Craft Villages in Vietnam

Arrive in Hanoi - Noi Bai International Airport.

You will be met at the airport by your English speaking guide and transfer to your hotel in downtown Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi

This morning explore Vietnam’s historic capital by cyclo, an iconic vehicle on the city’s streets. Your guide will take you to the Temple of Literature, the first university in Vietnam dating back to the 11th century and the popular attractions of Ho Chi Minh’s House and his Mausoleum nearby.

We explore Tong Duy Tan, Hanoi’s famous ‘food street’ to sample a few dishes, starting with traditional ‘ga tan’ (chicken simmered with herbs), then stop for ‘banh cuon’ (rice pancakes) and ‘com binh dan’ (cheap rice) stalls.  Cam Chi Street offers a different experience for those wishing to taste distinctive local wines.  Be warned!  They might be a little strong so xoi’, a sticky rice dish may help.  

In the evening, we’ll kick off the evening with a refreshing drink and snack, allowing you to mingle with your guide and fellow explorers. Once acquainted, we’ll hop back on our Vespas and navigate the enchanting, iconic backstreets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Our first stop is a cozy eatery where you’ll savor a bowl of bun cha, a Hanoi classic that combines mouth-watering noodles, grilled pork, and meatballs, accompanied by a plate of crispy spring rolls. 

With our taste buds satisfied, we’ll continue our Vespa journey to a fabulous local spot offering traditional rice wine and a variety of unique snacks.

Leaving the Old Quarter behind, we’ll cruise past the illuminated Hanoi Flag Tower and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, heading towards the West Lake and Truc Bac area. Here, you’ll get to indulge in the local specialty of pho cuon, mastering the art of wrap ‘n’ roll, Vietnamese style, with an array of fresh, aromatic ingredients and pho noodles.

Our final Vespa ride leads us to a captivating Jazz Club next to the stunning Opera House. Experience the halcyon days of the 1930s in this dazzling club with its distinctive fusion of styles, blending 1930s-inspired Jazz and traditional Vietnamese music.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Include: Hotel, Guide, transfer, entrance fee,

Exclude: Drink, other personal expense.

In the morning you’ll be picked up at your hotel for the two-hour drive to Hoa Lu – former capital of Vietnam.  On arrival you will visit Tam Coc (three caves), a peaceful valley among limestone karst hills, where you’ll be rowed along a gentle river between paddy fields and through the caves. On the way back disembark for a pleasant stroll of about 2km through rural scenery to Thai Vi temple.

 After this, a little exercise with a bike ride through beautiful green fields to visit Ninh Van stone carving village and Ninh Hai embroidery village. Continue your journey to two temples, one dedicated to Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang and the other to Emperor Le Dai Hanh, followed by a brief visit to the remains of the Old Palace.  

Ninh Van village has a 400-year-old tradition in the fine art of stone craft, with over 60 businesses and 600 local families now involved in the trade. Stone products include statues, animals and birds, stele, ornamental tanks, large porcelain vases, flower-basins, tables, chairs, beds, incense-tables, thrones, garden bridges, gates, door-steps and beams. There are also fine art products and articles like tea cups and pots, ashtrays, dishes and ‘photographs’ in stone. All these products display lively and exquisite carved patterns, the work of highly skilled hands and creative minds of the village’s craftsmen.

Ninh Hai Village is famous all over the country for its lace embroidery. Currently, every family in Ninh Hai has many kinds of embroidery frames, some frames several yards wide, and some as small as a handkerchief. Lace-embroidery products are diverse.  They include bedspreads, curtains, pillow covers, table covers, napkins, handkerchiefs, paintings and photos.

Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Early this morning you depart for the province of Thai Binh, a huge source of rice in Northern Vietnam, and also home to many traditional craft villages, of which Dong Xam Silver Village is among the most well-known.

Dong Xam Silver Village is famous for its silver processing which has been practiced since the 17th century. The fame of Dong Xam Silver has spread not only in Vietnam, but overseas. Silver handicrafts produced are exported to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, Thailand, Netherlands, and Spain. These silver products have an unusual style and appearance.  The intricate decorations require delicate skills.

From here you’ll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape. On arrival, you’ll board a private wooden junk to take you through Bai Tu Long Bay area. You continue your cruise through the bay’s most deserted areas with opportunities to swim at quiet sandy beaches, weather permitting, or visit one of the least visited caves. For dinner, enjoy a cooking class on board and closely watch the talented chef craft fruit and vegetable to decorate the meal. You stay overnight on board.

Wake up in the fresh air of the bay for a Tai Chi on the sundeck. After breakfast continue your cruise to a floating fishing village where you’ll have an opportunity to explore the village and a nearby hidden lagoon in a traditional rowing boat. You will also visit a Pearl Farm to see the entire process of making high-quality pearls.

You then cruise back and dock around noon for your return to Hanoi. On the way back you will visit Phu Lang, one of the most famous traditional pottery villages in Vietnam. Phu Lang ceramic products are high quality because they are dried in traditional kilns called Rong. These are specially constructed and use dry wood for fuel. Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the village and see the ceramic kilns like giant mushrooms along the dykes. You may even try making ceramics if time permits.

You arrive at your hotel in Hanoi late afternoon.

Overnight in Hanoi.

08:00 am Guide and driver will pick you up at the hotel. Located 16 km from the center of Hanoi, Bat Trang is one of the most well-known handicraft villages in Vietnam, where you can find a whole world of pottery and ceramic items. They are reproductions of various traditional styles renowned to the world for their harmonious beauty, original shape, enameled screen, and drawing stroke. They come in many forms and sizes, from dinner sets and bowls to vases and lamp bases, from statues of Buddha to small figurines of animals. You will see the complete production procedure, from preparing the clay, shaping the items, drawing, and putting them into the kiln. The offered items can be purchased here at reasonable prices. 

In the afternoon, you will visit Van Phuc silk village, renowned for making different kinds of silk. 

17h00: Return to Ha Noi and the trip ends.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Breakfast at hotel.

You will be transferred to Hanoi airport for a short flight to Danang. 

Arrive in Danang. You will be met at the airport by your English speaking guide and transfer to your hotel in downtown Hoian.
Overnight in Hoian.

Day 8      [Tue 17 Oct 2023]       HOI AN - TRA QUE - CAM THANH VILLAGE - COOKING CLASS

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Discover Tra Que, the market gardeners’ village has 200 owners and 500 farmers, cultivating 20 sorts of vegetables and herbs like mint, salad, basil, coriander, broccoli and others, on more than 50 hectares of ground. They sell 10 tons of vegetables each year.

Known in central Vietnam, the vegetables are cultivated with care, the market gardeners only use natural fertilizer, including a kind of alga harvested every morning.

Enjoy a walk in the village to meet the locals cultivating the earth. You will learn everything you need to know about Tra Que’s history, the vegetables growing methods, the use of medicinal plants and the Vietnamese material medical. A special time with those market gardeners passionate about their work, and proud to share this passion.

You will continue through the rice fields and discover the places that make the charm of Vietnam like the local market Ba Le, traditional cemeteries, schools… to the village Van Lang and the water coconut forest of Bay Mau, stretched on approximately 7 hectares, surrounded by the mangrove, you’ll have the opportunity to observe the beautiful traditional houses covered with water coconut leafs.

At the time of the Vietnam War, Bay Mau was a shelter for the locals and soldiers, making it a place full of history.

Arrived in the village, you will be warmly welcomed by Mr. Han, from a family of three generations. He will offer you a green tea tasting.

Then you will prepare the lunch with the Han Family. On the menu: crunchy pancakes, nems from Hoi An, tam huu, grilled fish in a leaf of banana tree… It’s delicious!

After that, you will take a cruise on board of a « thung chai », a round basket boat made of bamboo, much more stable than you think, and the fishermen will teach you the traditional fishing. Guaranteed fun!

Back to Mr. Han’s house; take advantage of a relaxation time thanks to a foot massage with medicinal herbs, a traditional therapy practice, very enjoyable.

Your feet will be in a tepid bath with lemongrass and leafs of lemon tree that will delight your sense of smell.

And finally, to finish this beautiful day, you will have the chance to chill in the shade of a coconut tree, before going back to Hoi An.

Overnight in Hoian.

Picking up at Hotel in Hoian and start to visit Conical-hat-making village – Tay Ho – Phu Vang conical hat village (Hue)

The conical hats of Tay Ho are famous for their thinness, gentle color, the subtleness and the beauty in the sewing. Thanks to those factors, they are favorable products of many customers. The conical hat, for a long time, is a familiar feature of the Vietnamese. It not only serves as a kind of hat to protect the wearer from the bad weather, but also as an addition to the beauty of Vietnamese woman.
For a long period of time, the farmers, the merchandisers, and especially, the women wore the conical hats whenever they left their houses. Due to the strong connection with the daily life of Vietnamese people, the conical hat has naturally become a familiar “friend” of the native, regardless of time changing.
Not only does Tay Ho conical hat village have a good reputation of producing “Poem conical hat”, but the craftsmen here are also very skillful to create the two-layer-conical hats, which are very durable and beautiful, as well.

In the afternoon,return to Hoian.

Overnight in Hoian

Breakfast at hotel.

You will be transferred to Danang airport for a short flight to Saigon. 

Arrive in Saigon - Tan Son Nhat International Airport. You will be met at the airport by your English-speaking guide and transferred to your hotel in downtown Saigon.

Check in hotel. Free time at leisure.

Overnight in Saigon.

Picking up at Hotel in Saigon and start to visit LACQUER VILLAGE. The most famous lacquer village of Binh Duong is Tuong Binh Hiep village, which is about 7 kilometers to the North from Thu Dau Mot City. On visiting this handicraft village, you will have the chance to observe every step of the traditional Vietnamese lacquering.
Just as a large manufacturer of lacquer products, there are over hundreds of families doing the same works. There are some families, which are only responsible for certain steps of manufacturing.
As can be seen, the lacquer manufacturing of Tuong Binh Hiep village has been industrialized with detailed line system, however, it still remains the unique style of each family, which is a major style of the Asia. The lacquer finishes of Tuong Binh Hiep village are loved by many locals and even foreigners all over the world.

In the afternoon,return to Saigon.

Overnight in Saigon.

8:00 am: Heading out of town we travel by roads to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's largest rice bowl.

On arrival in My Tho, we embark on a boat navigating around the intricate small canals in the delta region, which is a great way to observe the local lifestyle close-up. This thrilling excursion will pass the lush green vegetation before arriving on an island. Here we have opportunities to visit some fascinating local industries, stroll around an orchard and taste many delicious seasonal fruits. In the afternoon we return to Saigon, stopping off along the way to see the beautiful Vinh Trang Pagoda.

The trip ends after arrival back in Saigon

Overnight in Saigon.

Breakfast at hotel.

08:00 a.m, We enjoy a city tour to see Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral (1877-1883) right on the square and the beautiful French-style Post Office (1886-1891), with its glass canopy and iron structure designed by Gustave Eiffel. Then, visit the famous War Remnant Museum, with armored vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons displayed both outside and inside. Then, continue to Cholon, the Chinese quarter, Discover the Thien Hau Pagoda, build by the Cantonese congregation in the 19th century.  Free time to explore on your own, or for shopping.

Overnight in Saigon.