Quang Nam (VNA) – The fifthVietnam-International Silk and Brocade Festival opened in Hoi An silk villagein the ancient city of the same name, the central province of Quang Nam, onAugust 8.

Eight countries, including Italy, France, Japan, India, Thailand and Cambodia, andfive cities along with dozens of silk and brocade villages and productionfacilities of Vietnam are introducing their products at the festival which willlast through August 9.

In addition, more than 80 artisanswill perform their traditional weaving and dyeing skills at the event.

In the 17-18th century, Hoi An was a famoustrading port, sending silk products from Vietnam’s southern region to China,Japan and Europe. Hoi An is now known as a tailoring mecca, with the old townitself having around 400 tailor shops dotted along its alleyways.

Legend has it that silk weaving dated back tothe dynasties of Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, and through upsand downs of the history, silk weaving  has been well preserved at VanPhuc village (Hanoi), Nha Xa village (Ha Nam), Ma Chau village (Quang Nam), TanChau village (An Giang), and Bao Loc village (Lam Dong province), among others.

Meanwhile, the art of brocade weaving is atypical cultural feature of ethnic minority groups across the country.Particularly, many ethnic communities have their traditional brocade weavingbestowed with the national intangible cultural heritage status, including Hrein Ba Thanh commune, Quang Ngai province’s Ba To district, Ta Oi in ThuaThien-Hue province’s A Luoi district, and Co Tu in Quang Nam province. 

Distinct patterns on unique brocade fabric havebeen favoured by many fashion designers for years. Most recently, renowneddesigners Minh Hanh introduced a collection of “ao dai” (Vietnamese traditionaldress) made of silk, with brocade patterns frequently used by the Vietnameseethnic people to Russian fashion-lovers, art critics and researchers. The patternswere hand-woven by female members of ethnic groups across the country.-VNA