Handicraft
Villages
One of the best gifts for family and friends at home is the
intricately designed and locally produced handicrafts in traditional villages
around Hanoi. Visiting the
handicraft villages, some with craftsmanship passed down over the centuries from
generation to generation, offers the opportunity to understand the traditional
way of producing the handicrafts and see the craft master in action, as well as
the chance to shop for delightful handicrafts at a bargain.
Van Phuc silk village is an excellent place to see silk being produced from silk
worms, processed and transferred to loom and thereafter dyed in a traditional
way. The taffeta silk, a very
beautiful local silk produced in this village, is lightweight and reflects
different colours when viewed from different angles.
 Dong Ho traditional paper village produces the unique handmade paper with traditional paintings printed on it
using a collection of different printing blocks. These traditional paper and paintings are very popular with the local
people especially during Tet festival where the paintings are hung on the walls
for prosperity.
Bat
Trang ceramics village,
with a history of 500 years, transforms the unique porcelain clay found in the
region into fine ceramic ware in the form of tea sets and vases all delicately
handpainted with intricate designs. In
the olden days, products (bowls and plates) from Bat Trang village were used as
tribute gifts to the rulers in China.
Dong Ky woodwork village is famous for its delicately hand carved wooden
furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl, whereas Duyen Thai lacquer village delivers exquisite lacquerware ranging from jewellery boxes to beautiful lacquer
pictures.
Ancient
Village
One special village nearby Hanoi is the Duong Lam village. Hometown to the famous Ngo Quyen who defeated the Chinese invasion in
10th century, Duong Lam village is unique for its many ancient houses dating
back a few hundred years that still exist today.
What is most peculiar is that the villagers use a special
type of clay found under the ground in this region to make bricks for their
houses. The clay hardens upon
coming into contact with the air when it is dug up from the ground, making it
very sturdy material for building houses. In
addition to the pleasant discovery of these ancient houses, a visit to this
village will reveal the day-to-day lifestyle of Vietnamese countryside. |
