The H’Re ethnic minority community of Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam still cherishes their time-honored craft of brocade weaving.

Teng Village, in Ba To District’s Ba Thanh Commune, is the only village in the province that still retains the age-old craft of H’Re brocade weaving.

According to village elders, for centuries, Teng villagers have learned how to grow cotton and mix ground-up stones in water, in which they soak the threads.

Their looms were made from “lo o” wood, which is found in abundance near local springs.

The elders said that although people maintain their traditional weaving methods, they buy the threads instead of making them themselves.

It costs some VND350,000 (US$16) to create a brocade cloth, and a finished one fetches only VND500,000-600,000.

“It typically takes more than half a month to make a brocade shirt. 20 years ago, brocade weaving was popular, with at least one or two members of all local households practicing the craft. So far only 25 local artisans have remained dedicated to the craft,” a local artisan said sadly.

According to Ba To Museum, over 90 percent of the country’s H’Re ethnic minority population of roughly 116,000 is concentrated in Quang Ngai Province.

H’Re people account for 84 percent of Ba To District’s population.

The ethnic minority community thrives on growing water rice and farming cattle, and boasts a rich culture.

The province's Ba To Museum offers a glimpse into the community’s lifestyle and has hundreds of their items on display, including objects of worship and tools.

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