Vietnam: rubber sandals make the resistance
Hanoi – For nearly a century, the rubber sandals has been part of Vietnam’s history: once Ho Chi Minh’s all-terrain ally, the iconic object made of used tires continues to stick to the feet of one of the world’s largest shoe producers.
“They helped Uncle Ho travel far, and with them he overcame difficulties to build the country,” boasts a communist song in praise of the father of Vietnamese independence.
At the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the capital Hanoi, the worn sandals of the leader who died in 1969 are proudly displayed next to his old Chinese-style uniform. In the street, many people still keep alive the myth of this light and cheap shoe, born in the late 1940s during the Indochina War against France, the defeated colonial power in 1954. Soldiers were won over by the unbeatable cost of manufacturing, and the durability of the sandal, made from the tires of military trucks taken from the enemy, according to legend.
Today, the rubber comes from used car or airplane tires, but its qualities are not in question. “They have historical value, they are easy to wear and pretty,” described Dao Van Quang, a 47-year-old tourist, as he bought his pair for 200,000 dong, or 8.50 euros. “Rubber sandals still have great potential,” Nguyen Duc Truong, 58, told AFP in his workshop “Vua Dep Lop” (“The King of Rubber Sandals”) in Hanoi.
The “dep lop”, on its own scale, is resisting in the world’s fourth largest shoe producer, where the giants Nike and Adidas have millions of pairs produced each year. At “Vua Dep Lop”, some pairs stand out from the crowd, displaying colors that stand out from the classic black model. “We are trying to make them more flexible and update them. By changing the style, we have gained customers,” says Nguyen Tien Cuong, who took over the business from his father-in-law in 2011, and has sold more than half a million pairs since.
“We have to constantly renew ourselves. We want these sandals to become a symbol of Vietnam, and when foreigners visit the country, they will mention the rubber sandals,” he hopes.
(AFP)
