Linen plays an important role in the culture and spirituality of the Hmong people.

The Hang Dong Linen Weaving Club was established in 2023 with 12 members and currently maintains regular activities with 6 core members. All the women are 27 years old or older, having grown up surrounded by the sounds of their grandmothers' and mothers' looms – where linen weaving was their work, their very breath of life. Their love for linen weaving has become natural, like an underground stream of culture flowing through generations of the Hmong people. This same love is the simple yet enduring goal of the club's members: to preserve the traditional craft while simultaneously improving their livelihoods through their own hands.

The flax stalks are being dried by Ms. Thào Thị Dua.

From finding land, sowing seeds, tending, and harvesting flax plants, to drying, stripping, spinning, and weaving the fabric, everything is done entirely by hand by the women. This is both daily labor and a testament to the skill, diligence, patience, faith, and pride in the culture of the Hmong women.

The finished linen fabric sells for 150,000 - 200,000 VND per meter. With consistent work, each woman can earn about 3 million VND per month. While the income is modest, it helps them maintain and preserve the traditional linen weaving craft in this remote highland region.

The current challenge for the members is the lack of a stable source of raw materials. The women have to grow flax independently, relying mainly on fertilizer and ash from their own households. Furthermore, the product is primarily sold directly to local people or through social media. However, the market is small and faces competition from flax products from other localities, making sales even more uncertain.

Despite their modest income, the women in the Hang Dong linen weaving club persevere in preserving their traditional craft.

Beyond its economic value, the club serves as both a "preservation center for linen" and a "treasure center for camaraderie." Here, women can both preserve traditional crafts and share stories about work, farming, and family, supporting each other in daily life. On holidays like March 8th, October 20th, and Independence Day, the club becomes a bonding space where women can chat, eat, and have fun together. At the end of the year, the club often distributes a portion of the linen fabric to its members so they can sew bags, make household items, or keep and give to relatives, especially those with elderly members. For the Hmong people, linen is not just for clothing; it is an indispensable item in their spiritual life.

"The Hmong people believe that when an elderly person, parent, or relative passes away, linen fabric must be used to make clothes, socks, shoes, etc., to send them to the afterlife. Using linen fabric ensures that the deceased will feel light and cool," shared Ms. Lu Thi Song, a member of the club.

The future of the club remains challenging due to the lack of a fixed source of raw materials, while the supplementary occupation of many women, tea making, is currently experiencing price drops and unstable income. Ms. Thao Thi Dua, head of the Hang Dong Linen Weaving Club, expressed: "We hope to receive support to develop and find a stable market for our products. Despite the difficulties, for us, linen fabric is not only a material for clothing but also a deeply ingrained part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Hmong people that needs to be preserved."

Ms. Mua Thi Thay - President of the Women's Union of Ta Xua Commune

Sharing the same concern upon witnessing the perseverance of the women in the Hang Dong linen weaving club in preserving their craft, Ms. Mua Thi Thay - President of the Women's Union of Ta Xua commune - said: "In the coming time, the Women's Union of Ta Xua commune will proactively coordinate with the Hang Dong village government to call for social mobilization and attract more resources to support the women in the club. The goal is to both preserve and promote the traditional linen weaving craft, while helping women improve their skills, utilize technology to promote their products, expand their markets, and thereby improve their income and living standards."

In this highland region, linen weaving is not simply a craft, but a strong thread connecting people to their cultural roots. Linen fabric is present in every aspect of life and custom, an inseparable part of the Hmong people's lives, a reminder that preserving linen means preserving the soul and identity of the community.