Basketry in Ca Mau

      In the Mekong Delta region, when asking about high-quality me bo (a bamboo basket to contain rice) or can xe (a big and deep bamboo basket), you may be advised to buy them in Tan Bang or Thoi Binh villages. Re (cooking-pot holder), thung (grain bamboo basket) and nia (large and flat baskets) are specific baskets you can find in villages in U Minh District.
These are all in Ca Mau, the southernmost province of Vietnam. It’s home to many traditional basketry villages. Each village has different bamboo products, but all of them have one thing in common: they’re all made manually.
With clever hands, the villagers are able to produce a wide variety of items from me bo to nia. A wicker basket for holding fish or catching lobsters, a basket to carry vegetables, or a bamboo cage for fowls are only a few of the different types you can buy.
Basket weaving is a fairly intricate job, but it doesn’t garner a very high profit. There are some items that require both time and a high degree of talent to make, but unfortunately, prices are no higher than that of simpler made ones. It is thought that this job will never make anyone rich, but it can sustain someone in their daily lifestyle.
However, residents are very proud of their efforts in preserving these features so that they can still exist in crafts today. They are attached to this crafty job not only because they earn a living from it, but also because they love it and it keeps them connected to the land upon which they were born..