Archaeological discoveries and historical data have proven that Vietnamese craft villages were born thousands of years ago. Craft villages are an ancient administrative unit, implying that people of the same profession live together to develop the economy and preserve the national identity and local characteristics. Traditional craft villages are mostly concentrated in the Red River Delta such as Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh... A few are scattered in the highlands and deltas of the Central and Southern regions.
Hanoi is a capital city, a bustling trading place, so the city is surrounded by a large number of traditional craft villages. These small craft villages have contributed to creating a cultural whole with strong folk characteristics for the Northern Delta in general and the outskirts of the old capital in particular. Today, many old craft villages still exist and have become attractive tourist destinations for tourists who are passionate about learning about local cultural identity.
Bat Trang Pottery Village
Certainly when mentioning traditional craft villages in Hanoi, Bat Trang ceramic village will be the first destination mentioned. Because this ceramic village has gone through hundreds of years of history creating ceramic products with high artistic value.
The Bau Kiln in Bat Trang was born in the late 19th century, it is a ceramic kiln that uses firewood for heating.
Bat Trang is an ancient village located on the Red River, since ancient times, people here have lived and developed by the ceramic industry. Thanks to the technique of creating glaze and precise kiln techniques along with the "soul" breathed into the work, the artisans here have skillfully created a special type of ceramic product with harmonious composition and elegant colors that represent the sophistication of human beings.
Spending time visiting the ancient village of Bat Trang, visitors will be able to admire the ancient architectural works and experience a peaceful life in the countryside. With its rustic, simple beauty and imbued with the color of time, Bat Trang is one of the rare ancient villages still remaining in Hanoi with ancient relics such as: Van Van ancient house, Bat Trang communal house.
Most tourists when coming to Bat Trang pottery village want to make their own unique ceramic products. With just a small "tuition fee", visitors will be guided by artisans on the basic steps to create their own ceramic work. From how to control the turntable, kneading the clay until the product is put into the kiln and handed over to you to take home, all will give you a very special experience.
Van Phuc Silk Village
Ha Dong silk or Van Phuc silk village is only about 10 km from the center of Hanoi.
Ha Dong silk products have been famous for hundreds of years. During the feudal period, Van Phuc silk was one of the best silks chosen to make clothes for the royal court. Therefore, the ancients had a folk song:
"Nga Son mat, Bat Trang brick
Nam Dinh silk, Ha Dong silk…”
Van Phuc silk is a hand-woven product made from silk, durable, beautiful, and extremely rich in color and design. In recent years, Van Phuc silk village has developed and become one of the most favorite tourist destinations in Hanoi because of its unique beauty with "silk and brocade".
If you ever visit this traditional craft village of Hanoi, you will be able to visit the weaving workshop and learn about the process of creating soft silk, from the stages such as silk sewing, fiber sizing, weaving to dyeing... Each stage must be carried out step by step quite elaborately to produce the highest quality products, making Ha Dong silk famous throughout the country.
Chuong conical hat village
For generations, the familiar image of the conical hat has become one of the symbols imprinted in the consciousness of the country and people of Vietnam. Throughout the three regions of the North, Central and South, there are regions making conical hats with their own unique beauty and nuances. And the famous and durable conical hat in the North is the conical hat of Chuong village, Hanoi.
Chuong Village is located in Phuong Trung Commune, Thanh Oai District, about 30 km from the center of Hanoi. Not as bustling as other craft villages, but when coming to Chuong Village, you can still easily admire the yards full of fragile white hats drying in the sun.
In the village, everyone knows how to make conical hats, from the elderly to the children, all take advantage of their spare time to join in making conical hats. Those skillful, meticulous hands have created extremely unique products, bearing the very distinctive characteristics of the Vietnamese people.
When visiting Chuong conical hat village, you should come during the Non market session on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th, and 30th of the lunar month to have the opportunity to experience the hustle and bustle and the long-standing cultural features still preserved here.
Another impressive thing about this traditional craft village is that there are still many old houses that are still in use, creating a very unique cultural space. This will bring a sense of peace and depth to every visitor.
Tay Tuu flower village
One of the traditional craft villages in Hanoi that many tourists visit in the spring is Tay Tuu flower village. This flower village is located in Bac Tu Liem district, about 20 km from the city center. This is a village with a long-standing cultural and production tradition with the flower growing profession in Tay Tuu formed in 1930. After nearly 100 years of working, in 2017, Tay Tuu flower village was recognized and honored as a traditional craft village in Hanoi.
Flower growing has helped increase income, create a better standard of living for the people; at the same time, it has made an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the locality. Now, Tay Tuu flower village is the source of fresh flowers for the whole city of Hanoi and neighboring provinces.
Every time Tet approaches, Tay Tuu is colorfully decorated with countless flowers such as roses, lilies, gerberas, dahlias... People and families are busy preparing for the Tet flower selling season, creating a fresh and bustling atmosphere.
Coming to Tay Tuu flower village, you will see vast flower fields like a brilliant picture. In recent years, the villagers have started to combine tourism when each time the flowers bloom, the flower growers set aside a corner of the garden for tourists to visit and take pictures.
Cu Da vermicelli village
Vermicelli is a familiar dish for Vietnamese people, especially this rustic dish is indispensable in the Tet tray and other important days in Vietnamese families. And when mentioning the vermicelli village, we must mention Cu Da - an ancient village along the poetic Nhue River.
About 20 km west of Hanoi center, Cu Da ancient village in Cu Khe commune, the northernmost commune of Thanh Oai district, Hanoi, is one of the traditional ancient villages from ancient times. The vermicelli making profession in Cu Da has existed for hundreds of years.
On sunny days, the yellow color of dried vermicelli noodles along the streets of Cu Da village shimmers. From afar, the whole village seems to be covered in a magical golden color. The vermicelli noodles drying on the porches hang down, sparkling like silk threads in the autumn sun, connecting one another in every corner, creating a very beautiful scene, attracting tourists and photographers.
If you come here in the morning, you will see the bustling scene of the people here. Some carry trays of rice noodles on wooden benches by the roadside, some bring the noodles out to dry, and others deliver the noodles. Life is simple but full of joy.
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