I) Introduction
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to welcome you today!(1) My name is Dam Thi Thu Mai, from A2, International Commerce, K46. Today, I would like to report on Vietnam’s traditional, famous and attractive(2) product. I think my talk is very necessary(3) for all of you to know about traditional products. So what is the product?(4) Please follow some images to answer it…As you can see(5), the topic of my presentation is “Van Phuc silk product”. I have divided my talk into three main parts: first, the history; second, some features; and finally, the development of Van Phuc silk. There will be time for questions after my presentation. And now let’s start with the history of Van Phuc silk.
II) Body
1) The history of Van Phuc silk
From time immemorial Ha Dong inhabitants have kept a saying which goes “seven villages in La and three villages in Mo regions” are involved in silk weaving. Situated roughly 10 km from the center of Hanoi Capital, Van Phuc silk village has been known as the oldest producer of most beautiful and sophisticated silk in our country. A legend relates that the founder of Van Phuc silk weaving village: “around 700 years ago, there was a woman from Hang Zhou (Chine) who followed her husband to battle down in the South and then settled down in this village. She poured her entire twisting home nostalgia onto silkworm raising and her loom.” Silk wearing appeared and has since become a “traditional” craft of Van Phuc.
Ok, so you can see(6) the origin of Van Phuc silk but do you know why Van Phuc silk can be attractive so many tourists?(7) I will tell you. On quality, on designs, on prices.(8) Please, let’s turn to my second part to clarify this point better.
2) Some features of Van Phuc silk products.
Process of making silk
In order to churn out highest quality silk products, artisans have to undergo numerous stages from planting mulberry and raising silkworm unwinding silk threads from cocoons to manual silk thread classification. This stage is called silk thread winding. Then comes to the stage in which silk threads are around large vertical spools and detective threads are eliminated. Weavers vertically engage silk threads of certain amount loom for a required width of a specific product. Finally, the arranged vertical threads were placed on the loom or sent for processing so as to gain increased durability. Depending on each type of silk different kinds of looms are used.
Kinds of silk
From old looms, Van Phuc weavers have created beautiful types of silk with various vignettes. The most famous is “Van” (meaning “cloud” in Chinese). The village artisans drew the idea to make Van from flowers and the clouds over bamboo thickets in the summer sky.
The Queen of the silks, Gam, is embroidered silk, and while it may look similar to lua van it is much thicker. Its production demands a very high level of sophistication. Each piece takes almost a year to design and three months to weave.
Other types of silks include “Sa”, which is very thin and shimmers in the daylight, “Xuyen” which is similar but sparser, or “Linh”, which has a shiny surface and is worn by women for traditional Lunar New Year festivals.
Qualities
The local silk is known for its smooth and lightweight appearance. Producers have invented new techniques in dying and thermo-processing the threads, which enables silk to be dyed more colours to suit a variety of skin tones. So the quality of Van Phuc silk products is always evaluated very highly.(9)
Prices
Customers can buy silk suited to their wallet. Fabric made of 50% silk sells for an average of VND20,000 per meter, 75% silk for VND50,000, while 100% silk is priced depending on the quality of pattern and fabric thickness, the high quality silk is about VND 150,000 per meter.
Caring for silk
Viet made scarves are easy to clean and will become softer with frequent use. It is recommended to wash the scarf in cool to lukewarm water using a mild, natural soap or a gentle shampoo. Rinse until water runs clear, then wrap gently in a towel to absorb excess water. Drip dry only, away from direct sunlight. Do not wring or twist. If it needs pressing, cover the scarf first with a damp cloth and then iron.(10)
Both you and me(11), we cannot deny that(12) Van Phuc silk is a good product with high quality, various designs and suitable prices.(13) However, is the present development of this product really equal to its potential?(14) To answer, let’s move on to the final part of my talk.
3) The development of Van Phuc silk in present and strategies in the future.
The development of Van Phuc in present.
Silk in feudal times was produced only for royal families and people of high rank