1. Learn about the Phu My bottle basket weaving profession in Phu Yen province
Address: Phu My village, An Dan commune, Tuy An district, Phu Yen province.
As a province on the South Central Coast, Phu Yen has a long coastline, taking advantage of that, people here are attached to the profession of boating and catching seafood at sea. The Phu My bottle basket weaving profession was also formed from there, passed down through many generations but still retains the quality processing formula. This craft village produces products such as baskets, a close friend of every fisherman when going to sea. This is a profession that not only creates jobs but also creates a lifestyle for the people of Phu Yen. If you are planning a trip to explore Phu Yen, don't forget to visit this unique craft village.
Baskets are used by people to catch seafood near the shore such as clam diving, squid fishing, trawling,... creating delicious Phu Yen dishes for you to enjoy. They are also used as a means of competition in rowing competitions and annual fishing festivals. Bottle baskets not only serve fishermen in the province but also supply domestic markets and other coastal provinces from Quang Ngai to Tien Giang. Outstanding quality at affordable prices, product consumption is very good, sometimes there is not enough product to supply the market. With such outstanding development, over the years, Phu My baskets have also been exported to other countries around the world such as Switzerland, Thailand,...
In Phu My, Phu Yen province, there are still more than 100 working households associated with the traditional profession of weaving baskets and bottles. The craft has been passed down for many generations but still maintains the quality of elaborate and meticulous workmanship. Therefore, this craft village has been handed down and developed to this day.
Baskets are used by Phu My fishermen as the main means of catching coastal seafood
2. Discover the unique basket weaving technique of Phu My bottle basket weaving village
How to choose standard bamboo to make the highest quality and most durable bottle baskets
Phu My baskets are made from fat bamboo, exploited on the Nhan My river of Phu Yen province. This type of bamboo can withstand water very well, has high flexibility and does not become brittle when dried. When knitting, you can make traditional boats of extremely good quality to serve fishermen. Doing this job requires the coordination of many people because there are many steps to making a complete product. Therefore, in the same profession, there are many workers in charge of many different small steps such as divers, spoke sharpeners, weavers, rim welders, oilers,...
Unique basket weaving technique of Phu My bottle basket weaving
Phu My bottle basket weaving technique is very unique and elaborate, done by professional workers. First of all, the bamboo that is cut must be old fat bamboo of 60% or more, cut to the rim and then dried. Then the needles are meticulously sharpened, passed to the knitter, trimmed, and then dried. Next comes the step of applying cow dung and then applying oat oil. A special feature is that people here often use cow dung to fill each crevice, so that the baskets do not leak. People make baskets using the earthen tunnel technique, dig an underground tunnel to make a mold, then put the woven baskets into the earthen tunnel, and start making basket rings so that they are evenly round, balanced and aesthetically pleasing. Because of these meticulous processes, Phu Yen baskets are easy to move and balanced, so they are trusted and used by fishermen in many places.
The advantage of Phu My bottle basket is that it is very difficult to tip over when going to the beach, and easy to rotate in narrow spaces because of its circular shape. Furthermore, when a bamboo basket is torn, it can be plastered and patched, while a plastic basket, if broken by impact, cannot be reused.
Weaving baskets and bottles is a difficult profession, requiring workers to be skillful in every step, meticulous in detail, experienced and have good techniques. According to the words of the veteran boatmen in the village: when weaving baskets, you must also have the heart, not to do anything carelessly, not to be dishonest with customers under any circumstances. That's the basket boat weaver of Phu My.
Every detail is carefully processed to create quality bottle baskets that can be used for a long time
Bring the woven baskets down to the underground tunnel and loop the baskets to create evenly rounded and aesthetically pleasing baskets
The completed baskets are dried in the sun many times to increase the flexibility of the bamboo
3. Phu My basket weaving craft on the way to the "big sea"
The price of each Phu My bottle basket being sold on the market today ranges from 1,200,000 - 2,600,000 VND/piece. Sometimes they can even cost up to 4,000,000 VND/piece, depending on the size of the basket, the number of bamboo slats and the number of your orders.
There are many places to make baskets and bottles, but Phu My village of Phu Yen province is the place most trusted by customers because of the responsibility and reputation of the workers for their products. Before selling products to the market or exporting them abroad, baskets are inspected in detail and thoroughly. If even a small error is discovered, the worker must either exchange another basket for the customer or weave a completely new one.
Thanks to that reputation, Phu My bottles follow customers to all parts of the country, to the Northern market, then to the West, to Asia and Europe. In 2011, following the footsteps of some focal companies in Ho Chi Minh City, 125 bottle baskets from Phu My craft village were exported to the Thai market. In 2012, 200 basket boats were exported to Switzerland. At the end of 2015, Thailand continued to place orders in large quantities, 1,250 products. In early 2016, Switzerland continued to import 1,400 basket boats. In 2017 and the first months of 2018, thousands of Phu My basket boats were ordered by Southeast Asian and Western European countries.
The Phu My bottle basket weaving profession has had positive developments and brought a source of income to fishermen here. However, currently, people do not have enough capital to invest in modern equipment to streamline production steps faster, so they still have to produce manually. Therefore, making a basket takes a lot of time and makes it difficult to meet large orders.
The Phu My bottle basket weaving profession has been formed, developed and maintained its tradition to this day. If you want to see firsthand the process of making a complete bottle basket, then visit Phu My bottle basket weaving village to visit.