Talented hand made brand 'eagle leaf cone'

TTO - The leaves of the forest eagle through the talented hands of the man who is passionate about creating art have created an impressive stylized hat.

The "eagle leaf" brand of Mr. Vo Ngoc Hung at 36 Kim Long (P. Kim Long, Hue City) seems to be more attractive when many tourists come to see how he makes and orders. 

Mr. Hung has a predestined relationship with craftsmanship and meticulousness. He made a living by painting, chiseling ...

"I painted on wood, after a long time nobody bought it. I had to tinker with myself, find something new, both unique and strange but with the imprint of Hue", Mr. Hung remembered. again.

Nearly a year ago, watching a video about a conical hat, he spent many nights thinking about the material to innovate for a hat to quit the tradition but must be accepted by the market, because it is not only a passion but It was also a piece of rice.

He said: "I went online to look for videos to learn, tinkered with how to handle. I found a lot of leaves, from bodhi leaf, fig leaf, leaf, sakê ... but the more I tried it the more I tried again. failure".

The buddy has the leaves of an eagle, but the leaves of the forest must go to the mountains to find them. Not afraid of the long distance, according to your instructions, he ran nearly 30km, then walked for an hour to the forest area of the mountains of Binh Dien (Huong Tra town) to pick the leaves of the forest eagle. Having been "protected", he rushed back and luckily this time he succeeded.

The selected leaves must meet the criteria of moderate age, no worm, no tear. Undergoing a chemical treatment, the green layer of the leaf fades. He lightly brushed each leaf to become white, clear, and then put into the press. 

With previous experience of failure, Mr. Hung said that the leaves of the forest have a basic thickness, the length of a leaf can extend from the top of the cone to the last rim.

Each leaf of the jungle eagle is gently put on the hat by Mr. Hung. To build a frame for a hat requires 15-16 leaves. Only the last stage - staring hat, he hired sisters in the neighborhood, who specialize in performing.

The first day the hat was completed, many people in the small village were surprised. Everyone seemed interested in the team to try and take photos. It was those photos that were later shared, the viral stream on social networks that surprised many people in the distance. Since then the calls continuously put in order.

"I'm happy to want to cry. Unexpectedly, how many years of tinkering has finally been accepted by the market and customers", Mr. Hung said when selling more than the first 60 conical hats at the price of 450,000 VND / unit. .

That joy becomes more meaningful to Mr. Hung's wife, Mrs. Le Thi Ky Ngo. Each time her husband failed, she encouraged and cheated his money for his research. "There was a time when nearly all the money in the house, there is no other way I accepted to sell two racing bikes for 30 million to pursue his game," Ms. Ngo said.

These days, any hat that has just "come out" has been ordered immediately. Many curious customers have also asked to take place to experience. Although interested, but who embarked on each step to understand the arduous, giving up halfway.

Nguyen Tung, a young man, one of the people who bought table cones made by Mr. Hung, couldn't help but admire. Hung said he wore a lot of hats from poem hats and lotus leaf hats, but was impressed with the eagle leaf product. 

Many other guests when wearing the hat in their hands were touched by the understanding of the heart of the maker is a journey is not easy.

As for Mr. Hung, he is seeking to spread the profession to many people, as well as continue to study some suitable leaves to create motifs to attach to the eagle leaves. 

"I am going to try putting pictures of famous landscapes in Hue on the hat, and if the customer requests I can print the photo album on it," Mr. Hung shared while packing the leaf cone delivered to customers in Hanoi. , HCMC ...