FINE TUNES - Cathay Pacific

TRAVEL
VIETNAMESE SILKS HAVE
A LOOSE, FLOWING QUALITY
THAT DRAPES BEAUTIFULLY
Silk ties to suit
every taste
at Tuyet Lan
boutique
(below right)
Nguyen Quynh
An of [chle]
(below)
in one of her
silk dresses
Like most of Vietnam’s traditional crafts, silk evolved in the
country’s north, especially in the Red River Delta region. Fuelled
by the nation’s thriving economic development, Vietnam’s
most illustrious and popular craft is enjoying a renaissance and
surging demand in domestic and international markets. The
north may have enjoyed a lengthy monopoly but other areas
are now successful producers.
Vietnamese silk comprises many varieties and there are
distinct regional specialties. The celebrated glossy Ha Dong silk
is produced in the north while central Quang Nam Province is
renowned for its Danang taff eta, organza and damask silks. In
the south, the highland Lam Dong Province is reputed for its
quality silks and the Mekong Delta’s Tan Chau has recently kickstarted
its traditional Cham and Khmer silk weaves, including
the unusual ebony satin.
Developing faster than the traditional north, the south
boasts more sophisticated production methods, with modern
equipment and, increasingly, factory premises.
However, many home-based enterprises still use traditional
methods of thread spinning, dyeing and hand-weaving in
small workshops. With this sort of artisanal production
and inherent traditions, Vietnam’s silks vary from their
other Asian counterparts and generally are defi ned by
a looser, more fl owing quality that drapes beautifully.
Vietnamese artisanal silk weaves appear plainer, albeit
with a lustrous sheen, and tend to have a handmade,
slightly uneven quality, the result of varying thicknesses
of thread, a characteristic of hand-weaving that always
distinguishes it from sleek, machine-woven silks.
Apart from Gregori McKenzie and Duong, other