Bustling sewing machines in the house of a woman who has been sewing the national flag for more than 30 years

Co duyen den voi nghe may co hon 30 nam truoc, khi lam viec tai xa Thanh Dong A (cu), chi Nguyen Kieu Thu duoc giao nhiem vu mua co Dang, co To quoc de treo tai co quan. Thay nhung la co mua ve chua dep, chi Thu nay ra y dinh tu may. Bang ca tam huyet, chi ti man tung chi tiet do ve, cat may de tao ra la co dung chuan va dep.

More than 30 years ago, when working in Thanh Dong A commune (old), Ms. Nguyen Kieu Thu was assigned to buy Party flags and national flags to hang at the agency. Seeing that the flags bought were not beautiful, Ms. Thu had the idea of getting married. With all her heart, she meticulously measured every detail and cut and sewed to create a standard and beautiful flag.

La giao vien duoc cac truong thinh giang day cac lop may cong nghiep vao thoi gian ranh buoi toi, chi Thu ban dau lam may gia dinh roi gom cac chi em kho khan o cac lop hoc may ve lam To hop tac may.

As a teacher invited by schools to teach industrial sewing classes, Thu works as a family sewing extra in her free time in the evening, then gathers sisters in difficulty in sewing classes to form a Sewing Cooperative Group.

Chi ke, luc do con Hoi Lien hiep Phu nu huyen co xuong thanh lap To may, hoi Phu nu tinh cung rat quan tam, co ho tro cho chi em vay von de mua may may. Den nay cac chi deu tra het tien vay. Hien nay Phu nu xa cung dang quan ly chung, rat quan tam den cong viec va doi song chi em trong To.

Ms. Thu said: The Women's Union of the district (old) established a Garment Cooperation Group, the Provincial Women's Union also paid great attention and supported women to borrow capital to buy sewing machines. Up to now, the sisters have all paid off this loan.

Chi Thu truyen nghe may cho nhieu nguoi va duy tri so luong lao dong lam viec lien tuc khoang hon 10 nguoi. Thu nhap moi nguoi tu 3 - 5 trieu dong/thang nhung chi lam theo buoi hoac luc ranh, thoi gian con lai ho lo nha cua, con cai, lam thue o nhung noi khac nen cong viec nay rat tien loi.

At the Garment Cooperation Group, Ms. Thu passed on the profession to many people (both male and female) and maintained a continuous workforce of about 10 people. Each person earns from 3 - 5 million VND/month but only works in session or free time, the rest of the time they take care of their house, children or work for hire in other places.

“May co la duyen voi nghe nhung cung la nghiep toi theo duoi hon 30 nam qua. Nhieu chi em trong To may hoan canh rat kho, co nguoi chong benh liet giuong, mot minh lo toan nuoi gia dinh; co nguoi nho may ma mot minh nuoi con an hoc xong dai hoc; co nguoi lon tuoi khong cong ty nao nhan thi den toi nhan“, chi Thu ke.

"Fate is a career, but it is also a career I have pursued for over 30 years. Many women in the Garment Team are in very difficult circumstances, some have sick husbands and bedridden, taking care of their families alone; some are lucky enough to raise their children to finish university; some are elderly people who are not accepted by any company and come to me to receive them, Ms. Thu said.

Chi Nguyen Thi Hang tam su: “Nha co nguoi benh, minh di lam cong ty thi khong ai cham soc gia dinh nen phai bo viec cong ty. Chi Thu nhan vao may, moi thang co dong ra dong vo lai co thoi gian lam duoc nhung viec khac, hon nua chi Thu cung tao dieu kien thuan loi nhat de cac chi em lam cho phu hop“.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - a member of the Garment Team - confided: "When I was sick at home, I went to work for a company, but no one took care of my family, so I had to quit my job. Ms. Thu admits that she has time to do other things every month with her own money. Moreover, Ms. Thu also created the most favorable conditions for the women in the group to do the right thing".

“Gio lon tuoi roi di lam cong ty ai ma nhan, may man la co chi Thu da huong dan chung toi may co, tao cong an viec lam, co thu nhap toi mung lam. O day may chi em cung than thiet, chia se giup do nhau, coi nhau nhu gia dinh”, ba Doan Thi Minh Ha tam su.

"Now that I am old, who will I work for? Luckily, Ms. Thu instructed us to draw flags, create jobs, and have income. The sisters here are also close, share and help each other, considering each other as family, Ms. Doan Thi Minh Ha confided.

Tu khau chon vai, chon mau tuoi sang cho den tung buoc thuc hien, chi truyen dat lai cho to may rat ti mi, can than boi day khong phai la san pham may binh thuong ma la nhung la co y nghia cua dat nuoc. Nguoi tho may phai dat cai tam, trach nhiem lam that nghiem tuc.

From choosing fabric, choosing bright colors to each step of implementation, Ms. Thu conveys it to the sewing team very meticulously and carefully. Because these are not ordinary garment products but meaningful flags of the country. Seamers must put their heart and responsibility in doing things seriously.

Chu tam de dep tung duong kim mui chi nen co cua to may duoc nhieu dia phuong trong tinh An Giang dat hang. Khong chi may co Dang, co To quoc, chi Thu con may nhieu loai khac nhu co phuon, co day, co de ban.

Pay attention to beautifying each needle line, so the flag of the tailor-made team is ordered by many localities in An Giang province. Not only folding the Party and National Flag, Ms. Thu also folds many other types such as butterfly flags, string flags, and table flags.

Hien la can bo Ban Xay dung Dang xa Thanh Dong, chi Thu vua dam nhiem tot cong viec co quan vua duy tri phat trien manh to may. “Du dinh tuong lai, toi se tap hop chi em lai de nang cao hon tay nghe, tiep tuc phat trien, mo rong de du dieu kien lam hop tac xa. Toi muon lan toa tinh yeu que huong dat nuoc qua nhung la co va cung mong muon giup duoc nhieu hoan canh vuot kho vuon len“, chi Thu trai long.

Currently an officer of the Thanh Dong Commune Party Construction Board, Ms. Thu has both taken on good work at the agency and maintained the strong development of the tailoring team. "In the future, I plan to gather the women to improve their skills, continue to develop and expand to qualify for a cooperative. I want to spread the love of my homeland through the flags and also want to help many people overcome difficulties and rise up," Ms. Thu confided.