Ba tầm


A nón Ba tầm or nón quai thao is a traditional Vietnamese flat palm hat. It should be distinguished from other traditional Vietnamese headwear, such as the conical nón lá and the coiled turban. The nón ba tầm is traditionally worn by Vietnamese women as an accessory to elegant garments, in contrast to the more practical clothing associated with farm work.
The hats traditionally worn by shamans featured silver ornaments hanging from silk strings attached around the brim.

Origin of the hat

According to documents from the French at the end of the nineteenth century, ba tầm was translated into French as Le chapeau de trois tầm. A tầm was an ancient unit of measurement used in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, equivalent to an arm span. According to Vũ Trung Tùy Bút, the ba tầm hat is a combination of the styles of the dậu, mền giải, and viên cơ hats. The hat has been mentioned in literature since the 18th century, but its origin may be much older.
  • Nón mền giải was worn by the elderly during the Revival Lê dynasty but eventually fell out of fashion.
  • Nón vỏ bứa was worn by the poor. It is a simplified version of the nón mền giải, made smaller in size. During the Nguyễn dynasty, it was referred to in literature as Thủy Thủ Lạp.
  • Nón dậu was worn by elderly relatives of mandarins, middle-class men and women, scholars, and commoners in the capital. The hat had a pointed top, a flat rim, and a few beams of thao thread, a type of silk.
  • Viên cơ lạp originated in Hoan Châu province. During the Revival Lê dynasty, it was worn by soldiers during the Arrogant Soldiers Rebellion. This hat featured a long design resembling a winnowing basket. During the Nguyễn dynasty, it was redesigned as a smaller hat, similar to the nón thúng but with a square bevel. A smaller version of the nón Ba tầm, called a nón Nghệ, was typically worn by women.
  • Nón thúng was worn by both men and women. It featured a broader, bronze-tapered design compared to the nón Nghệ.

Construction of the hat

Ba tầm hats are covered with palm leaves or gồi leaves and are shaped like a parasol or mushroom. They have a flat top, with a cone diameter of about 70–80 cm and a brim that is 10–12 cm high or more. The inside of the hat is reinforced with a funnel-shaped rim called a khua or khùa to help secure it on the user's head. Additionally, colorful thao threads are often tied to the brim of the hat as a decorative charm.
The term nón quai thao is often used to refer to a nón ba tầm. This association stems from an improved design by writer Kim Lân and his son, making the hat more compact and suitable for artistic performances. This modified version was later adopted by female Quan họ singers, which contributed to its increased popularity.