One of Hue City's most endearing images is that of the beautiful girlwearing an ao dai (traditional robe) and a conical hat, singing folksongs while floating down the Huong (Perfume) River on a wooden rowingboat.
For many people, Hue 's conical hats have longbeen treasured symbols of the once imperial city (situated in ThuaThien-Hue province), shields against sun and rain, and, for oneparticular woman, a personal "weapon' in times of distress.
Tourists visiting Hue City often prefer the conical hats made by disabled Tran Thi Thuy for her incredible handiwork.
Born into a conical hat making family, Thuy's future has always seemedinevitably connected to the tradition despite being born with a crippledhand.
Still young, Thuy would often help her mother makehats, her passion fuelled on a daily basis. Little Thuy soon turned hatmaking into a veritable game, completing her first hat by the age of 10to her family's surprise.
Starting out, hat making was acheap business affording little profit, but Thuy never gave up the workthat she grew to love and excel in, even though working with only onehand brought immense challenges.
"Thuy learnt the processof hat making on a step by step basis until completely fluent,"according to her mother, who added that, "to compensate for herdisability, she worked extra hard and diligently".
"Mydaughter is currently the most skilful artisan in the family. Because ofmy age I can now only assist her in some occasions," she said.
Making hats using palm leaves (the traditional way), Thuy embroiderseach one with a poem as well as with images of the Hue landscape.
When the former royal city was recognised as a World Cultural Heritagesite by the UN cultural agency UNESCO in 1993, tourists began flockingto the city in drones, turning conical hats into favourable souvenirs.
Once, upon visiting Thuy's workshop, an extremely impressed Australiantourist asked her to make him a hat with her name embroidered inside.Not long after, another group of Aussie tourists requested their ownhats with her name inside as well.
Since then, Thuy's conical hats have become a trademark with thousands carrying her name across the globe.
"Thuy, famous for making hats with only one hand, is known as one ofthe best hat makers in Vietnam due to the extraordinary quality andcraftsmanship of her work," Kevin Towles, a tourist from the US, said,adding that he could not wait to wear his new hat back home in theStates.
In 2004, Thuy got an opportunity to promote herconical hats and handiwork in Japan on the occasion of a VietnameseCulture and Tourism Festival.
Having brought 200 hatsalong with her on the trip, she managed to sell out during the first dayof the festival, 300 additional hats having to be shipped over to satedemand.
During her time in Japan , Thuy made a lot ofefforts in learning the language as well as English and French, in orderto better communicate with her customers, before heading back toVietnam .
"Apart from making the hats, I like tointroduce visitors to the ins and outs of the trade, sometimes, usinglittle more than expressions," Thuy said.
Now, at the ageof 38, Thuy continues getting a buzz from visitors admiring the work shehas spent almost half a lifetime making her own. /.
For many people, Hue 's conical hats have longbeen treasured symbols of the once imperial city (situated in ThuaThien-Hue province), shields against sun and rain, and, for oneparticular woman, a personal "weapon' in times of distress.
Tourists visiting Hue City often prefer the conical hats made by disabled Tran Thi Thuy for her incredible handiwork.
Born into a conical hat making family, Thuy's future has always seemedinevitably connected to the tradition despite being born with a crippledhand.
Still young, Thuy would often help her mother makehats, her passion fuelled on a daily basis. Little Thuy soon turned hatmaking into a veritable game, completing her first hat by the age of 10to her family's surprise.
Starting out, hat making was acheap business affording little profit, but Thuy never gave up the workthat she grew to love and excel in, even though working with only onehand brought immense challenges.
"Thuy learnt the processof hat making on a step by step basis until completely fluent,"according to her mother, who added that, "to compensate for herdisability, she worked extra hard and diligently".
"Mydaughter is currently the most skilful artisan in the family. Because ofmy age I can now only assist her in some occasions," she said.
Making hats using palm leaves (the traditional way), Thuy embroiderseach one with a poem as well as with images of the Hue landscape.
When the former royal city was recognised as a World Cultural Heritagesite by the UN cultural agency UNESCO in 1993, tourists began flockingto the city in drones, turning conical hats into favourable souvenirs.
Once, upon visiting Thuy's workshop, an extremely impressed Australiantourist asked her to make him a hat with her name embroidered inside.Not long after, another group of Aussie tourists requested their ownhats with her name inside as well.
Since then, Thuy's conical hats have become a trademark with thousands carrying her name across the globe.
"Thuy, famous for making hats with only one hand, is known as one ofthe best hat makers in Vietnam due to the extraordinary quality andcraftsmanship of her work," Kevin Towles, a tourist from the US, said,adding that he could not wait to wear his new hat back home in theStates.
In 2004, Thuy got an opportunity to promote herconical hats and handiwork in Japan on the occasion of a VietnameseCulture and Tourism Festival.
Having brought 200 hatsalong with her on the trip, she managed to sell out during the first dayof the festival, 300 additional hats having to be shipped over to satedemand.
During her time in Japan , Thuy made a lot ofefforts in learning the language as well as English and French, in orderto better communicate with her customers, before heading back toVietnam .
"Apart from making the hats, I like tointroduce visitors to the ins and outs of the trade, sometimes, usinglittle more than expressions," Thuy said.
Now, at the ageof 38, Thuy continues getting a buzz from visitors admiring the work shehas spent almost half a lifetime making her own. /.
