Discovery Of Vietnam’s Vibrant Crafts

Coming to Vietnam, you might be curious about Vietnam’s vibrant crafts that can make Vietnam take the high score on the world travel map. From basic crafts such as making conical hats, and writing calligraphy, to complex art like lacquerware, Vietnamese craft villages captivate every tourist. Here are some of the famous Vietnam’s vibrant crafts that can make the Vietnam vacation even more exciting.

Lacquerware

Recommendation: Ha Thai Lacquerware Village

Location: Duyen Thai commune, Thuong Tin province, Hanoi

Lacquerware is a kind of handicraft that can fascinate tourists the most. The glitter layer on Ha Thai lacquer painting is more than just one layer. Lacquer paintings are composed of several layers of art. Every element of the paintings is elaborated by the artists. Each stage of shaping must be done with great care and attention to detail.

Lacquer paintings, unlike regular paintings, will be painted on a variety of utensils and goods such as vases, dishes, plates, boxes, and so on. As a result, lacquerware is frequently produced from lacquer objects as house decorations in Vietnam.


 

Silk Weaving

Recommendation: Van Phuc Silk Village
Location: Ha Dong province, Hanoi

Far more than 10 km from Hanoi center, this 1000-year-old silk village is one of the most beautiful silk villages in Vietnam. Van Phuc silk village still retains most of the traditional silk waving with 800 households living.

Visit this Vietnam’s vibrant crafts, you can touch the soft silk woven from silkworms. Coming through the stores you will realize that the characteristic of Van Phuc silk is simplicity, liberality, and no frills. Plants, animals, pictures, and objects are used to create patterns on silk in a variety of styles. Van Phuc silk stalls also sell a range of things, including silk textiles, silk clothing, silk scarves, and so on. You may select the thing as a thoughtful present for your family and friends.


 

Besides, before entering the silk village, you will notice a lovely strip of color made up of hundreds of charming miniature umbrellas hanging above your head, spanning the full 100m length of the road. The beauty and uniqueness of Van Phuc umbrella road have drawn many people to snap photographs with it.

Not only is there a lovely umbrella path, but there is also an excellent fresco wall in Van Phuc hamlet. The instructors at Van Phuc kindergarten painted distinctive graphics on this wall to represent the activities of the Van Phuc artisan village.


 

Calligraphy 

Recommendation: Ong Do Street in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon Street Eats' Calligraphy, and Coffee Trail for the calligraphy workshop.

Calligraphy was formerly done in Chinese calligraphy in Vietnam, but a new generation of Ong Do, or scripture masters, reinterpreted this art form using the Vietnamese alphabet, with stunning results. Calligraphy masters in Vietnam are commissioned to compose messages wishing good health and prosperity for major occasions such as the Lunar New Year. They now also paint calligraphic English sayings and amusing Vietnamese idioms. 


 

Making Conical Hats

Recommendation: Chuong Village

Location: Quoc Trung Commune, Thanh Oai Province, Hanoi

Only 30km from Hanoi, Chuong conical hat village is an unmissable Vietnam’s vibrant crafts. Famous for the unique function of making the hat, the village is visited by many foreign tourists every year. Hundreds of years have passed, making conical hats in Chuong village more and more prosperous. The craft of knitting conical hats has been passed down through generations and is one of the most famous conical hat-making cradles in Ha Thanh. Currently, there are more than 4000 households in Chuong village knitting conical hats, bringing cheap products and rich designs to domestic and international customers.


 

Furthermore, tourists will not only learn about the manufacturing process but also join the hat market, visit traditional pagodas, and participate in the festival in the village. Taking pictures is also a great idea while visiting this Vietnam’s vibrant crafts! It has produced a nostalgic and calm characteristic in the Northern countryside, from the narrow alleyways to each cottage with old tile roofs. This location draws tourists since it is a virtual live corner address. Simply lift the camera from any angle to capture a series of dazzling shimmering simulated live photographs.


 

Water Puppetry

Recommendation: Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Address: 57B Dinh Tien Hoang, Ly Thai To, Hanoi 

Puppets moving over sparkling water inspire awe in everyone, including adults. Before planting season, rural villages would put up puppet theaters in flooded rice paddies and entertain children with folk tales and nighttime spectacles, according to legend. Puppeteers tell stories in modern theatres by expertly moving little wooden dolls with rods and strings hidden beneath the stage. Live music is provided by musicians and vocalists to complement each presentation. 


 

You can visit one of the puppet theatres located around Hoàn Kim Lake in Ha Noi to laugh out at the slapstick hilarity and enchanting stories played on the water. Visit the home theatre in Khâm Thiên Market Lane for a more intimate experience. And Thang Long Theater is a good suggestion. Established in 1969, Thang Long Water Puppet Theater is one of the coordinates to experience this unique art form of water puppetry. The main performances at the Theater include daily life activities (farming, fishing for frogs, fox catching ducks, ..), festivals (dragon dance, lion dance, palanquin procession, ..), and fairy tales.

Handmade Ceramics

Recommendations: Bat Trang Village

Location: Bat Trang Commune, Hanoi

Ceramics are not hard to find in Vietnam. There are many shops selling ceramics, but there are not many craft villages where you can witness the entire process of making pottery, or even mold a product yourself. So let’s head to Bat Trang village to experience all of them.

This Vietnam’s vibrant crafts town retains the essence of creative originality and labor beauty of a traditional artisan town. Bat Trang Pottery Village has become a hub of professional-scale pottery manufacture after more than 500 years of existence and growth, with many big and large firms formed in addition to tiny household production units. However, the town has preserved its valuable traditional culture and the artistic value put on each product.

The most fascinating aspect of visiting is watching the artists do a very sophisticated and thorough ceramic-producing process. You can also gain hands-on experience creating ceramic things that you enjoy. If you want to make a product, you will just find a specific house with the artist and have to pay around 100.000 Vietnam thousands dong per time.


 

Thuy Xuan Scent Village

Location: Huyen Tran Cong Chua street, near Vong Canh hill in Hue, Tu Duc mausoleum, Hue

Thuy Xuan incense hamlet is well-known in Hue for its long-standing tradition of producing incense. In addition to ceremonial functions, people use Thuy Xuan incense as a stress reliever and to provide peace to the spirit.

Visitors come to Thuy Xuan incense village not only to learn about the generations-old technique of creating incense but also to take in the breathtaking surroundings. Each bouquet of incense stretches out like multicolored flowers in the calm sunlight. All of this creates an attractive backdrop for you to freely pose and take sparkling photographs.

Visitors to Thuy Xuan Hue incense village will be ecstatic to learn about the process of creating handcrafted incense and to participate in certain stages with their own hands. As a result, you will have a better understanding of this historic vocation as well as the daily lives of the people who live here.


>>> Take a tour of Hue with us: Hue City Tour Full Day from Da Nang

Quang Phu Cau Scent Village

Location: Quang Phu Cau 

Although it has been in existence for more than a century, Quang Phu Cau incense toothpick village has become one of the exceptional beauties that clearly show the culture of the region in the Northern Delta.

You will learn about the process of creating incense sticks while visiting the incense village. The worker must roll the incense powder softly and firmly so that it adheres evenly to the incense stick, according to tradition. With today's technology, all institutions invest in machinery to make this process faster and more productive. After the smell is created, it must be exposed to adequate sunshine to avoid mold and for an extended period of time. Quang Phu Cau's smell is always fragrant, lasting, and attractive thanks to herbal components and the method of blending independently and painstakingly in each stage.

Besides, the incense sticks are packed in big bundles, with the heads together and the legs spread out like flowers in bloom. Quang Phu Cau incense is yellow and red, which is the lucky color of the East. Thus, it is extremely beautiful and exceptional. As a result, domestic and foreign photographers have chosen to capture this incense hamlet in Hanoi. And, many of the works depicting this village have received several awards.


 

Because of its gorgeous and one-of-a-kind setting, Quang Phu Cau incense hamlet has become a traditional artisan village in Hanoi. Visitors will be able to roam about the towns and admire the large "flowers" while taking many wonderful shots.

Ethnic Waving And Textiles

Recommendation: Indigo Cat, a social venture in Sa Pa, sells gorgeous garments manufactured by ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Racks are stacked high with lovely fall coats and bags created by the H'Mông minority.

Vietnam's textile variety is most evident in its ethnic minority clothing, which stands out with fringes, pompoms, and colorful weaving. There are 54 ethnic communities in the nation, and each traditional garment is absolutely distinct. The H'Mông, for example, wear deep indigo coats, but the Red Dao are famed for their complex geometric needlework and clashing designs. You may compare all the different styles of Vietnam's ethnic minorities at the Vietnam Women's Museum in Ha Noi.


 

Craft Events During The Year

To learn deeply about Vietnam’s vibrant craft, you can enjoy cultural exchange on pedestrian streets or at yearly festivals in Vietnam. Each festival is like an intermingling of the past and the present, bringing a modern vibe to the old culture. That’s also how Vietnamese people preserve and propagate the beautiful cultural craft villages. 


 

One of the outstanding Vietnam’s vibrant crafts events is the calligraphy event in the Temple of Literature. This workshop is normally celebrated during the Lunar New Year. Vietnamese people have the belief that when new years come, they will ask a word by the Ong Do - the Calligraphy master or the calligraphy teacher. Instead of just seeing the teacher writing, you can buy the word and keep it at your house as the lucky thing. Or you can join the workshop around the corner and learn to write the calligraphy yourself. With the brush and ink, it’s surely an exciting experience for you.

>>> Explore the Lunar New Year festival: Top 10 Vietnamese Festivals That You Must Experience

Final Thoughts

Having lots of activities and historical value, a wide range of Vietnam’s vibrant crafts is clear proof of the attraction of Vietnamese tourism. You’ll explore, learn, and even join a hand to make one of them. It’s not wrong if you say these vibrant crafts are a part of the Vietnamese soul.

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