Upon arriving in Thoi Hoa B Hamlet of Co Do Town near Vietnam’s Can Tho City, one immediately senses the vibrant activity of Khmer women weaving water hyacinths into exquisite handicrafts. This meticulous process begins with the stems of blooming purple hyacinths and culminates in the creation of soft brown woven bags and baskets, reminiscent of rattan and wicker. These hyacinth handicraft activities have been made possible by Ms. Son Thi Lang, the founder of the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative, whose primary goal is to improve the livelihoods of her local community, particularly for Khmer ethnic women.
“Established in 2019, the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative strives to maintain and improve the effectiveness of teaching and practicing water hyacinth weaving, thereby contributing to creating jobs and stable income for cooperative members and local workers.” Ms. Lang, Director of Co Do Craft Village Cooperative, reported with excitement.
After participating in a knitting training course offered by the Women’s Union of Co Do Town, Ms. Lang founded the Cooperative with three primary products: fermented glutinous rice, pickles, and water hyacinth handicrafts. However, her limited entrepreneurial knowledge presented significant challenges during the cooperative’s early days. Ms. Lang confided that “in the early years, it was very difficult to mobilise women to learn about trade; at the beginning, the number of participants was quite low because they thought that this profession was not profitable”.
Things took a different turn in 2023 when Ms. Lang seized the opportunity to participate in a Business Training Program provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Women Accelerating Vibrant Enterprises in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (WAVES) project, funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). The program is implemented by the Women’s Initiative for Startups and Entrepreneurship (WISE), and includes a combination of general training, business coaching and mentoring sessions, as well as networking activities in Can Tho City. Later in 2023, the program expanded to other nearby provinces to further enhance business management, leadership skills, and capacity.
The Program’s Impact on the Co-Do Craft Village Cooperative:
Ms. Lang reports feeling much more confident in running her Co Do Craft Village Cooperative after completing the business training and networking activities. “Thanks to this training provided by ADB, I had a unique opportunity to improve my general entrepreneurial knowledge, particularly accounting and financial management, as well as knowledge of corporate human resources management and marketing.” Through networking, the Cooperative connected with Long Thanh Company of Long An Province, which led to substantial orders and increased workers’ pay. ““Now, good models spread quickly, and after a while, from wanting to have a job to make money, many women are turning it into their passion and want to stick with it for a long time.” Ms. Lang passionately remarked.
Thanks to the support from WAVES, the growth of the Co Do Village Cooperative was significantly boosted, with annual revenue increasing by 40% from 2022 to 2023 and expected to continue rising in 2024. In 2022, the Cooperative had 42 official members and 120 part-time female workers. By 2023, while the number of official members remained the same, the number of part-time female workers increased by 25%, reaching 150.
The Cooperative not only created jobs for ethnic minority women from poor or near-poor households, but also helped them earn an additional VND 3.5 million to VND 4 million per month by supporting them to weave water hyacinths in their spare time at home, supplementing their primary agricultural activities.
Ms. Lang’s Next Steps Forward
Inspired by her success and the encouragement of local authorities who recognize the transformative potential of her initiative for job creation, Ms. Lang plans to open two water hyacinth weaving vocational training programs for 50 women in the neighbouring majority Khmer communes in 2024. These women will process items for the Cooperative, aiming to earn an average monthly income of VND 3 million in their spare time at home.
Through her participation in ADB’s Business Training Program, Ms. Lang connected with large domestic buyers specializing in handcrafted water hyacinth goods. This helped create jobs and income for new members, while not affecting the output or income of existing members of the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative. The knowledge gained from the program also helped Ms. Lang strengthen the Cooperative’s business administration and efficiency, leading to more Khmer communities wishing to join.
The story of Ms. Lang and her Cooperative is a testament to the impact of programs like WAVES in promoting skills training, job creation, and connecting with international buyers. For the Khmer ethnic women of Co Do Town, the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative has created more economic opportunities. With ADB’s support, Ms. Lang and the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative, have not only produced artisanal hyacinth handicrafts but also served as a model for addressing income inequalities in vulnerable communities.
“I am pleased to have joined the Business Training Program provided by ADB under the We-Fi funded WAVES. Our Cooperative has gradually developed, and the water hyacinth weaving model not only promotes career transformation but also helps local women, especially those from the Khmer ethnic group like myself, improve their lives,” Ms. Lang happily shared. She continued, “In the future, aside from processing products for businesses, the Co Do Craft Village Cooperative plans to produce items such as hats, handbags, decorative lanterns, and flower vase covers. These will be supplied to markets inside and outside Can Tho City, creating diversity in our water hyacinth weaving products and improving livelihoods for the women in our district.”
For more information about We-Fi and ADB’s WAVES Program in Vietnam, click here.
