Vinh Thanh, a mountainous district located in the west of Binh Dinh Province, is the place where the Kinh people and Bana ethnic minority group live together. The Bana ethnic people’s traditional clothing is in harmony with the development of the society.

However, their traditional clothes still have unique features despite changes in the raw material, colors, and patterns.

The Bana ethnic people knew how to plant cotton trees for fabric weaving a long time ago. The cotton fibre had been dyed before it was woven. Its colours were beautiful and fast.

Bana ethnic people often wear clothes dyed three main colors, including black, red, and white. Their patterns are various, depending on the craftsmen’s skillfulness.

Ban Kriem men often wear loin-cloths while women only wear skirts when it’s hot or they work inside, but they also wear shirts on presenting at formal occasions.

Although male and female shirts are quite different from each other, they share the same style. Their design is quite simple: a rectangle-shaped cloth is folded in two and a square-shaped hole is then cut along the dotted line. Two edges of the cloth are sewed.

Skirts for Bana women are made from black or indigo cloths on which different patterns are decorated. To wear skirts, they only need to tie them around and tightly stick one end to the other.

Shirts for men could be replaced with a piece of cloth which is worn by crossing from an armpit at one side to the shoulder at the other.

As for a Bana soldier who brings weapons with him, the cloth could be folded with the shape of a cross and tied in front of his chest.

Coming to villages where the Bana Kriem ethnic people live, anyone will have chances to join their traditional holidays. Surely no one could forget their traditional clothes with various and colorful patterns.

Long Vu