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Located30km south of Hanoi, the trade village is famed for its embroidery and weavingand has made millions of national flags over the last 75 years.
Accordingto local elderly people, embroidery and weaving first prospered in thevillage in the 16th century. Many of the villagers even opened shops on Hang Bongand Hang Gai streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
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Withthe development of the market economy, many households in Tu Van Village haveswitched from traditional embroidery to specialising in making flags, panelsand banners.
Orderswere sent to the village earlier this year in preparation for the upcomingnational election, with nearly double the number of the previous year.
Therefore,all stages of making national flags from choosing fabrics, operating machines,printing, embroidering and sewing have been implemented urgently to meet highdemand.
“Weall feel happy and proud when our products, the national flags, are hungsolemnly in many institutes across the country, even though the work is hardand the income is not high,” said Nguyen Thu Phuong while rapidly butaccurately embroidering the five-pointed yellow star on a national flag.
Acomplete national flag involves dozens of steps that do not require much skill,but the tailors need to be meticulous in their work to ensure each flagcomplies with regulatory requirements.
Accordingto experienced tailors, the steps of printing, placing andembroidering the five-pointed star on the cloth are the most important. Forthem, the national flag represents the soul of the nation so the step isperformed with high concentration by skilled tailors.
Whetherthe flag is tens of square metres large or as small as a palm hand, thefive-pointed yellow star must be placed in a solemn position with the mostharmonious proportion.
"Wehave to work with enthusiasm, maximum ability and technique to make themost beautiful flags," said Nguyen Van Phuc whose familyhas been in the trade for three generations./.