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| The young 9X woman is happy to be doing the work she loves |
A fortuitous beginning
Early in the morning, as the first sunlight touches the small alley in Hen Islet, Vi is already sitting by her porch, swiftly moving her brush across a conical hat. Truong Tien Bridge reflected in the Huong River, the ancient Imperial Citadel nestled in greenery, and Thien Mu Pagoda hidden at the foot of a hill… gradually emerge in lively strokes. After finishing one hat, Vi gracefully flicks her wrist, sending the hat flying in a smooth arc before it lands gently a few meters away.
A few years ago, Vi first tried painting on conical hats. The ink was still drying when a group of tourists visiting Hen Islet unexpectedly stopped by and asked to buy them. “The fact that my very first two hats found buyers made me so happy. I also realized that there was a new path I could pursue,” Vi recalled, her eyes sparkling with joy.
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| After visiting Hen Islet, tourists excitedly stop by Vi’s place to choose conical hats |
In the beginning, she ruined over 200 hats while learning. Though discouraged, her love for brushes and colors kept her going. Today, her painted hats have reached Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Ninh Binh, Sa Pa, and more. In each place, she chooses iconic images to depict: Hue with Thien Mu Pagoda and Truong Tien Bridge; Hoi An with its ancient streets and lanterns; Hanoi with Hoan Kiem Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda. Once in Hoi An, she spotted a tourist strolling through the old town wearing a hat she had painted. “I was overjoyed when I saw that,” she said.
Loving the craft
In front of her porch, Vi carefully wraps her colorful hats in plastic to protect them from the humidity, letting them sway in the breeze. “The weather in Hue is very unpredictable, with sudden rain and sunshine, so I have to take good care of the hats,” she explained.
Minh Chau, a tourist from Hanoi standing next to Vi, eagerly picked a few hats painted with Hue’s scenery to give as gifts, like sending a piece of Hue’s soul to her family. Meanwhile, Lan Ngoc from Da Nang carefully chose one to match her dress for a photo shoot at the Imperial Citadel the following day. “A stroll around Hen Islet, eating com hen (mussel rice) and che bap (corn sweet soup), then buying a few lovely conical hats with my friends’ names written on them have made this trip truly enjoyable,” she laughed, gently cradling her chosen hat.
Vi not only sells directly from home but also fulfills bulk orders from afar. She even set up a small space where tourists can try painting conical hats themselves. “Many visitors, after exploring Hen Islet and enjoying the food, stop by here. Instead of buying a ready-made hat, they prefer painting one themselves, so the hat carries their own mark. Not only international tourists but also many locals in Hue love this experience,” Vi said enthusiastically.
According to her, painting on conical hats isn’t too difficult; it only requires a bit of talent, passion, and patience. “Many people come to learn from me, but they give up halfway. Each ruined hat drains their patience. It took me half a year of self-learning and practice before I dared to accept big orders. But the more I stuck with it, the more I loved it. For me, being able to live in my passion every day is true happiness.”
Vi paints between 50 and 100 hats each day. On urgent orders, she works tirelessly from dawn until late at night. Small hats sell for 35,000 VND, large ones for 50,000 VND, while hats made of bàng grass, which require more layers and time, are priced at 120,000 VND.
During major holidays like March 26 or September 2, orders for hats of the national flag painted red with a yellow star flood in, and she often has to mobilize her whole family to help. Recently, due to her busy schedule, she temporarily paused the painting experience activity, but she plans to refresh the space with more greenery and flowers to create a more welcoming corner for returning visitors.
Every day, the young woman continues to sit by her porch, diligently pouring her soul into each brushstroke, so that every hat that leaves her hands is not just an item, but a vibrant piece of Hue’s memory traveling with visitors far and wide. “As long as there are tourists, there will be people painting on conical hats,” Vi smiled, her face glowing with hope.