Every country has its own hat styles. In the United States the baseball cap is used by both men and women, in England the London bobby's helmet is used by the police, in Greece the fisherman's hat used by everyone and France the beret and many more. The non la, or conical peasant hat, in Viet Nam serves as a national symbol and is used by everyone, especially the women. Non la translates "leaf hat" in English, in which it is made out of leaves. The non la is also very light and thin. The leaves are taken from the softest trees and put in the dew one night to be dried, and still soft enough to be flattened. The hat usually consisting of 16 to 18 rims made from a special kind of bamboo. These rims are shaped thinly into a conical-form. The leaves are sewn into all rims solely by hand. Finally, the hat is trimmed and painted with a coat of attar old to keep it clean, smooth, and water-proof. No one knows when the first non la came into fashion in Viet Nam, but doubtless it dates back to the earliest civilizations thousands of years ago. (Source: VietShare.com. Home page. 2003. October 7, 2003. .) Back in the past, it was probably used in the rice fields. Today, it is used everywhere in the Vietnamese community, from the rice fields to the plays in a theater. You will also find Vietnamese women wearing a non la just walking down the street. At a market, the non la might be worn because they are doing work. People don't wear the non la for everything, such as taking vacation or on a business trip. The hat is worn by women working in the rice fields, shopping and doing other traveling from places to places. It's not small like a baseball cap that can be worn indoors, it is just too big. The size also makes the girls look attractive because she is mysteriously hidden, and only her shy cheeks and long hair beneath the rims of the non la are seen. The non la is very effective in shielding the sun rays because it is very big, almost twice as large as the baseball cap.
