The market of Chuong Village meets everyday, but its conical hat market has six sessions every morning in lunar 4, 10, 14, 20, 24 and 30. This market just sells conical hats and materials made up hats.
Conical hats market meeting in Chuong Village, a small village beside Day River, about 30km from Ha Noi center, Phương Trung Commune, Thanh Oai Ward, Ha Noi.
Chuong Village Market meeting very early, at 6:00am there are many people from village go to there. The market meets in courtyard of Chuong Temple. From around market, everyone happily take products to get together. Market meeting very fast, noisy, boisterous then quickly close after 3 hours. Sellers must go very early, people who come to play also have to go at dawn, to enjoy the boisterous atmosphere of conical hat market.
To get a hat beautifully and durably, lightly and lasting has gone through many precise steps. First is selecting leaf. Leaf is crush up of sand then dry sun until the leaves are green to white. Then hold the leaf rag underneath, using fast strokes plowshares so crispy flat leaves without tearing. Round hard hats made of cork small sharpeners and all, when connection required and no clasped round, no ripple.
Hats of Chuong village have 16 classes help ensure durable hat but still soft. Next, workers order each leaf into a hat round, a sheath of bamboo and a layer of species of bamboo then stitch straight from inside to outside. The following steps are sticking then cutting all excess edges. The final steps is dry, they dry the hat by matches gas to make color of hats become white and hats are not moldy.
Sun is up! White conical hats grilling in the early sun. Sitting at tea shop in front of village, agitated with joyful, jovial atmosphere of countryside, cool Vối tea (Vối: Cleistocalyx operculatus), sweet peanut candy, green guava, areca spathe fan flapped gently in hot weather, that have a meaning and happy morning, after the hurried life.
The price of conical hats has increased slightly, at average from 15,000d to 30,000VND a hat. Many foreigners loving Vietnam conical hats find original village buying for gift. No matter life has change stronger, white hat brim slightly slanted with charming lap of clothes will be the symbol of Việt Nam special cultures forever.