Main Products: Basket, Furniture
Ethnic Minority: kinh
From Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi): 688 km
From Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC): 570 km
If you have once visited the Central provinces, you could very well have enjoyed the exquisite beauty of rattan streams spreading under the sunlight to the natural elegance of the finished products made from it where the rattan seems to always retain its noble character, one that combines strength, elegance and gentleness.
There is no other place in Vietnam where rattan is so abundant as in the central provinces. Down through a strip of land from Quang Binh, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen to Khanh Hoa province... is the thick and interminable forest of rattan, brimful of vitality. The rattan harvested and processed here not only meets the needs for the local rattan ware production but also supplies ready to use material to many other craft villages throughout the country.
It is not easy to raise any comparison about the artistic quality as well as the diversification of rattan products, because there are thousands of different items produced in as many craft villages throughout the entire country, each unique and special. However, rattan handicrafts in the central provinces always display their own special features distinguishing them from the bulk of other products. Original designs of chairs, cabinets, shelves, containers and blinds of larger size than is usual in Vietnam characterize them. Additionally, artisans often creatively combine rattan with other materials, e.g. rattan and wood frames for containers; rattan and cane for tables, chairs, cabinets, and blinds; and rattan and wrought iron for tables, chairs and shelves. Those fine combinations create a mixture between the beauties of traditional identities in every modern product.
At first sight, it doesn’t seem there is anything special about the climbing palm called rattan, nothing that could be related to fine art. But it is actually the plant of fine art in Vietnam, the pick of talented artisans in the central provinces who have learned the art whereby its humble appearance is ennobled. Nobody could not help but admit noting aristocratic features when seeing a room with decor of a set of rattan sofas. It is still supple but not as hot as foam rubber, firm and sizeable but not as heavy as wood, and moreover, its durability is every bit as good as the just-mentioned wood and rubber alternatives. Your living space will become more relaxed and eye-catching upon your decorating with rattan bookshelves, for example, or cabinets. Even some rattan containers or hangers should be put in your bathroom to keep your clothes and various kinds of rattan baskets need to be put on a stylish iron frame in your small kitchen. And, a romantic ambiance results when your garden is well laid out with chairs made of such countryside material.
In the immensity of sources of rattan, many producers have established, and distribution isn’t limited to the domestic market as this product is now also exported throughout the world. Through their consistent effort, businesses from Da Nang City (An Khe Rattan Processing Cooperative and Dong Huy company), Quang Nam province (Au Co bamboo and rattan enterprise and Duy Son II cooperative), Binh Dinh province (Binh Minh Cooperative and PISICO company), and Khanh Hoa province (RAPEXCO and VNC company), for just some examples, have solidly established the repute of rattan decor on the world market. With annual export revenue reaching hundreds of billions of VND, the central provinces serve as splendid potential and reliable partners for international customers willing to promote the art of Vietnamese rattan and reap the benefits.
