Silk Village: Century-old Trade

Silk Village: Century-old Trade

Published: 10/01/2012 by ptg

The Silk Village in Hoi An is more than just a production and business area now. Since its inception in the 17th century when Hoi An was a busy trading port, it is now a tourist attraction for both local and foreign visitors.

Silk Village is situated 30 kilometers south of Da Nang City. It covers a land area of 2 hectares with mulberry gardens and breeding houses where silk worms are cultivated and silk are produced. Workers also reel silk yarns and weave silk products inside the village. Most, if not all, of these workers have been in the silk trade since they were young and have solely depended on the industry for their main source of living.

Each silkworm will take about 21 days to spin a cocoon. They are fed with mulberry leaves on a flat basket in order to be well nourished enough to produce good, if not the best, quality of silk.

Ma Chau Village is the only silk trade village in Hoi An which performs the other parts of the silk production process. The yellow cocoons are boiled at 90 degrees of water. The silk fibre are wound into rolls after which the silk is placed under the sun for days to totally dry. The whole process is difficult and tedious.

Though the silk industry has been around for a long time, it has never been a very profitable business. In fact, the workers and the trade itself is struggling just to make ends meet. That is why the village has been opened to tourists to attract attention and interest in the hope of boosting the industry. Presenting the silk trade as a tourism activity, tourists are given the opportunity to experience the silk production itself. Thus, guests who visit the village get first-hand experience in the silk process by being taught how to harvest mulberry leaves, feed them to the silkworms, and actually weave silk with the seasoned craftsmen.

Aside from its silk production, the silk village is also like a museum showcasing a collection of nha ruong (houses built with wooden beams and pillars) and old tools used in the craft. Moreover, it has a cuisine center and even a home-stay service for tourists who want to stay longer to get to know the village and the whole of Hoi An Town better. Le The Vu is the manager of the Silk Village who attests to the place as a new tourist attraction. Just 15 minutes away from Hoi An’s old quarter and near the bus station connecting Hoi An and Da Nang City, Silk Village is not only a worthy but also a convenient tourist destination.

More than 100 years old, the silk industry in Hoi An may be old, but the trade is also keeping up with the times by opening up to the modern world, in the hopes of making the world aware of its beauty and value, and at the same time reaching out to bring back the historical trade to its former glory.