Residents of a village in Hung Yen Province, northern Vietnam have retained their traditional craft of making đó and rọ, two types of bamboo fishing traps, for the past two centuries. 

The Thu Sy craft village is located in Thu Sy Commune, Tien Lu District, and 7km from Hung Yen City, which is the provincial capital.

Around 500 locals, who are mainly in their old age and live in Tat Vien and Noi Lang Hamlets, are still practicing the craft.

Đó and rọ are basket traps made of bamboo and used by ancient Vietnamese people to catch shrimp and fish.

Nowadays, they are mainly used for decorations and furniture.

Pham Thi Lap, 91, began the job when she was eight. 

Life was not easy then, so she followed her family's profession and made ends meet.

In the past, the craft had been the main source of income for people in Thu Sy Commune in their leisure time after farming seasons.

Lap has five children but only one daughter and a daughter-in-law of hers have pursued the craft.

Young villagers now do not favor the craft because of its low income. 

A plain white basket fetches around VND20,000-25,000 while a smoked puce basket could be sold at VND30,000-40,000. (US$1 = VND23,467)

A skillful craftsman can make about ten baskets a day.

According to senior villagers, in order to create a basket that is standard, durable, and beautiful, the most important step is to choose mature bamboo.

Besides, the weaving technique is quite a feat, requiring ingenuity, patience, and coordination of many stages.

Every year, this craft village supplies more than 600,000 products to provinces such as Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Bac Ninh, and Bac Giang, while exporting them to a number of countries including the U.S., China, Romania, and Thailand.

The village has become a rare traditional craft village which attracts tourists and photographers who come to take impressive photos.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!