Traditional Pieu scarf of Thai ethnic people

Much like the Vietnamese ao dai, the defining garment of the Thai ethnic minority people of the north-western mountains is a simple scarf, known as Pieu scarf.

The Thai people are proud of their weaving, dying and embroidery, and they see the pieu scarf as the pinnacle of their achievement (Photo: VNA)

Thai girls learn to embroider by studying traditional scarf patterns from the age of six or seven. Making their own pieu scarf is seen as both good practice for their skills and also as a first step towards becoming independent in life (Photo: VNA)

In fact, the standard of the scarves is the measure by which their entire personality and worth as a person is judged (Photo: VNA)

The basic material is cotton thread. Every step of the process of making pieu scarf is done by hand, from spinning and dying to weaving and embroidery (Photo: VNA)

The pieu scarf is involved in every aspect of a Thai woman’s life (Photo: VNA)

They are also an important marker in love and marriage (Photo: VNA)

VNA