ICH Courier

he field of intangible cultural heritage in Viet Nam has been codified with a comprehensive legal system, from the Law on Cultural Heritage to the guiding Decrees and Circulars for implementation. In 2005, Viet Nam joined the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003 Convention).
Since then, the spirit of this Convention has been strongly institutionalized into Viet Nam’s policy system, through the Law on Cultural Heritage (in 2001, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Cultural Heritage in 2009, and the Law on Cultural Heritage in 2024) and the system of sub-law documents, programs, projects,  and plans for inventorying, safeguarding, and promoting the values of cultural heritage. In that context, the journey of the

conical hat – from a simple daily-life object to becoming a inscribed intangible cultural heritage – is a vivid testament to the efforts to safeguard and honor national cultural identity.
The UNESCO 2003 Convention emphasizes the importance of safeguarding practices, folklore knowledge, and traditional techniques and skills. Applying this spirit, according to the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage, Viet Nam has established the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage – an important legal tool for identification, evaluation, and having specific safeguarding plans.

The Vietnamese conical hat is such a characteristic and familiar image that it has become a part of the collective consciousness of the vast community across the entire country of Viet Nam. From the rice fields of the North to the boat ferries of Huế, from the dikes to the cities, the conical hat has accompanied the Vietnamese people for hundreds of years of history, becoming an essential item, a cultural symbol full of aesthetics and philosophy. However, in contemporary society with the pace of urbanization and changes in production methods and lifestyles, the “everyday” status of the conical hat is gradually shrinking. It risks being pushed from the daily living space into the space of memory, theatrical performances, or simply a souvenir for tourists. This decline is not merely about the reduction in its functional use, but more deeply, it could lead to the risk of a rupture in the chain of knowledge, craft skills, and the cultural practices associated with it.
To date, Viet Nam has inscribed three elements closely related to the conical hat on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, affirming the values and cultural diversity of these elements across all regions of the country, specifically: The Sai Nga conical hat making craft (Phú Thọ province), The making craft of the two-rimmed conical hat of the Tay people (Tuyên Quang province), and The Phú Gia horse conical hat stitching craft (Gia Lai province).
The conical hat is not merely a physical product, but first and foremost, a complex body of ecological and technical knowledge accumulated over hundreds of years. The artisan

who makes the conical hat possesses not only the skills of weaving and sewing but also the entire knowledge of materials (selecting leaves, plants, fibers suitable for each ecological region; techniques for processing, preserving), tools, and the manufacturing process. The hat-making technique requires dexterity and years of experience, demonstrated through the creation of “perfect” products (stitches are even and straight, the hat’s shape is round, patterns are sophisticated). Some places also have a specialized division of labor stages within the community. The characteristic method of transmitting the craft is mainly through oral instruction, passing on know how, “hand-holding and guiding” within the family and craft village spaces (“mother passes to child,” “grandmother passes to grandchild”). This is a process of transmitting tacit knowledge, combining skills, experience, and individual styles. The hats contain aesthetic and creative values of each individual and community, expressed through shaping, leaf arrangement, with shapes and patterns carrying symbolic meanings (hexagon, four sacred animals, four noble plants, animal and plant figures…), reflecting the worldview and aesthetic sense, imbued with the community’s cultural identity.

The conical hat is associated with the social practices, rituals, and beliefs of the cultural bearer communities. The conical hat is not only for sun and rain protection but is also an item of high symbolic value, linked to social status (horse hat for mandarins), gender, and lifecycle (bridal hat, token of love, symbol of fertility). The conical hat can be an item in marriage (as dowry, a token of trust), in festivals (contest item, offering to the Village Guardian Deity), and in spiritual life (associated with legends, national heroes). The hat making craft has formed specific community activity spaces such as specialized markets (places for trading, socializing, exchanging experiences), or craft village competitions, thereby strengthening community bonds and identity. The hat-making craft is organically and sustainably linked to the natural environment. Each hat-making craft relies on specific local raw materials (palm leaves from midland region, kè leaves from Bình Định province (now is Gia Lai province), bamboo from mountainous area). The craft’s existence demonstrates the community’s adaptation, understanding, and sustainable exploitation of natural resources. The practice of hat-making shapes characteristic cultural-social spaces, creating craft village landscapes with images of multiple

generations working together at home. It is a living space where labor, transmission, socializing, and nurturing values (diligence, dexterity, mutual support) occur in parallel. The hat-making craft is also a livelihood for the community, providing on-site employment, utilizing free time between crops, and generating supplementary or primary income for hundreds of households, especially for women, contributing to poverty reduction and rural social stability.
The hat-making craft of communities constantly adapts to survive. The heritage has been and is undergoing challenges such as pressure from market mechanisms (competition with industrial products), changes in lifestyle (less favored), and the risk of artisan decline (the younger generation shows little interest, esoteric knowledge may be lost). However, heritage is always dynamic, demonstrated by changes in materials (from natural fibers to industrial fibers), tool improvements, diversification of product designs and functions (from utility items to souvenirs, decorations) to meet new market demands.
The element receives attention through institutionalization and support via inscription and safeguarding policies, brand Material trading (Phu Tho province) © Department of Cultural Heritage building (OCOP products). The element is also creatively connected with activities such as tourism (experiential activities), media, becoming a resource for sustainable economic, cultural, and social development, a foundation and space for creating cultural values and developing  cultural industries.
The Vietnamese conical hat, through its journey from an everyday object to intangible cultural heritage, has demonstrated a proactive and comprehensive safeguarding approach, in line with the spirit of the 2003 Convention and the Law on Cultural Heritage. Safeguarding The Sai Nga conical hat making craft, The two-rimmed conical hat making craft of the Tay people, and The Phú Gia horse conical hat stitching craft is not just about preserving craft techniques, but also about protecting a part of the soul, history, and creativity of local communities. It is about keeping element not as a static memory in a museum, but as a living entity, continuing to be written by generations today and in the future.