they are made. For any length of time, the Huế coconut-palm leaf conical hat has been the muse for Huế artists and lovers.
The reputation and fame of the Huế coconut-palm leaf conical hat are attributed to its color, design, size, weight, endurance…which made difference compared with leaf conical hats originated in other provinces.
Color and form of product:
The Huế conical hat has white-green color with a few light embellished blue lines along the longitudinal direction of the coconut-palm leaf, so the color of the product is basically white. The Huế conical hat is thin, light, elegant, supple, durable, and well-proportioned.
Qualitative standards:
– Weight ranges between 57.4 – 60.3 grams;
– Diameter ranges between 40.7 – 41.8 centimeters;
– Height ranges between 17.5 – 18.8 centimeters;
– Proportion: H/D ratio ranges between 0.436 – 0.448;
– Relative durability standard (F/M) ranges from 134.33 to 137.58 centimeters (the ratio of pressure force at breaking point to the weight of hat).
The reputation and fame of the Huế coconut-palm leaf conical hat are also attributed to its cream of inherited producing methods from other kinds of leaf conical hat, imperial and folk style from the North to the South.
The raw material for producing the conical hat is palm-leaf which has the scientific name licuala fatoua becc, grown at A Lưới and Nam Đông districts where there are high average rainfall and humidity – the ideal elements for the development of palm-leaf. The raw coconut-leaf for producing hat has not to be either too tender or old; be harvested at one month of age; still in bud but has already developed in length and width to the maximum; has not yet change to dark green color; leaves holds each other tightly, not yet come apart. Its length at this age ranges between 40-50 centimeters.
Each beautiful and light, durable conical hat is actually an artistic work of master artisans. It needs meticulous, skillful labor of the artisans paid at all phases of production process. Regarding technical aspects, hat artisan of Huế has rich experiences in selecting the leaf with a view to maintaining its light green color despite the leaf has turned out dry; 16 hat brims are sleekly, meticulously whittled. The leaf is carefully ironed many times with a view to getting flat shape and high gloss. The form of hat depends much upon forming frame. The forming frame is tailor-made with particular requirements in order to produce hat nicely. Methods of creating forming shape, setting distance between brims etc. have been held as hereditary secret heirlooms, according to folk aesthetic views, but actually summarized as an appropriate proportion from generation to generation. Sticking the leaf on the brim requires skillfulness of the artisan, especially the wedging leaf; avoid overlapping too many layers in order to obtain a elegant and thin hat; stitches has to be close in order that the leaves can hold each other tightly. When the sewing phase finishes, the hat artisan will attachsoài (a small flower made from colorful threads) to the top of the hat then coat oil, put the hat to air forgetting high gloss and durability. Due to rich experiences and skillful hands of the Huế artisan, the Hue leaf hat has not only been regarded as a symbol of the beauty of the cultural handicraft villages of Hue but also as favorite mementos for domestic and international visitors.
Geographical areas of Hue leaf hat consist of:
1. Area for leaf: A Lưới and Nam Đông districts;
2. Area for hat brim: Bình Điền commune of Hương Trà district;
3. Preliminary processing area for leaf: Phước Vĩnh commune and Đốc Sơ village of An Hoà commune of Huế city.
4. Area for frame: Phước Vĩnh commune of Huế city and Phú Mỹ commune of Phú Vang district.
5. Sewing villages consist of: Đốc Sơ village, An Hoà commune of Huế city; villages Mỹ Lam and An Lưu of Phú Mỹ commune; villages Đông Đỗ and Đồng Di of Phú Hồ commune; Tân Mỹ village of Thuận An town; Thanh Dương village of Phú Diên village; Truyền Nam village of Phú An commune; Dương Nổ village of Phú Dương commune of Phú Vang district; Thanh Tân village of Phong Sơn commune of Phong Điền district; Hương Cần village of Hương Toàn commune of Hương Trà district; Thuỷ Thanh commune of Hương Thuỷ district; Phủ Cam village of Phước Vĩnh commune of Huế city.