Hanoi is way beyond its ancient streets and buildings, and the traditional handicraft villages are where the aura of the thousand-year-old capital comes to life. A visit to these villages provides significant values of culture and art, as well as a golden opportunity to have your hands on some of the finest and most special souvenirs. Check out what traditional handicraft villages in Hanoi has to offer.
Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi: Bat Trang Pottery Village
Address: Bat Trang Village, Gia Lam District, Hanoi.
Bat Trang Pottery Village
Bat Trang Pottery Village is the famous oldest pottery village in Vietnam established near the Red River, in Gia Lam District on the suburb of Hanoi in the Le Dynasty. “Bat Trang” means “the big yard”, and the name stands for the leading pottery industry of the country. Bat Trang pottery village specializes in producing various types of ceramics with different styles. Visitors at the village can observe up close artisans fabricating exquisite ceramic products, or try hand-crafting the products by yourself.
Impressive pottery at Bat Trang Village
Coming to Bat Trang Pottery Village, don’t skip the Bat Trang Ancient Village with ancient and unique architecture. Famous places that preserve the ancient traces here are Van Van Old House and Bat Trang Communal House. You can also come to the Ceramic Ground to take part in making ceramic crafts with for VND 40,000 – VND 60,000. After the pottery session, head to the Bat Trang Pottery Market for some special Hanoi souvenirs.
Visitors can come to enjoy the beauty of pottery products here
Bat Trang Pottery Market with a lot of unique ceramic products to buy as souvenirs
Read our blogs for a more Comprehensive Guide to Bat Trang Village.
Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi: Chang Son Hand Fan Village
Address: Chang Son Village, Thach That District, Hanoi.
Chang Son Hand Fans Village
Chang Son Village used to be a part of the former Ha Tay Province, but now it belongs to Chang Son Commune in Thach That District. Chang Son has a hand-fan-making tradition that has lasted for a hundred years. In the 19th century, the French colonists repeatedly brought Chang Son hand fans to exhibit in Paris.
Hand fans here have many colors and styles
Coming to Chang Son Fan Village, you will have the opportunity to witness artisans making hand fans with dedicated work, masterful skills, and great passion. Along with the high quality, hand fans in Chang Son have incredibly diversified designs, ranging from paper fans, bamboo fans, silk fans,… From small paper fans used for cooling to vibrant and intricate patterns used for dance performances and exhibitions. If simply watching does not satisfy you, try making your own with the ardent instructions by the locals.
The price for hand fans sold in Chang Son is diverse: typical hand fans are about VND 5,000 each, performance fans are about VND 20,000 each, and calligraphy fans for display in exhibitions can cost up to even hundreds of millions VND. So, be prepared to haggle a little to get your favorite piece.
The fans are made in such a detailed and elaborate way
Fans for exhibitions like this can cost a huge fortune
Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi: Chuong Conical Hat Village
Address: Chuong Village, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi.
Chuong Conical Hat Village is a famous traditional handicraft village in Hanoi
Located 30 km from the center of Hanoi, Chuong Village (Thanh Oai, Hanoi) has been recognized for more than 300 years of making conical hats. Chuong Village’s conical hats proudly have the beauty and soul of Vietnamese women imprinted on them.
Conical hats at Chuong Village
It is advisable to visit Chuong Village on the market opening day – which is usually on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 14th, and 30th lunar month. The Chuong Village Market starts as early as 6 AM and quickly gets crowded with villagers and tourists. The market is held in the courtyard of the Chuong Communal House where a conical hat is sold at the price of VND 30,000 – 40,000. The most expensive conical hat sold here can reach the amount of VND 150,000.
The art of making a conical hat at Chuong Village
Visitors should come to visit the village when the market is open
Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi: Quat Dong Embroidery Village
Address: Chuong Village, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi.
Quat Dong Embroidery Village
Quat Dong embroidery village is located in Quat Dong commune, Thuong Tin District, about 23km to the south of Hanoi’s city center. This traditional handicraft embroidery village has a long history which dates back to the 17th century. In the past, the embroidery artisans here often made rituals and royal offerings such as pictures and distiches at the communal house or clothes for the King.
Impressive embroidery products
The embroidery products at Quat Dong Village is widely known to reach the perfection that is hard to find in common embroidery products. See for yourself how the local craftsmen can deliver the exquisite items at the village, or even take the challenge to embroider with the guidance of the artisans.
You can make your own embroidery
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Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi: Van Phuc Silk Village
Address: Van Phuc Village, Ha Dong District, Hanoi.
Van Phuc Silk Village
Van Phuc Silk Village, often called Ha Dong Silk Village is located along the Nhue River in Van Phuc Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi. This traditional handicraft village is only about 10km from the city center, and considered a must-visit tourist attraction of Hanoi and even of Vietnam.
The beauty of Van Phuc Village
Van Phuc Silk Village takes everyone aback right at the village gate, which represents the old Vietnamese village identity. At Van Phuc Silk Village, there is a unique exhibition area that shows instructions for making silk. Tourists can also turn to the market to go shopping and explore the “silk culture” of Vietnam. Here, the silk items are sold with various types, from children’s clothes to adults’. Visitors will find all kinds of silk products in Van Phuc, from the little handkerchief to a warm and elegant scarf.
Van Phuc Village’s silk is recognized for its high quality
Along with the internationally popular Hoi An, Van Phuc Silk Village is another destination where you can find the best of Vietnamese Silk.
Conclusion of Traditional Handicraft Villages in Hanoi
Nowadays, there are still many traditional handicraft villages in Hanoi which preserve many cultural values of the thousand-year-old capitals. Spend a day exploring these impressive cultural sites to see another side of Hanoi and fall deeper for this city.
Explore Hanoi more with:
What to Do in Hanoi in 3 Days Travel Guide
Hanoi Nightlife: Top 5 Things to Do in Hanoi at Night
Must-see Temples and Pagodas in Hanoi
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