NGA SON MAT VILLAGE
In the coastal district
of Thanh Hoa province, Nga Son has been known for its beautiful sedge mats for
centuries. Most Vietnamese know well the idiom, “Nga Son mats, Bat Trang
ceramics” which signifies the popularity of these two locations.
There
are many provinces planting sedge for mat making and various kinds of
handicraft, but sedge in Nga Son is always considered best quality because of
its soil condition. The sedge is not only long but also naturally white and
free from black spots caused by stem borers.
Thousands
of farmers engage in various stages of mat making, from spining, dyeing and
drying, to weaving. Many co-operatives and enterprises like Viet Trang, Nga Son
were established with hundreds of workers busily weaving beautiful mats in
large workshops. In recent years, Nga Son mats have also had competition from
artificial plastic mats flooding the markets, but these can never take the
place of authentic sedge mats. Cool in summer and warm in winter, Nga Son mats
ventilate well and smell of nature, linking their users to an age-old tradition
and heritage.
(Source: hrpc.com.vn)