Bao La

Bao La lies on the flat country between Huế and the Tam Giang lagoon, where bamboo grows in hedges around every house. The village has woven it for about six centuries, and for most of that time the work was entirely practical: winnowing trays, rice baskets, carrying baskets for the market, and the narrow fish traps set in the channels and paddies. Huế’s markets were supplied from here, and families tended to specialise in one or two shapes that their neighbours did not make.

The craft is still a household one. Men usually cut and split the bamboo; women and older people do much of the weaving, often in the shade of a porch between other work. Plastic has taken much of the market for everyday baskets, and some households now make lamps, boxes and trays for shops in Huế and Hội An. The traditional shapes have not disappeared, though, and you will see new fish traps stacked by the road in the right season.

In good Bao La work the strips are even in width and thickness, shaved smooth on the inner face so they do not splinter, and woven tight at the base where the load sits. The rim is the test: it should be bound firmly with split rattan or bamboo, without gaps or loose ends. Fresh pieces are pale green-gold and darken to honey with use. A well-made tray should sit flat on the floor and not rock.