Lotus stems processed into fashionable ‘silk’ fabric by Vietnamese craftswoman

Vietnamese craftswoman Phan Thi Thuan has nearly 60 years of experience weaving silk. But three years ago, she spotted an opportunity to make silk-like fabric using lotus stems. The process is difficult, and it can take months to finish a lotus silk scarf. For centuries, villagers in neighbouring Myanmar and Cambodia have used lotus fibers to weave a rare fabric, but the technique is only just being explored in Vietnam.