Located in Hoa Tien Commune, Hoa Vang District, just about 14km south-west of Da Nang's centre, the Cam Ne Village is widely known for its long-standing sedge mat-making craft.  These beautifully-coloured mats are used for sleeping on.

Senior villagers said that the craft originated in Thanh Hoa Province’s Hoang Hoa District and it was introduced to Da Nang in the 15^th century by immigrants from this Thanh Hoa.  After that, Cam Ne’s craft developed strongly and became well-known under the Nguyen Dynasty.  The mats were used by the Nguyen royal family and many artisans from the village were honoured by the Nguyen emperors.  Despite its many ups and downs over the past 6 centuries, sedge mat-making in this village is still flourishing today.

Weaving sedge mats

Mat makers require skilful hands and an artist's eye to create these beautiful and quality products.  Sedges are cleaned, dyed in various colours, and then dried under the sun.  Then they are soaked in water to become soft before they are used to make the mats.  Once produced, the mats are cleaned and made smooth before sale.

Finished mats

Cam Ne sedge mats are more durable and thicker than similar products from other localities, and users will feel cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  A pair of mats 1.6m wide x 2m long sells for 500,000VND.