Mai Châu

Mai Châu is a broad valley of rice fields in the hills south-west of Hà Nội, and the White Thái villages along its floor still build their houses on stilts. The space beneath is for tools, animals and the loom. Women have woven there for generations, making the cloth for skirts and the brocade bands at their waists, as well as blankets, pillows and scarves for the household and for marriage gifts. Girls learned at the loom young, and a bride’s skill was once judged by the blankets and pillows she brought to her husband’s house.

The valley has been open to visitors for decades, and villages such as Bản Lác and Pom Coọng now host homestays and sell textiles along their lanes. Some families still weave by hand, but much of what is on sale is machine-made or brought in from elsewhere, so it is worth asking and looking closely. Weaving survives most strongly where it is made for use, for weddings and for the household, rather than for sale. Silk and cotton are still grown and spun by a few households, though most yarn is now bought.

Good Mai Châu brocade is dense and even, with the pattern clear on the front and a tidy back. Hand-woven pieces show slight irregularities in the width and in the repeats. The geometric motifs, diamonds, hooks and stylised flowers and animals, should be crisp. Plant-dyed colours are softer than synthetic ones and fade slowly into a warmer tone.