---
node: garment_non_la
type: garment
slug: non_la
title: "Nón lá"
lead: "The nón lá is the conical leaf hat of Vietnam, woven from palm leaves over a bamboo frame to shade the wearer from sun and rain. Light, cheap, and ancient, it is one of the country's most enduring everyday garments."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: non_la.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vietnam_0952_-_Lady_and_Hat_(3408011650).jpg"
image_author: "Dennis G. Jarvis"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 2.0"
---

## Overview

A nón lá is a cone of dried palm or latania leaves stitched over a spiral of thin bamboo hoops, coming to a neat point at the top and finished with a cloth chin strap. Some fine Huế hats, the nón bài thơ, hide a cut-out poem or picture that shows when held to the light.

## How it is worn

It is set on the head and tied under the chin with a silk or cloth band, worn by farmers in the paddy, by market women, and by schoolgirls, and turned over to fan the face or carry small things. Its broad cone throws off the tropical sun and monsoon rain alike.

## History

Conical hats appear on the bronze drums of the ancient Đông Sơn culture, and the nón lá has been made and worn across Vietnam ever since. Still handmade in craft villages, it remains a plain, practical hat and a gentle emblem of the country.