Creative Entrepreneurship from Crochet Art – The Story of Young Woman Tran Thi Ha Trang

In 2021, Tran Thi Ha Trang, a young mother from Center 91, Tra Lu Commune, Ninh Binh (formerly Xuan Truong District, Nam Dinh Province), surprised many people with her creativity and dexterity when she came up with the idea of crocheting toys for her child. Not stopping there, small and delicate crochet products such as keychains and souvenirs soon became a new trend and were warmly welcomed and ordered by many people. Step by step, Tran Thi Ha Trang successfully started her business with just a few balls of yarn and creative ideas for unique souvenir products.

Joining TYM in 2024, Ms. Trang took out a loan of VND 50 million with a term of 75 weeks to obtain capital to expand her production model. She shared: “With the nature of this business model, I need to regularly purchase raw materials and cover labor costs, so the loan from TYM is a very suitable option. Since borrowing from TYM, I have been able to buy a large amount of materials, and every month, from the revenue generated from product sales, I have expanded the model further. This has helped create jobs for more local people, and my family’s quality of life has improved significantly compared to before.”

Currently, Ms. Trang’s workshop employs between 7 and 9 full-time crochet workers each day. They shared that crocheting yarn products does not require extensive training or much time to create a product; it only requires focus, patience, and meticulousness in each stitch. Every day, in addition to their main work, they spend their free time crocheting and earn an additional income of VND 100,000–150,000 per day. This job is especially suitable for them outside of busy farming seasons.

At present, Ms. Trang ships products every two weeks, with a volume of over 1,000 items each time. Her products are mainly available at souvenir shops across northern provinces, in museums, or at trade fairs. Income from this line of business brings her around VND 200 million per year. In the coming time, Ms. Trang hopes to continue her long-term partnership with TYM and to spread the beauty of traditional handicrafts to more women. Having mastered online sales via her fanpage, she plans to expand sales to e-commerce platforms and further replicate her crochet model for young people who wish to learn the craft and start their own businesses.

Tong Thi Giang
TYM – Nam Truc Branch