New lifestyle

By Thúy Hằng

Despite being born and bred in Nga Sơn, a rural district in the central province of Thanh Hóa famed for its traditional bed mats and other products made of sedge, Trần Doãn Hùng never wanted to follow the craft and becoming involved in a business endeavour relating to the material never even crossed his mind.

HANDS ON: Trần Doãn Hùng weaving sedge bags at Cỏ May Craft’s workshop. Photos courtesy of Trần Doãn Hùng

Like many in his village, after graduating from high school he headed to Hà Nội to attend university and then worked for a few years in the capital.

In 2017, he went to work at a resort in the beach city of Nha Trang on Việt Nam’s south-central coast, where by chance he found a new direction in life. A female co-worker showed Hùng her new handbag, made of sedge. Admiring its meticulous weaving, he began to think about his hometown’s famed craft.

“I wondered whether this was something I could do,” the now 28-year-old recalled. “After some restless nights, I decided to quit my job and return home and found a start-up.”

And so it was that in 2018 Hùng founded Cỏ May Craft (Gold Bear Grass Craft).

“Gold Bear grass, the local sedge, is flimsy but durable,” he said in explaining the company name.

“Like many people who were born and bred in a village, when I was living in the city I was always nostalgic for home, with its green pastures and sedge. It’s what brought me back.”

Without knowledge and experience, though, he had to start out from scratch. While studying and learning the craft, he was fortunate enough to meet a helpful craftsman in the central city of Huế who was willing to share his skills and experience.

He also decided, though, to focus on sedge products other than mats, which had been made in his home village for hundreds of years.

BEST SELLERS: About 1,000 bags from Cỏ May are sold each month on Amazon in the US.

Cỏ May, therefore, specialises in producing women’s handbags. Together with sedge, the company also makes bags using other natural materials such as rattan, bamboo, straw, and hyacinth.

“Customers only accepted our products once they met their requirements in quality and design,” he said. “This why I pay particular attention to such details.”

His bags are rounded out by leather straps, handles or flaps, which add a modern touch. They also come with a removable inner lining, so they can easily be kept clean.

WELL-MADE: One of Cỏ May’s sedge tote bags.

For the young and demanding entrepreneur, product quality isn’t just about durability but also about style and elegance.

“Quality must be seen in every detail,” he said. “The product must look nice, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to care about every single knot and seam.

CARE & ATTENTION: Every detail is important, according to Hùng.

“Keeping an eye on such details requires that craftsmen be experienced in observation and be self-disciplined.”

Fruitful endeavour

Though any number of enterprises have been seriously hit by COVID-19, Cỏ May has come through it all largely unscathed.

“Sales have only been down slightly, as we mostly sell via online platforms,” he said.

QUALITY IS KEY: Hùng casts his eye over one of his bags at a shop in HCM City.

The 1,000 bags produced each month are sold on Amazon in the US at prices ranging from US$75 to $150.

Hùng’s products have also found favour in France and Australia, with substantial monthly orders coming from traders.

COVID-19 did, however, give the young businessman a new idea.

“People weren’t able to go out during the pandemic, and instead spent more time at home,” he explained. “So the thought occurred to me: Why we don’t create decorative household items from sedge?”

WALL TO WALL: Cỏ May has been selling wall hangings on Amazon since February.

Cỏ May Craft then started to introduce decorative wall hangings made of sedge on Amazon in February and feedback so far has been positive.

Last year a project of Hùng’s called “Combining natural materials and leather to create handbags” won first prize at a contest on start-up ideas from young people organised by the Thanh Hóa provincial Youth Union.

To create stable jobs for his fellow villagers, Hùng has begun a training course for a group of women aged 35-55.

“Once they become skilled weavers of our particular products, instead of employing people from elsewhere, such as Kim Sơn in Ninh Bình or others from Huế, we can recruit local villagers,” he said.

He feels happy whenever he receives a photo of customers with one of his sedge bags.

“That’s when I realise my products have travelled all over the world,” he said. “I feel proud to have contributed to promoting ‘Made in Việt Nam’ arts and crafts to international customers.”

His ambition continues, with plans to cooperate with Vietnamese fashion brands as well as foreign retailers in creating a new range of items. VNS

There are 37,938 people having close contact with confirmed cases or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present.

The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported the total recoveries are 2,429 while the death toll remained at 35.

Among those still undergoing treatment, 22 have tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 11 others twice, and 17 thrice.

The Ministry of Health said 1,678 people were vaccinated against the pandemic on April 9, raising the number of vaccinated people in 19 cities and provinces to 58,037 as of 4pm on April 9. They are frontline medical workers and members of community-based anti-COVID-19 groups and the National Steering Committee.

To live safely with the pandemic, the Ministry of Health advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations.

As many as 37,938 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined across the nation, including 523 in hospitals, 21,705 in state-designated establishments and 15,710 at their homes or residences.

According to the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, 2,429 patients have been successfully cured, while the death toll related to the disease remained at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments, 22 tested negative to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 11 twice and 17 thrice.

By the afternoon of April 10, a total of 58,248 people, including medical workers, members of community-based anti-COVID-19 groups and members of the steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control in localities, have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

To live safely with the pandemic, the Ministry of Health advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations.

Hoang Van Cuong

Hoang Van Cuong, vice rector of National Economics University

This is really a ‘hot seat’, as education is a concern of the entire society, and education activities are carried out by tens of millions of students, teachers and officers – the largest group for management among ministries.

Meanwhile, the education sector is now undergoing reform.

At the general education level, Vietnam is applying the new general education program with the spirit “one curriculum, many sets of textbooks”.

At the tertiary education level, Vietnam has begun implementing the amended Law on Higher Education, which gives self-determination rights to schools.

Son therefore will need to have completely new action plans to fit the new regime.

The education management apparatus needs to change its management mechanism, from ask-and-grant to post-licensing inspections.

Cao To Nga, headmaster of Ngo Quyen High School

One of the biggest challenges for the newly appointed Minister is the overlap in management, administration and personnel. For example, the Ministry of Education and Training makes decisions in curricula and textbooks for the new general education program, but the decisions on financing and investment are made by local authorities.

I hope that the new Minister will pay more attention to the issue of a ‘happy school’, and students in different areas will have equal opportunities to learn.

Tran Trung Hieu, Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted

I hope the new Minister will do three things.

First, being attentive and listening to constructive opinions from people and teachers. Any new policies that face opposition from teachers need to be reconsidered.

Second, it is necessary amend some unreasonable policies, especially during the implementation of the new general education program.

Third, being cautious when promulgating legal documents.

Ho Tan Nguyen Minh, Luong Van Chanh High School for the Gifted

I hope that the new Minister will build up a long-term sustainable education development strategy which doesn’t change all the time.

Also, human resources need to be put at the center of education. It is necessary to draw up plans to improve the quality of teachers and managerial officers.

To Van Phuong, Nha Trang University

The amended Law on Higher Education gives autonomy to schools, but there are still problems in tuition and public-asset use policies. I hope the problems will be settled.

I also hope that schools will be supported in IT application and digital transformation. I think it is also necessary to build up a database on human resources, because this will better help schools organize their training to satisfy demands of society.

Thanh Hung – Le Huyen