Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Craft workersin the southern province of Ben Tre, the "land of coconuts", havecreated a variety of unique souvenirs for tourists from the fibre surroundingthe fruit.

Their latest creation is fibre hats, the idea of Nguyen Phuc Sang, a student atthe Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance.

“My home town produces a huge amount ofcoconut fibre. However, as a raw material, it is not worth much," Sangsaid. "To produce a kilogram of coconut fibre is hard work and the endlesstask can affect the health of workers. Therefore we try to create products fromit rather than selling it for next to nothing."

Sang’s family makes its living mainly fromproducing souvenirs from coconuts. The idea of a coconut-fibre hat flashed intoSang’s mind during school holidays when he returned home to help his parentstransport the goods.

“I accidentally dropped a plant pot madefrom coconut fibre onto the floor, and realised that it looked exactly like ahat without a brim," Sang said.

He thought of inventing a coconut fibre hat,but concluded it was "mission impossible" because the fibre isdifficult to stabilise with glue, making it itchy. Step by step he figured outways to minimise the drawbacks. One of them was to make a special glue that canbond all the fibres at high temperature.

Sang encountered many obstacles. First, hestill had to attend school and do a part-time job. He also had littleexperience at deciding on manufacturing processes. The lack of specialisedmachinery made things difficult, so Sang created the hats manually, learning ashe went by referring to the internet.

Sang said the hats go through many stages,including drying, pressing and decorating. “Every stage is important. If one isnot done on time, quality goes down,” he said, adding that it normally takeshim about 20 minutes to make a hat.

After several days of trial and error, Sangsucceeded in making his first coconut-fibre hat. Feedback from his relativesand friends has helped him improve quality day by day.

“My product is unique because it is thefirst hat made from pressed coconut fibre. The hats are also water-proof,” hesaid.

"I have already registered a patentfor my creation.”

Sang’s creative work recently won firstprize in the Business Ideas competition held by the HCM City University ofEconomics and Finance, and third position in a similar competition for studentsfrom different universities hosted by Van Hien University.

His coconut fibre hat has also beenincluded in the top 100 business start-ups nationwide.

According to the deputy head of departmentof business administration at the university, Nhan Cam Tri, the utilisation ofcheap and eco-friendly material made Sang’s product competitive.

“The hat is a new and unique product. Thecost of production is reasonable, so its introduction to the market is mucheasier," he said.

Sang’s business idea has received offersfrom four enterprises in HCM City at the competition. Tran Huu Doan, directorof Viet Sin Food Joint Stock Company, decided to support the young creator byproviding consultation on project development and investment.

“In the first phrase, I am targeting the localtourism market,” Sang said. “In the future, I will aim at the internationalmarket. The first coconut-fibre hats will be introduced to the market by theend of this year."- VNA