Threading together sustainable development of traditional embroidery

A visit to Thang Loi Commune ahead of Tet (Lunar New Year Holiday) reveals a busy working atmosphere, as artisans speed up production to meet the growing demand ahead of the important annual holiday. Thang Loi’s embroideries are fully handmade and feature different topics of daily life.

Maintaining and developing traditional embroidery has run into difficulties due to the lack of skilled crafts people to carry on the tradition. Many skilled workers have found new jobs in different fields in other localities and only a small number of production household owners and managers are trained in business administration and familiar with marketing. These drawbacks combine to reduce the competitiveness of the embroidery enterprises. To address the challenge, the commune’s artisans are seeking intensive vocational training for their workers.

Thang Loi Commune is focusing on training young embroidery workers. The Quoc Su traditional embroidery workshop, established by artisan Nguyen Quoc Su, has become a high-quality crafts training center, providing workers for craft villages and creating jobs for many rural laborers. Traditional embroidery has helped commune residents earn stable incomes. The local government is stimulating trade promotion to increase embroidery sales, add value to embroidery products, and provide vocational training for young workers, thereby contributing to traditional embroidery’s sustainable development.

Nowadays, with increasingly rich materials at their disposal, artisans have brought the art of embroidery to a new height. Thang Loi’s handmade embroideries not only meet the needs of the domestic market but are also exported to many countries around the world, highly appreciated by customers for their high quality and sophisticated patterns. They are particularly highly appreciated in the Republic of Korea and Japan.