The Significance of the Red Dao Headdress

Source: Kyle Sandilands, CBT Vietnam Team

In Vietnam, the Dao ethnic minority is an umbrella to a variety of groups, including the Red Dao; The Red Dao are the second largest ethnic minority, following the Hmong who are the first largest. Researchers say that the two groups have quite close relationships; the differences can be easily recognized by appearance, costumes, and way of life. A unique characteristic of this minority is their vibrant costume. The women wear long indigo blouses over trousers, which are endowed with many different red and white decorations at the collar and the lap. In the Sapa market, their costume is often considered one of the most beautiful.1

Source: http://sapatoursfromhanoi.com/exploring-the-red-dao-ethnicity-culture-in-ta-phin-village-sapa/

One of the most important features of the Dao woman’s identity is their headdress known as the Huong. When a young girl reaches about 13 years old, she is gifted a headdress from her parents. It is at this age that she is old enough to go to the market, and to begin courtship.2 Aside from being experts in silver-smithing, the Red Dao are also exceptionally skilled in brocade. In fact, the craftsmanship of brocade is a focal point of their marital system; unless a girl has mastered the art, she will not be married.3

Source: https://vickychong.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/vietnam-trekking-in-sapa-with-red-dao-tribes/

As you can see, the actual appearance of the gorgeous headdress is quite distinct. It is also normal for the headdress to be adorned with coins, silver bells, and tassels and to have about 20-25 layers of red cloth. Once folded, tucked, and tied, the headdress becomes a round, puffed shape. Hair is tucked inside the cloth to ensure that no strands are to be exposed.2 Because of Sapa's (sometimes) harsh weather, the headdress is not only beautiful but functional! So, if you ever find yourself in Sapa, Vietnam, you may just be lucky enough to see this craft yourself!

 References:

1. About Red Dao people in Sapa. (2015). Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.dirtbiketravel.com/news/about-red-dao-people-sapa

2. Dao - Taphin, Sapa. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.craftlink.com.vn/projects/ethnic-groups/Dao-Taphin-Sapa.html

3. The Red Dao in Ta Phin. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.taphin-sapa.info/Home/Our-Ta-Phin/History/The-Red-Dao.php

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Phase 2 begins: First trip starts in 4 days!

The CBT Vietnam slogan for this month is: "if you're not running, something is wrong!" We're joking, of course! But seriously, Phase 2 of the PATA Foundation funded project in Northern Viet Nam is underway and it is going to be a busy one!

Returning to Vietnam will be Dr. Chris Bottrill, Dean of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University, Instructor Stephanie Wells, and students Jase Wilson and Taryn Bodrug. Once again we will be joined by Ms. Ngoc Anh (Vice Dean of the tourism faculty at Hanoi Open University - HOU) as well as a team of HOU student volunteers.

It is going to be an exiting, ground-breaking trip for our learners and community leaders in Ta Phin. We will be working on the following:

• facilitation of a business trip for 12 entrepreneurs to the big city of Hanoi;
• here our entrepreneurs will meet with private tourism companies to begin:
• partnerships will be created;
• and, negotiations will ensue.

Tourists to the region would usually book a hill tribe trekking tour that lands them in Sa Pa -visiting villages such as Ta Phin and Lao Chai for merely an hour or two. The home-stay operators from Ta Phin are collectively working towards creating packaged experiences where tour guides bring visitors directly to Ta Phin home-stays. This will be a fantastic development for our home-stay owners and the village of Ta Phin. 

In the village of Lao Chai, the CBT team will continue delivering training on entry level skills. Our goal is to help residents of Lao Chai to increase their capacity to pursue their own brand of successful community based tourism. This is not cut paste here - what works in Ta Phin can serve as a model for success but every case is different. The CBT team will sample what Lao Chai has to offer and connect with local stakeholders.

Our whirl wind two week schedule will start on Thursday September 27th and end October the 9th, 2012. Readers will not want to miss out on what is happening! Over the next few weeks we will be releasing new media and performing regular trip updates. 

So get onto twitter @CBTvietnam and facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cbtvietnam, let us know what you think! We want to hear your voice!

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