Vietnam TravelTravel Special FeaturesVietnam - The Craft VillagesRush Mats and Baskets

Rush Mats and Baskets

In the afternoon heat, the streets of Kim Son village are deserted, but for the occasional music on the radio, the sound droning through the village, adding to the atmosphere of rustic calm. In the courtyard of a tile-roofed house, two women are sitting on a rush mat, weaving baskets. Only their hands are moving, so fast that their fingers blur, twisting the rushes into an intricately woven circle.

Nearby, ducks paddle lazily on a pond, the banks of which are covered in rushes, laid out in the sun to dry. Three women in conical hats are squatting on the bank, washing a pile of finished baskets. They can make four small baskets per day, they explain, for which they receive VND10,000. These wares are sold to a local enterprise, then exported.

Inside a dimly lit shed a couple is weaving a mat. The woman selects long strands of dyed rushes, which the man positions on a handloom. The pattern is very intricate, with red 'Double Happiness' symbol and flowers on a white background. "This is a special order", explains the man. "We'll make about VND70,000 in profit for two".

Located near the stone cathedral of Phat Diem in Ninh Binh province, Kim Son village has long been known for its beautiful mats and baskets. In the past, a rush sleeping mat was a typical gift for Vietnamese newlyweds. According to tradition, an older relative with a happy family should lay one of these mats on the newlyweds' bed to bring them luck in married life.

"Cutting the rushes is very hard work", says a young woman making a square basket. "After the green reeds are cut, we place them in the sun and they turn white". As well as growing rice, most families in Kim Son also cultivate rushes.

Rush mats are also the mainstay of Nga Son village, located near the coast in Thanh Hoa province. Here, the soil is too salty to grow rice, but rushed thrive. Despite the great skill with which Nga Son's residents weave mats, the last few decades have been difficult. With the collapse of Soviet Union, Nga Son lost its major export market, then had to compare with plastic mats imported from China.

Since Vietnamese consumers prefer more colorful, flower-patterned mats, Nga Son's weavers introduced new styles. And in an ironic twist, they started exporting their hand woven mats to China.

Visit almost any house in Vietnam and you'll find at least one of these durable, handmade mats. Warm in winter and cool in summer, these rush mats offer something no plastic mat can: the fresh smell of the Vietnamese countryside.

Getting There

Kim Son village is just 2km from stone cathedral of Phat Diem, 121km south of Hanoi. Travel to Ninh Binh town; Phat Diem is 29km southeast.