Thanh Tan conical hats (Phong Son commune, Phong Dien district, Thua Thien Hue province) “were born” in the middle of the 19th century, over 100 years ago. Like other kinds of conical hats, there are many meticulous steps that have to be done to make a Thanh Tan conical hat, including bending the brims, ironing the leaves, roofing and sewing the leaves, etc. These require the diligence and the skill of the hat makers. The thing that differs Thanh Tan conical hats from others is its durability because the hats are roofed and covered with 3 layers of palm leaves. The leaves are collected from the trees growing along with the underground Thanh Tan hot mineral waters which stretches out as far as Truong Son Mountain. That may be the reason why Thanh Tan conical hats are the favorite of many tourists.
Making conical hats together
Splitting and polishing “lồ ô” (bambusa balcooa) to make the hat brims
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The palm strips are ironed under the temperature of around 70o to 80oC by the hat makers
Arranging the hat brims on the age-old frame
Roofing and circling the leaves on the frame
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Sewing the leaves together by white nylon threads
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The last step to make a conical hat is sewing the hat brim
Handing down the craft to descendants
The happiness of the hat makers with their final products
All of the tourists coming to Hue want to wear the “non bai tho” (conical hat with poem shrouded in its leaves) of Hue
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“Non bai tho” with white ao dai always gets the attraction of tourists whenever they come to Hue
By Nguyen Khoa Huy