handicraft villages in Hanoi
Hanoi is the thousand-year-old capital of Vietnam - the convergence of the tangible and intangible cultural quintessence of the Vietnamese people in the long history. One of those cultural beauties is the traditional craft villages near Hanoi such as Bat Trang pottery, Van Phuc silk, Ha Thai lacquer, Quang Phu Cau with incense making or Chuong village with conical hat
1. Chuong Village - A handicraft village with a strong Vietnamese soul
hats making in Chuong village ( internet)
Chuong is one of many traditional villages in Hanoi and famous for long time of making conical hats with traditional tecchnique. The people in Chuong village live mainly by making conical hats.
Chuong Village is located in Phuong Trung commune, 3km from the center of Thanh Oai district, 30km from the center of Hanoi - north of Vietnam. Chuong village has two main approaches: from Day river dyke to the west of the village boundary and National Highway 21B to the east of the village boundary. The Day River dyke runs through the village an important livelihood route and also functions as a market of a large area not only for Chuong village but also with the participation of some surrounding communes such as Van La. , Kim Thu, Cao Duong. The village dike is also a place where people making conical hats often dry the dead leaves at the raw material processing stage.
In the 8th - 791th century, according to the elders in the village, at first, Chuong village was called Trang Thi Trung, later it was more populous, so it was expanded into a village. In the early Lent period, Chuong village was very crowded.
Village hat products (internet)
In the past, Chuong village produced many types of hats, used for many classes such as three-level hats for girls, conical hats, long hats, conical hats, conical hats for boys and luxurious men.
Before the 20th century, the traditional conical hat products of Chuong village were three round conical hats. This is a type of hat that is similar to a sports hat but has three rounds and has a relatively shallow wall. Hats are large in size and for farmers working in the fields, so they are not sewn carefully. The second hat is a basket hat with a very wide brim, tied on both sides for the elderly to wear to the temple.
Another type of traditional hat of Chuong village is the old conical conical hat. This is a type of hat that has existed for a long time at the same time as the sports strap hat. The hat has three rounds, made of lake leaves, sewn with black crochet hook. This type of hat is very sturdy, so it can be used for rain or shine with people in the field with many different uses.
At the village maket
In the past, conical hat making business flourished, the whole village, including young and old, boys and girls, and children all participated in making hats. However, recently, the market for traditional conical hats has declined and some households have received orders to produce hats-related products using their knowledge and skills. availability of hat makers in the village. Chuong Village both manufactures and supplies hats to serve other creative products (hat straps, colorful silk hats), souvenirs (hats of different sizes and colors), interior decoration (lights). conical cages, wall hangings in restaurants, refreshment bars, furniture such as tea tables, etc., and street decoration (decorating the landscape of pedestrian streets in Hanoi).
materials dried before making hat (internet)
It can be said that in order to make a complete Chuong village hat product, it needs many stages, each stage must comply with certain implementation principles.
2. Quang Phu Cau incense making - A coloufull Handicraft village
The colourful of incense sticks
About 35 km from the center of the capital, Quang Phu Cau village (Quang Phu Cau commune, Ung Hoa district, Hanoi) has a history of making traditional incense for more than a century. In recent years, the people here have put on a new color for the craft village by arranging eye-catching and colorful bouquets of art.
Visiting Quang Phu Cau incense village, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about traditional incense production and take lots of unique and colorful photos.
In the journey to discover Quang Phu Cau Incense Village, you will have the opportunity to sit down with local people, listen to them talk about the conditions to make complete incense bouquets, the ingredients for making incense need to be selected. Be careful because this profession has many spiritual elements.
In addition to Quang Phu Cau Incense Village producing traditional incense, many households here have taken advantage of the vibrant colors of incense bouquets, meticulously creating spaces that are both strange, meaningful, and beautiful. attract tourists near and far”.
Village products
As a child of a traditional craft village, Ms. Huong - the owner of a incense said that recently, Phu Cau craft village has welcomed a lot of tourists not only domestically but also internationally. The demand for customers to buy incense, toothpicks for use and as gifts is more, from which the income of people in the craft village also increases.
“Thanks to the flexibility in taking advantage of the vibrant colors of the incense bouquets, the villagers have created special scenes that attract tourists from near and far. Besides, it is impossible not to mention the help of young people, thanks to the beautiful photos taken by them, it has helped her hometown's traditional craft village be more widely known," said Ms. Ly.
She also shared that, with pride in the traditional craft village over 100 years old, her descendants must be more aware of preserving and developing the craft village.
3. Van Phuc Silk Village with handmade silk products
Gate of Van Phuc Silk Village
(also known as Ha Dong silk village) is located in Van Phuc ward, Ha Dong district, more than 10 km from the center of Hanoi. Having existed for more than a thousand years, the village is one of the most beautiful and famous silk weaving villages in Vietnam.
From the center of Hanoi, you can go to Van Phuc silk village via Nguyen Trai street to Ha Dong post office, then turn right, or follow the route Le Van Luong - To Huu. Although here, the process of urbanization is taking place rapidly, but Van Phuc silk village still more or less retains its ancient beauty.
A silk workshop in Van Phuc Village
Van Phuc silk village was formerly known as Van Bao, because of the Nguyen dynasty's cavalry, it was changed to Van Phuc. In 1931, Van Phuc silk was first introduced to the international market at the Marseille fair and was considered by the French as the most sophisticated product of Indochina. By 1958, Van Phuc silk was exported to Eastern European countries and is now popular in many countries around the world.
Over many generations, Van Phuc silk still retains its traditional beauty and is at the forefront of our country's textile industry. Van Phuc village silk is considered beautiful and durable. Patterns on silk are very diverse, decorated symmetrically with each other, the lines are not cumbersome and complicated, but always create a sense of freedom and decisiveness.
Silk Cocoon - material to making silk
Raw materials for making Van Phuc silk are mainly from silk because of its softness and toughness. In order to create perfect silk products, workers have to go through many elaborate stages such as silk, sizing, weaving, dyeing, drying... At any stage, the artisan must be very careful. , standing by to monitor even when the process requires machines to perform.
Van Phuc silk has many different designs. Patterns have four categories: animals, plants, objects, and graphics. Among the traditional silks, the most famous is Van silk, which has floating flowers that are smooth on the surface of the silk, and sunken flowers are only seen in the light.
Currently, in the village, there are still nearly 300 households weaving and trading silk products. Most businesses and households are operating at full capacity to meet market demand. Every year, the village produces about 2.5 to 3 million square meters of cloth, accounting for 63% of the revenue of the entire craft village.
Silk is the most popular items in all round village
Although there are currently many types of silk that are not of good quality imported from China, greatly affecting the prestige and quality of Van Phuc silk, the people here are still trying and taking care to create new products. the best product and reassert its position.
Along with preserving and developing the traditional silk weaving village, Van Phuc silk village is gradually innovating, becoming a tourist destination to keep pace with the market demand for products as well as the need to explore, play, and have fun. learn about the tourist village.
In recent times, local authorities have invested in infrastructure, embellished streets, and embellished monuments. In particular, three pedestrian streets including silk street, food street, petite - antique street are simultaneously opened for visitors to visit and shop.
4. Products of Ha Thai lacquer village, skillful and creative
Ha Thai craft village in Thuong Tin district (Hanoi) has long been famous for its traditional lacquer craft, producing millions of products each year to meet domestic and export needs.
Ha Thai lacquer products affirm the brand name not only thanks to the prestige, quality that is always glossy, smooth, beautiful and durable, but also the crystallization of the imprint of skillful hands and creativity of the craftsmen. talented with more than 200 years old craft village tradition.
Ha Thai craft village in Thuong Tin district (Hanoi) has long been famous for its traditional lacquer craft.
Ha Thai lacquer village is located in Duyen Thai commune, Thuong Tin district, Hanoi. The predecessor of the craft village was Cu Trang gilded ward, later renamed Dong Thai village and then Ha Thai village with the main job of gilding objects for the king, lord and royal family.
Legend has it that Ha Thai painting has been around since the 17th century, at that time it was just a fine line painting. Although not the ancestor of Vietnam's painting profession, Cu Trang's golden gilded paint ward is a place that is respected because there are many talented and skillful artisans. Because it specialized in making crafts for the aristocracy and kings at that time, people called this village "offering the king".
In the 30s of the last century, Ha Thai's golden gilded ward had many great changes. The first Vietnamese painters who attended the Indochina Fine Arts School have researched and discovered other colored materials such as eggshells, snails, kidney, bamboo... and especially added grinding techniques to create techniques. Unique lacquer. The terms lacquer and lacquer painting emerged from there.
Also during this period, Mr. Dinh Van Thanh - a lecturer at the Indochina Fine Arts School, a native of Ha Thai village - brought the lacquer craft to teach people in the village. Thanks to that, although the lacquer profession was born later than other traditional occupations, it has raised the painting profession to become an art because of the elaborate and sophisticated process of creating products.
When it was first introduced, lacquer only had 3 colors: painted then (black), lacquer (red) and painted cockroach wings (yellow-brown). Thanks to the creative exploration process, the artisans of Ha Thai village have discovered many new colors with different shades, gorgeous but loving, hidden layers and layers, lower colors raise the upper colors, and more layers of gold and silver powder are sprinkled with dark and light to create unusually bright colors.
Currently, Ha Thai lacquer village has had many changes in the design of its products. More practical products such as vases, bowls, boxes, trays... are made from lacquer with diverse and eye-catching designs. Lacquer technology is now not only applied to the production of lacquer paintings, diaphragms or couplets, but also developed to produce high-class interior items such as tables and chairs, beds, cabinets... Lacquer ware is now It is a popular product in many countries. This has helped the village's lacquer products to be more competitive than similar products in the market. Ha Thai lacquer products have won the trust of many consumers, especially those who love lacquer products.
From 1997-1998 back here, customers as well as foreign tourists come to Ha Thai village more and more. Many foreign customers even bring their relatives to visit the craft village and introduce their children to lacquer craft. For them, Ha Thai is not only a place for them to do business, but also a place for them to learn about a typical culture of a nation.
5. Bat Trang Handicraft Pottery Village: A traditional imprint in the heart of Hanoi
A pottery workshop in Bat Trang Village ( internet)
Experiencing many ups and downs of time, Bat Trang Pottery Village is not only outstanding with traditional cultural colors but also a unique place to attract tourists.
Bat Trang pottery village is located on the banks of the Red River, in Gia Lam district, outside Hanoi. The name Bat Trang means "big yard", and the village has a history dating back to the Le Dynasty. This is the oldest and most famous pottery village in Vietnam, as well as a place that domestic and foreign tourists cannot fail to visit once.
According to historical records, Bat Trang Pottery Village was formed around the 14th - 15th centuries. The historical record of Nguyen Trai recorded "Bat Trang village made dishes and bowls", "Bat Trang belongs to Gia Lam district, Hue Cau belongs to Van Giang district. These two villages both provide tribute to China, which is 70 sets of dishes and 200 dark cloths…”.
Bat Trang Pottery Village specializes in producing various types of ceramics in both types and designs. The most interesting thing when coming to Bat Trang is that you can directly watch the artisans make delicate ceramic products or manually mold the products to your liking. Therefore, Bat Trang Pottery Village is known for its ceramic products that are not only known by domestic consumers but also by many major markets around the world.
The beauty of Bat Trang products is the sophisticated beauty shown in every detail and line from just raw materials to finished products to consumers. The typical clay soil of pottery is mixed with sand and alluvium of the Red River. Ceramic glaze is fired at a relatively high temperature from 1250 to 1320 degrees Celsius, creating a deep, deep glaze color, with its own characteristics of the ancient ceramic line.
Bat Trang people have researched, created and pursued their own product line: enamel ceramic. Mr. To Thanh Son - ceramic artist shared: "The glaze here is made with gio glaze (rice husk), that is, the husk is burned, mixed with mud, lime powder with a certain ratio and then finely ground. Rice husk enamel is the traditional enamel of Bat Trang Pottery Village.
