Brian Jeffrey
Traditional Grass Broom Craft in HCM City
In a quiet alley at No 180 Pham Phu Thu, District 6, HCM City, artisans at the last grass broom village painstakingly cut grass on wooden boards.
According to local elders, the grass broom-making craft began in the early 1960s, introduced by migrants from central Vietnam who settled near Binh Tien Market and the surrounding streets.
Pham Van Trung, 55, has been crafting brooms since he was 8. He recalls that the area was once filled with ponds where locals gathered rau muong (water spinach) to sell, before some ventured into broom making, leading to the establishment of a bustling craft community.
During its peak, the village boasted thousands of families involved in broom production, leaving little space in the narrow alley as finished products were stored everywhere.
Most production remained manual, with few machines, relying on skilled workers to create high-quality brooms from ‘Thysanolaena latifolia’ grass.
Despite the demand, the job posed health risks due to exposure to dust and the potential for injuries from sharp materials.
Currently, brooms are priced between VND20,000-40,000. Yet, local artisans now face tough competition from central region products and imports from China.
The combination of hard work, low earnings, and fierce competition has led many to leave, resulting in a dramatic decline of the craft. Today, only 5-10 families continue this age-old tradition.
Trang Duc Anh, 52, who has devoted over four decades to the craft, expresses concern for its future, noting a lack of interest among the youth.
“I keep making brooms to honor our tradition, but it pains me that no one wants to follow,” he lamented. “With each departure, our craft edges closer to extinction.”
Young workers, once trained by older artisans like Tran Thanh Hoang, have often opted for other professions instead.
Pham Van Trung, who briefly left for alternative work due to financial necessity, has returned to uphold his family’s tradition now that his situation has improved.
Similarly, Huynh Thi Kim Thanh and her husband strive to maintain their craft, yet she fears its inevitable decline.
“Our earnings fluctuate greatly; we mostly profit during the pre-Tet season,” she explained. “On rainy days, sales drop significantly. Though some brooms are made for export, the volume remains low.”
