2022 Summer Vacation: Handicraft Villages

Hi all! Who knew I would need half a month to continue telling of my adventures in Vietnam?! School has returned from summer vacation, which means more lesson planning, and less free time…

If you’re just joining now… please first read the last 3 posts to catch up:
2022 Summer Vacation: Rollercoaster (first)
2022 Summer Vacation: Da Nang, Hoi An, Ha Noi (second)
2022 Summer Vacation: Ha Long Bay & Cat Ba Island (third)

Now.. where were we?

I was returning to the busy streets of Ha Noi, after 3.5 days in the Ha Long Bay area.

For my return to Ha Noi, I was staying in a small Airbnb apartment above a hair salon, just off the main street near the Hoa Kiem Lake. Once settled in the apartment, which offered a comfortable bed and air conditioning *YAAAY!*, I decided to check out Airbnb Excursions for the following day, knowing I wouldn’t want to spend too much time in the city. I found a private tour of craft villages surrounding the capital city.

After booking the tour for the following morning, I stepped outside to stretch my legs after the 2.5 hour bus ride earlier that day. I happened upon the famous Train Street, which is known for being an active train track lined with shops, cafes and restaurants. The sun had set, and the track was sparkling with the various establishments’ lights. There were tourists everywhere, taking their pictures on the tracks, or drinking their beers and coffees. I snapped a photo or two, but headed back toward my hotel, as I was exhausted. Not going to lie, I was looking forward to sleeping with A/C blasting after 2 days of living “primitive” with questionable critters sharing my space! I don’t even think I grabbed dinner. I was too tired to be hungry.

Handicraft Villages Tour

The next morning, I got up, showered and dressed, and headed downstairs for the private car to pick me up. Just standing outside, in the shade, for perhaps 10 minutes, I was already wishing I could take another shower…alas, the car arrived. A Vietnamese lady wearing a beautiful pink dress, and bright smile, hopped out of the car. I clambered into the back seat, next to another young lady who was also traveling solo. The lady in pink was our tour guide for the day. Her name was Dung, and she was so energetic and kind. The driver was quiet and solemn, but slowly opened up to us throughout the day.

Our tour took us to 4 villages, each known for a specific handicraft. We were able to interact with the villagers, observing as they created beautiful art!

Incense

First, we traveled to Quang Phu Cau Village, where they make incense. Children were riding about on their bikes, staring at the 2 foreigners in their village and yelling “Hello!!!” to us. We walked through various incense factories, observing the different stages of the process. After proper cleaning and drying of the bamboo, they then slice the bamboo into thick sticks, which are washed and dried again. These sticks are then popped into machines which slice them into tiny incense sticks. These sticks are then placed into heavy groupings, and then forcefully dropped onto flat ground (we saw them dropping onto metal surfaces) to check for faulty sticks. Depending on the orders, these thin sticks will be hand painted and spread out to be dried once more. After fully dried, they are thrown into another machine which encases each individual stick with a dusty substance. They are finally prepared for packaging.

Along the streets, you could see bright incense stick “flowers”, which were groupings of incense sticks artfully twisted slightly to appear rounded at the top. It was an aesthetically pleasing view, and I believe it was meant to ensure additional drying. I am not 100% sure about that, however.

Bamboo & Rattan

Next, we visited Phu Vinh Village, known for its beautiful bamboo and rattan products. Beautifully intricate baskets and bird cages were visible all around the village. We were lucky to watch an expert craftsman weave rattan into a basket, showing our tour guide how to do it. We had run out of time, and she wanted to complete the rattan weaving on her own. He took time to patiently show her the process, cigarette hanging from his mouth, sitting back on his heels. When Dung was trying to follow the steps, he would shake his head, and do it again! His son and daughter were standing observing as well.

When we asked prices of various items, all with evident intricate work involved, they often quoted us less than $5.

Non La

Finally, Chuong Village, where they make the Non La . These are the conical shaped bamboo hats often seen worn by farmers in the rice fields. During this stop, we were welcomed with a beautiful lunch served by a single craftswoman. As the other tourist was vegetarian, the lady had been careful to ensure 90% of the meal was vegetarian. It was all delicious.

While we enjoyed our meal, we watched as the hostess continued making the traditional hat (sitting on a tiny plastic stool), while also managing her son and ensuring we had enough food and iced green tea. Through Dung’s patient, enthusiastic translating, we conversed with our hostess. To make one single hat takes approximately 7 hours. Using a specific stand, the first step is to ensure the bamboo rings measure and fit correctly. This can take as little as 30 minutes for skilled hands. The next step is to line with long leaves, which have been individually ironed and flattened. Once they are lined, the leaves are carefully trimmed to match the size of the hat. I believe two layers of leaves are needed, to make the hat sturdy. Finally, the hat maker will hand sew the layered leaves to the bamboo rings. Fancier hats, used for modeling shoots and such, would have bright colored silk added as the top layer. Most hats will have a simple piece of cloth tied underneath, to fit under one’s chin.

These hats, after so many hours of tedious work, generally sell for less than $5. I bought mine, a very large hat, from our hostess for ₫100,000 (approximately $4.50).

I really enjoyed this tour. Dung was genuine and energetic the entire time!

We made our way back into Ha Noi around 5pm arriving an hour later, at which time I was too tired to explore much more. I had planned to walk back to the train street to watch the train pass near 10pm…instead, I grabbed simple dinner, and headed to my apartment to pack for my flight in the morning. I would be returning to Da Nang, and staying in Hoi An for my final 3 days.

Next post, we will finish my trip to Vietnam, I promise!