In Da Nang’s mountainous commune of Dak Pring, the Ve people continue to uphold a unique and deeply symbolic marriage custom: the bride presents a handcrafted do doi blanket to the groom’s family, woven over several years as a token of love and dedication.

Completing a do doi - a thick, meticulously handwoven brocade textile - can take up to four years. Made entirely by the bride herself, it symbolizes patience, craftsmanship, and heartfelt devotion. Measuring approximately three meters long and two meters wide, the blanket consists of two panels joined into one, reflecting the uniting of two lives into a single home.

In Dak Pring, home to many Ve (a local branch of the Gie Trieng ethnic group), traditional customs remain intact despite modern influences. The Ve people rely on farming, fishing, and hunting for their livelihoods, and follow a dual lineage system where sons take the father’s surname and daughters the mother’s. Both boys and girls are equally cherished.

Pre-marriage rites are also distinctive. Ve boys must undergo teeth filing and stop sleeping in communal village houses to mark maturity, while girls pierce their ears and adorn themselves with traditional jewelry. These pre-wedding rituals reflect personal growth and community identity.

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Weaving a do doi can take 3 to 4 years, requiring immense patience and skill. Photo: Van Son

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The bride’s family brings a brocade blanket and traditional tray to the groom’s home. Photo: Van Son

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The groom’s mother drapes the do doi over the bride’s shoulders as a wedding blessing. Photo: Van Son

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Two separate cloths join into one - symbolizing a shared life. Photo: Van Son

In Ve courtship, love is expressed through traditional art: boys play the khen (a wind instrument), and girls respond with melodic singing. Their songs are poetic, sometimes wistful: “Tears flow from my eyes, my love / You’ve crossed the Tuk stream / Tears flow from my eyes, my love / You’ve crossed the Pring river…”

When love is mutual, the groom's family sends matchmakers to formally propose, followed by the Ka de trang ceremony, where the families begin discussing wedding plans. For several months to a year before the actual wedding, the engaged couple takes turns dining at each other’s homes, strengthening bonds between families.

During the final wedding ceremony, called Be chia, the most important ritual object is the do doi, gifted by the bride's family. This brocade is dyed using natural ingredients - leaves, roots, kitchen ash - and decorated with motifs in red, white, indigo, and yellow that depict ancestral myths, forest deities, and flowing rivers. According to Pơ Loong Thi Liem, a 64-year-old woman in the village, each woven line tells a sacred story.

Elder Pơ Loong Ty, 78, emphasized that without a do doi, a Ve wedding is incomplete. While the groom’s family presents a handwoven basket showcasing his craftsmanship, the bride offers her brocade - demonstrating her love and loyalty. The groom’s mother then ceremoniously places the blanket over the bride’s shoulders as a blessing for a long, harmonious life together.

The number of do doi blankets a bride makes depends on her ability and dedication, but even one carries deep symbolic weight. The two fabric panels embody two separate lives, now intertwined in marriage, with shared hopes for a family and community blessings.

Today, even as modern life reaches deeper into Vietnam’s highlands, many Ve families continue this tradition, preserving its beauty and meaning. The do doi is no longer just a wedding dowry - it is a cultural heirloom, a symbol of enduring love, heritage, and the artistry of Ve women.

As cultural exchange expands in Da Nang’s mountainous regions, the do doi remains a living testament to the Ve people’s identity. Each thread and motif continues to tell the love stories and ancestral wisdom of their homeland, echoing like a ballad through the Trường Sơn forests.

Hong Phuc