Van Phuc Silk Village – Wonderful cradle of Vietnamese Silk
Introduction of Van Phuc Silk Village
Van Phuc silk village, which is situated on the banks of Nhue Thi River, Nguyen Trai Road, near Ha Dong city, 15 km southwest of Ha Noi, is famous over centuries for its traditional weaving techniques and high-quality silk products, making it the most ancient silk village in Vietnam. The special feature of Van Phuc silk is that when people wear it, they will feel soft and gentle, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Ha Dong silk, as well as traditional crafts of Van Phuc, often referred to in many Vietnamese poems, songs, and movies.
Things to do in Van Phuc silk village
When visiting Van Phuc Silk Village, tourists are offered a good chance to explore how the traditional silk be woven from the natural silk, giving the smooth and lightweight. Visiting Van Phuc Silk Village, visitors will feel like stepping back in time when being impressed by some typical things of an ancient with banyan tree, well, communal house, and the sound of power-looms everywhere. Walk along with the silk shop town, it is easy to buy some great silk products & souvenirs for those at home. Travelers can also visit the Exhibition house of traditional silk products to see an old wooden loom from the 19th century.
How to Get the Silk Village of Van Phuc
To visit Van Phuc Village, visitors should travel southwest out of Hanoi center on Nguyen Trai street. This ancient village is about 10 km far from Hanoi center. When reaching the border of Ha Dong district, you should turn right and drive about 3km to arrive in the village. Another choice is catching the local bus 02 or 21 then walk 500m to reach Van Phuc village.
Dong Ho Painting Village – Best Countryside Village In Hanoi for Flawless Poonah Paper Paintings
Introduction of Dong Ho Painting Village
Located on the southern bank of the Red River, Dong Ho painting village is the cradle of wood carving and Poonah paper paintings for 300 years of history. Being famous for making unique artwork, Dong Ho Village, as well as its famous paintings, is considered as an aesthetic symbol of traditional value in Vietnamese culture.
Dong Ho folk paintings are printed on Do or Poonah paper. These artworks are lively descriptions of the countryside’s beauty, traditional customs, festivals; colorful scenes of daily life, mythical and historical aspects, symbols of prosperity, etc. They also reflect people’s feelings, dreams as well as wishes for lucks. Dong Ho folk paintings are well-known both domestics and foreign markets.
Best things to do in Dong Ho Painting village
When visitors arrive in Dong Ho, you will have a good chance to enjoy beautiful paintings and learn the process of making Dong Ho pictures. Artisans living here have an impressive printing technique to create unique paintings. Visitors can take part in a drawing class to make a simple picture under the guidance of professional artisans.
In the past, Dong Ho paintings only hang to decorate houses on traditional Tet holiday. Therefore, when you walk around Dong Ho painting village, travelers will feel like the scene and atmosphere of the traditional New Year.
How to get Dong Ho Painting Village
If visitors want to go to Dong Ho village from Hanoi, follow National Highway 5 toward Hai Phong (about 15km) to Phu Thuy station, then turn left, keep going about 18 km to Ho Street - the district of Thuan Thanh district. From here turn left and go about 2km to Ho village. The simpler way is to take the bus 204 (22,000 VND) to Thuan Thanh - Bac Ninh then catches a taxi or a motorbike to Dong Ho painting village.
Da Sy Forging Village – The time-honored Hanoi Village
Introduction of Da Sy Forging Village
As the most famous blacksmith craft villages in Vietnam, Da Sy village is located in Kien Hung Commune, Ha Dong Town. Throughout the ups and downs, this small but famous village still retains its popular crafts with a wide range of knives, rakes, scissors, sickles, hoes, spades, machinery parts, garden tools, or other different kitchen implements.
Having a long history of forging, Da Sy gains its reputation because of the skillful steel tempering and the great technique for making a knife-edge, which is handed down from generation to generation. In the past, the biggest markets of Da Sy village were Laos and Cambodia, but now, this ancient village also exports various products to other countries such as Germany, France, and the US.
Best things to do in Da Sy Forging village
Visitors come to this Vietnam’s typical traditional craft village will be excited to take part in a class of making knives. Under the guidance and supervision of local blacksmith residents, visitors will learn to make a unique one-of-a-kind knife that can be brought back home. Travelers will be surprised to experience the sophisticated process of forging hand-made crafts using traditional methods. Moreover, head to the village, visitors can see the metal being beaten into knives, scissors, rakes, sickles, and other farms, kitchen or garden tools.
How to get Da Sy Forging Village
Da Sy Village, which is situated in Ha Dong, is quite close to the Hanoi center. Thus, it is easy to reach this forging village. Visitors can take a taxi (about $5), or catch a local bus to get there.