Across an ocean, Vietnam and Panama found a connection in color and craft

Indigo hues, embroidery and traditional patterns from Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities took center stage Tuesday at Hanoi’s Temple of Literature, where Vietnam’s First Lady Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, met Panama’s First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino, spouse of Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.

The meeting was held during Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino’s official visit to Vietnam from October 5 to 8.

Their conversation went beyond textiles and patterns, highlighting how traditional crafts can help create livelihoods and support women and vulnerable groups in remote areas.

Making a living from traditional crafts

At the meeting, First Ladies Ngo Phuong Ly and Maricel Cohen de Mulino explored the stories and traditions woven into the textiles and garments of Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities.

They paused to admire the colorful traditional clothing of Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities, including the Ta Oi of central Vietnam and the Green Hmong, Red Dao and Lo Lo of the northern highlands, listening to the stories behind each material, color and pattern.

Passed down through generations of artisans, weaving, embroidery and traditional pattern-making have long helped preserve the history and customs of each community. Today, these skills are also becoming a source of income for the people who practice them.

In the relaxed setting, the two First Ladies met with Ta Oi, Red Dao and Green Hmong artisans and learned about the process behind their traditional handicrafts.

From dyeing fabric with indigo to using beeswax to create patterns, each careful step reflected the skill, patience and vitality of indigenous knowledge. Every pattern also carries wishes for happiness, good fortune and peace.

First Lady Ngo Phuong Ly said she was proud to introduce Panama’s First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino to the traditional patterns, natural fibers and dyes used by ethnic minority communities in Vietnam. 

Despite the conveniences of modern life, these communities continue to preserve their traditional crafts and practices, giving each piece of fabric and garment a distinctive value.

Ngo Phuong Ly said the biggest challenge facing traditional culture today is not simply preserving it, but ensuring that heritage remains part of everyday life and provides sustainable livelihoods, particularly for women and vulnerable groups.

For these communities, the right support for traditional crafts can create local jobs, provide stable incomes and give people greater opportunities to participate in their local economies.

According to First Lady Ngo Phuong Ly, supporting traditional craft producers must go beyond preserving techniques or safeguarding cultural heritage. It should also create opportunities for these traditions to continue being practiced, developed and adapted to modern life.

For ethnic minority women, people living in poverty and people with disabilities, this means creating better conditions for them to continue weaving traditional textiles, making pottery, weaving baskets and carving wood, while also giving their products access to markets and ensuring they receive a fair share of the benefits.

From helping artisans design products for modern markets and providing management training to connecting them with domestic and international buyers, each step can help turn indigenous knowledge into sustainable livelihoods.

When artisans can make a living from their craft, young people have more reason to learn, communities have greater capacity to pass on their skills, and cultural heritage can continue through everyday life.

From local traditions to an unexpected connection

What surprised Panama’s First Lady Maricel Cohen de Mulino was the familiarity she saw in the traditional clothing of Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities. 

She said the colors, lines and patterns on the clothing of the Hmong, Dao and Thai people reminded her of the Mola art of the Guna people in Panama.

Vietnam and Panama are on two different continents, tens of thousands of kilometers apart. Yet in the way their indigenous communities weave memories and identity into pieces of fabric, the distance seemed to shrink. 

The similarities do not diminish the uniqueness of either side; instead, they offer a starting point for deeper understanding.

After the hands-on experience, the two First Ladies shared tea, watched an 'ao dai' performance and discussed the role of women in modern life.

The conversation moved from traditional crafts to community ties, and from preserving each group’s identity to bringing traditional products to modern markets. 

Women are not only the keepers of these crafts, but also help generate income, organize production and pass their skills on to the next generation.

At the close of the program, Madame Maricel Cohen de Mulino thanked Madame Ngo Phuong Ly for her warm welcome and expressed her appreciation for the diversity of Vietnam’s ethnic cultures and efforts to keep traditional values alive in modern life.

Madame Ngo Phuong Ly, in turn, expressed hope that Vietnam and Panama would hold more cultural and people-to-people exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen friendship between the two countries.

For the guest from Central America, the event offered a glimpse into Vietnam’s diverse cultures. Each motif and pattern on the clothing serves as a visual identity of a community. 

Though separated by an ocean, the communities found common ground not only in colors, patterns and craftsmanship, but also in their shared desire to preserve their heritage.

The meeting also highlighted a simple truth: heritage can only thrive in the long term when the communities that create it can benefit from it, helping preserve traditions while improving lives in places where people face greater challenges.