Conical hat market - unique culture in Vietnam’s villages

With more than 300 years of history, conical hats in Chuong village have become familiar to many generations of villagers. Local residents are always proud of having a tradition of making conical hats.

   The conical hat market of Chuong village is open on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th and 30th of lunar months. The bustling market comes to life with trade, bearing the hallmarks of Vietnamese countryside culture.

   From 5am, hundreds of local people from neighbouring areas come to the market to buy and sell their wares.

   A local resident says despite not being a resident from Chuong village, she often sells conical hat frames at the market.

   The conical hats of Chuong village are favoured by customers for cheap prices, good design and endurance.  They are also exported to foreign markets.

   Artisans say making a conical hat is a painstaking process, choosing materials meticulously from such localities as Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. 

   Pictured is a local conical hat maker of Chuong village who have done this job nearly 50 years. He says that to make a beautiful conical hat, artisans must select proper rings for the making processing. A conical hat is wholesaled from VND40,000 to VND60,000.

   The conical hat market of Chuong has preserved the traditional culture of Vietnamese people, as the conical hat symbolizes the charming beauty of Vietnam’s people and land.