Vietnamese Hat: Non La

Vietnamese Hat - Non la Vietnam (palm-leaf conical hat) is a cultural emblem of the Vietnamese people that transcends age, gender, and race.

Stunning handicrafts could make an intriguing and one-of-a-kind keepsake from your trip to Vietnam. The Vietnamese conical hat is a recognizable symbol that conjures up images of street life in Vietnam or of farmers slaving away in the country's famed paddy fields. Many local Vietnamese people still wear the hat, which has evolved together with Vietnamese culture and become an indispensable element of daily life. You should be able to learn about the history of this hat, the amount of labor that goes into making it, and where to find this wonderful memento from Vietnam from our trip guide.

The Vietnamese hat, like many other traditional Vietnamese outfits, has a narrative associated with the country's rice cultivation past as its source of origin. The main character of the tale is a huge woman from the sky who has delivered humanity from a furious downpour. She donned a hat composed of four leaves arranged in a circle to shield her from the rain. Vietnamese people erected a temple to honor the Goddess as the Rain-shielding Goddess after she had passed away. Vietnamese people sought to replicate the Goddess' headdress by sewing together palm leaves, and the result is today known as Non la  Vietnam. Non la Vietnam's image is now closely associated with rural life, from paddy fields to boat men and women.

The Vietnamese hat is created from inexpensive, readily available materials including bamboo, palm leaves, and the bark of the Moc tree. Non la is widely available, and there are numerous traditional towns where visitors can purchase top-notch conical caps. For instance, the Chuong hamlet, located 30 km south-west of Hanoi, has long been renowned for their handcrafted conical hats made of palm leaves. Particularly, "Non bai tho" (poetry hat), a well-known non of Hue, contains a picture of bamboo or even poetic lyric lines hidden behind the leaf-layer designs, which are only visible in the sunshine.

Non la Vietnam has undergone numerous changes since it first appeared more than 3000 years ago, thousands of years after its original form. In the past, the Vietnamese hat was split into three primary categories: Non muoi (also known as "Non ba tam" or "Non quai thao"), medium-sized hat, and head-hat. The traditional Vietnamese hat was flat, spherical, and about one meter in circumference. It included a rattan chinstrap (Non quai thao). When rural ladies visit celebrations or pagodas or see female performers at the Lim festival, non quai thao is an essential piece of jewelry (Bac Ninh). The head-hat has the smallest selvage of all. At that time, hats were also categorized based on the degrees of their owners. Some were for the elderly; others were for the wealthy and mandarins; none were for children, soldiers, or monks. Each variety has a distinctive shape and behavior, and some varieties vary according to the locality.

Non la  Vietnam can be used for a variety of things, including a personal sun protection, a basket for women traveling to the market, a plowman's fan on hot summer days, or even a memento to remember. The image of a young woman wearing Non la and Ao dai is a lovely representation of Vietnam. Non la  Vietnam is an item that, as a part of the national spirit, intimately unites Vietnamese people, thus many tourists appreciate bringing Non la  Vietnam home as a unique memento.

Origin of the Vietnamese Conical Hat

Vietnamese hats come in a wide variety of styles and are typically constructed from palm or related leaves. Examples include "non quai thao," a flat circular hat that is typically worn by ladies at formal occasions like festivals, and "non ngua," the most common hat with a conical shape. It is worn for riding horses and has a little ornamentation at the tip.

The poem hat, known as "non bai tho," is made by sandwiching a poem or a picture in between the two layers of leaves. A general plain hat called a "non la" is also used, primarily by farmers and old ladies.

The conical hat's beginnings are the subject of numerous legends. Around 2,500 and 3,000 BC, a conical hat is claimed to have been fashioned on a bronze drum from Ngoc Lu and a jar from Dao Thinh. However, a lot of people think that the conical hat gained popularity and was frequently worn during the Tran dynasty in the 13th century. Although it was thick and heavy at the time, women nevertheless used it as an adornment. A princess is said to have taught the locals in Than Village, Hanoi, how to manufacture "non chao rang," an early form of the conical hat that is created by sewing the used palm leaves. In Hue, a craftsman who created conical hats and also enjoyed poetry came up with the concept of creating "non bai tho" in Tay Ho in the late 1950s. Between the layers of leaves, he created a layer of the poem's verses. The conical hat has since come to represent the Vietnamese hat. There is no difference in the way conical hats can be worn by men or women, kids or elders. It can signify work and farmers, but it also conjures images of historical nobility and the grace of Vietnamese women.

Usages of Non La

The Vietnamese hat can be worn in a variety of ways. You wear it to protect your head, as you would with any other hat, mostly against the blazing sun. However, the conical hat is protected from the rain by a layer of waterproof varnish, acting as a little umbrella.

You can also use some creativity with it. The conical hat transforms into the ideal basket when it is turned upside down, allowing you to store small market purchases or a small amount of water inside. The conical hat can act as a cooling device on hot summer days; you can wet it with a little water, wear it, and use the evaporation to cool your head, or you can simply use it as a portable fan. A classic conical hat is a popular headgear item in Vietnam, especially among farmers and street vendors because of its versatility, light weight, and low cost.

Another representation of Vietnamese fashion is the conical hat. Urban areas are less likely than rural ones to see someone wearing a conical hat, although many young females still do so for picture shoots at locations like Ho Chi Minh City festivals and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Vietnamese traditional clothing gains a touch of elegance thanks to the conical hat's simplicity when worn with "ao dai" and "ao ba ba" dresses.

Poems are affixed to conical hats in Hue, the home of poetry, as an alternative to writing on paper. They are frequently offered for sale as a souvenir to both tourists and residents. Non bai tho is not only a unique present for poetry lovers, but it can also serve as a memento of times gone.

The fact that palm trees and palm leaves can be easily available in any rural area of Vietnam may be the reason why they were used as the main ingredients to manufacture Non La. The layers of the leaves are broken down through beating, then they are sun-dried to harden and strengthen them. The leaves are then ironed; this step is the most complex because it calls for precisely calibrated pressure and heat. The leaves won't straighten if the heat is applied insufficiently, but they will burn if the heat and pressure are applied excessively. The hat structure is then covered with two layers of leaves. Bamboo sticks that have been shredded and bent into circles with various diameters are used to make the frame. The frame will be supported by vertical bamboo strips, and circling strips will be arranged in a conical net from the bottom to the top of the frame. In order to create the ideal shape and knit the leaves securely, people would sew the palm leaves together using tiny threads, which demands a lot of expertise and patience from the producers. Even pros typically take a long time to complete this step; a novice may need an entire day to complete one conical hat.

Inside a Vietnamese hat called a Non La, two threaded holders will be sewn onto each of its two sides. To keep the hat in place on your head, a silky neck strap is adjusted there. The conical hat is then given one final heating treatment (on fire or in the sun) to avoid mold and lightens in color. Turpentine oil is then applied as a final coat, providing a protective film and giving the conical hat a slight shiny appearance.

Where to Buy Conical Hat in Vietnam

Conical hats created by Non La are available on Amazon for an average cost of US$18 per unit. But if you go to Vietnam, you can get it for much less money. Vietnamese hats typically cost around VND 30,000 (USD 1.5), but they can cost up to VND 100,000 (USD 5) depending on the level of decoration. Hats with sophistication, such as "non bai tho," should cost at least VND 60,000 (USD 3).

Conical hats are made and sold in numerous craft villages around Vietnam. Chuong Village in Hanoi is one of the most well-known villages. There are numerous historic homes in this old town, and they have been making conical hats according to tradition for more than three centuries. Chuong village hosts market sessions in June exclusively for the purpose of selling conical hats.

Nghia Chau Village, which has been producing conical hats since 1940, is one of the several craft villages in Nam Dinh that have grown to be crucial components of the tourism industry in this province.

Ha Thon Community in Quang Binh is another ancient village with a 100-year tradition of producing conical hats.

The light and graceful poem known as "non bai tho" is made famous in Tay Ho, a village near Hue.

You can locate a village that creates Vietnamese hats in Can Tho by traveling all the way to the South. They make use of the indigenous palm leaves from the lady palm trees that are common in the Southern Mekong Delta provinces of Tay Ninh, Phu Quoc, and Ca Mau.

You can still go to the neighborhood markets and find stores that sell Non La in regions without craft communities. You can visit a market similar to Binh Tay market in District 6 in Ho Chi Minh City.