Photo: Collected

Each year, Hanoi welcomes more than millions of inbound tourism flock to experience Vietnamese traditional culture, along with its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Along with other famous ancient cultural sites such as the Old Quarter and Bat Trang Pottery Village, Van Phuc or Ha Dong Silk Village - one of the most long-standing and well-known silk weaving villages in Vietnam has gradually become a tourist attraction for international visitors in recent years.

1. How to get to Van Phuc Silk Village?

Located on the riverside of Nhue River in Van Phuc Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi, more than 10 kilometers away from the Hanoi Old Quarter, the gentle and steady flow has nurtured generations of artisans and their unique creations here. If you are a fan of local craft villages, remember to follow an easy route of Nguyen Trai - Le Van Luong - To Huu by any transportation or catch Bus 02 or 21 to visit Van Phuc Silk Village. 

Entering Van Phuc Silk Village, this old place will captivate you immediately by the ancient typical features of northern villages, which are still preserved and honored after thousands of years with banyan trees, wells, communal houses, and so on. Therefore, a journey to Van Phuc Silk Village is considered one of the most must-have experiences for foreigners when traveling to Vietnam.

Photo: UBND Phuong Van Phuc

2. What is the history of Van Phuc Silk Village?

Van Phuc Silk Village can be dated back more than 1.000 years ago. At that time, Van Phuc silk was highly valued for a significant duration and sophisticated process, being seen as a top-notch craft for creating garments for members of the Royal family and the upper class in the Nguyen Dynasty. On a global scale, it was brought at international expositions for the first time in Marseille (1931) and later in Paris (1932). French people highly praised the aesthetic and top quality of this textile and between 1958 and 1988, the primary destination for Van Phuc silk exports was the Eastern European market. In 1990, it gained global recognition and became popular in various countries worldwide. 

Photo: toluavietnam.net

After many ups and downs in history, Van Phuc silk is still a pride of Vietnam’s textile industry with the same values as before: soft yet durable, unique and stunningly elegant. Nowadays, artisans in Van Phuc Village have also updated themselves with modern patterns and styles to satisfy the diverse demand.  

3. How to produce premium quality silk in Van Phuc Silk Village?

Van Phuc Silk Village is home to more than 800 Vietnamese households who have established their own stores along the primary road of the village, resulting in the development of a "silk town" where attractive and superior silk items are sold.

The most prominent kind of silk in Van Phuc is Van silk, especially known for its unique ability to keep individuals cool during warmer months and warm during colder months. Additionally, this fabric entails glimmering silk threads that make Van silk perfect for crafting “ao dai” (Vietnamese traditional garment). 

Photo: tuoitrethudo.com.vn

Most craft families now use mechanical weaving for increased efficiency, but foreigners can still appreciate the authentic Vietnamese method of producing silk with manual looms in some village homes.

Traditional production

Step 1: Sericulture (Silk farming)

People in the village plant “delicious” mulberry leaves to raise the silkworms, their secret is “the more you take care of the silkworms, the better quality of silk will be”. Then, silkworms will spin their cocoons when they are due, and only qualified cocoons are collected to make silk.

Step 2: Thread extraction

The chosen cocoons are immersed in hot water to break down and loosen the adhesive substance binding them together. Afterwards, every thread is meticulously extracted from the cocoon as separate and people will mostly take advantage of machines in this step to save time. The thread then will be straightened by a spinning wheel. 

Step 3: Weaving

The straightened silk threads are attached to the weaving machine and the artist must remain alert and cannot rest until additional silk thread is added to the machine. After 2-3 days, the process will be complete and result in 50m of silk. The most frequently used weaves for silk are satin, plain, and open weaves, and the final appearance of the silk will be determined by the chosen weave pattern.

Step 4: Dyeing

Before dyeing, silks need to be bleached and boiled to remove impurities entirely. The amount and exact rate of dye colors are also a secret of artists in Van Phuc Silk Village to create vibrant and unique final products. 

4. What to do in Van Phuc Silk Village?

4.1. Walking under the colorful umbrella road

First introduced in 2019, this 100-meter street filled with colorful silk shops along two sides and a hundred hanging umbrellas above has become a signature of Van Phuc Silk Village. During the culture week taking place in November annually, the umbrella road will be featured with lights and lanterns to create an even more magical atmosphere in the village.

Photo: Collected

4.2. Buying silk from stores

What a miss if you don’t bring home a piece of Ha Dong silk when paying a visit here. The shelves here are neatly arranged with a variety of colors and designs of Van Phuc silk, which is visually appealing. The price of the silk fabric ranges from 100.000 VND to 250.000 VND per square meter, making it accessible to a wide range of customers.

Photo: UBND Phuong Van Phuc

4.3. Check-in the mural village walls

The mural wall located in Van Phuc Village is a well-known location for tourists to take photos. The one-of-a-kind pictures displayed on the wall were created by instructors at Van Phuc Preschool and showcase the daily routines of the silk-weaving community through hand-painted artwork.

Photo: toquoc.vn

Photo: Eva.vn

It is interesting to see those Neu trees made of high steel poles with illuminating neon lights covered during Tet in the modern days, but do you know that the traditional version would require a fresh bamboo tree and many implications dated back thousands of years ago? Let’s find out in this article! 

Building Cay Neu in front of families’ houses is one of the Vietnamese customs when the Tet Holidays roll around. It is a tradition of expelling evils and wishing for good luck and prosperity in the New Year but has now been lost and less popular, especially in urban areas. 

Legend has it said humans in the past were oppressed by devils as the devils overly profited and invaded their land. The Buddha heard the tears of the humans and aided them in their battle against the devils. After being forced into the sea, the devils pleaded for the Buddha's compassion in order to return to the mainland and pay respects to their ancestors' burial sites for a few days each year. From then on, they only can come back during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. To protect the humans around that time, the Buddha taught them to erect Cay Neu to deter the devils from entering the houses.

Photo: Thanh Phuc

Cay Neu in Vietnamese Lunar New Year also has another deep meaning. Due to the temporary leave of Kitchen Gods (Tao Quan) from the Lunar December 23, the folk are scared that the devils will devastate again, so the Neu spiritual tree will protect them from the devils until the Lunar January 7 when these genies return. Therefore, the pole will be removed on the seventh day of the first lunar month to conclude the ceremony. 

First, the bamboo tree must be from the eastern side of the bamboo forest, and needs to have healthy green leaves, and a non-decaying top, and should not be home to any ant or bird nests. Additionally, its length must be either 5 or 7 meters, with an odd number measurement. 

Then, the chosen one’s leaves will be cut off except for a part on top to facilitate the application for decoration. Each region from the North to the South has its own symbolic objects to hang on Cay Neu. For example, chicken feathers represent holy birds with the hope of peace, pineapple leaves wish for prosperity, the circle of bamboo cards demonstrates happiness, and bells and bows drive away all the misfortune from the previous year. Besides, to prevent the presence of evil spirits, lime powder is spread around the base of Cay Neu in a bow shape facing outside the house. 

The traditional Vietnamese Tet tree serves as a symbol of hope for prosperity in the upcoming year, and it also holds sentimental value as it is a reminder of our ancestors' customs during Tet.

Photo: Ivivu

If you ever have a chance to visit Vietnamese households in the Northern Delta, you probably catch yourself looking at a pigmented colorful mouse wedding or pigs with Yin & Yang circles on their bodies as decoration in their house. They are called Dong Ho folk paintings, one of the most long history and cherished art forms in Vietnamese cultural beauty.

1. What is Dong Ho painting? Where is its origin?

Dong Ho painting's name came from its origin: Dong Ho Village in Song Ho commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province, which is located in the north of Vietnam. 

In more than 400 years of history, Dong Ho art has retained a fine combination of traditional rustic lifestyle, artistic values, and Vietnamese ideology. Unlike other abstract art forms, Dong Ho paintings are quite explicit in delivering their messages, most of them featuring folk tales, historical figures, wishes for prosperity and achievements, and social activities. 

Photo: Eva.vn

When our lives in the past were difficult and lacking, purchasing a piece of vibrant Dong Ho painting to decorate in Tet Holidays was considered a treat, not only making the house look more vivid but also hoping for the better in the upcoming year. As time has passed, Dong Ho painting remains a significant aspect of Vietnamese traditional culture, especially as Vietnam is making strides in submitting Dong Ho folk paintings to UNESCO for consideration as intangible cultural heritage in 2020.

Some famous paintings from Dong Ho Village can be named such as “Yin & Yang Pigs” demonstrating a balanced and prosperous life, “catching coconuts” and “scene of jealousy” representing Vietnamese social commentaries, and “Mouse wedding” satirizing the old backward feudal regime. 

Photo: Collected

2. How to produce Dong Ho paintings?

Artists from Dong Ho Village in the process of making unique and iconic paintings have distinguished themselves with three well-blended elements: painting paper, traditional colors, and woodcut techniques.

First, a method and natural materials to ensure the paper’s quality are interesting. “Dó” tree barks need to be soaked for two to three days and cooked until fragrance, then they will be pounded into a sticky consistency. Next, people in the village use a special tool called “liềm seo” (bamboo frame) to put in water consisting of “dó” result, and such additions as seashells and glutinous rice flour repetitively and wait for them to dry a few days after. Seashells provide a bright white base, while glutinous rice adds flexibility to the paper and helps preserve colors for an extended period.

Therefore, the printing papers in Dong Ho art form are so soft, thin yet durable, and capable of taking in colors without smearing or smudging. 

Photo: Laodongthudo.vn

Second, the base colors in every Dong Ho painting are utterly deprived of natural sources, which are more common in far-flung Northern provinces of Vietnam. For example, red is from gravel or stone, black is from burnt leaves or ashes of firewood, lily flowers for yellow, and cajuput leaves for green. Because these colors are solely sourced from nature without artificial chemicals, the painting's basic pigments possess unique durability and retain the scent of their natural components, contributing to the long-lasting trait of Dong Ho paintings.

Four base colors in Dong Ho Paintings: Red, Black, Green, and Yellow (Photo: Collected)

Last but not least, Dong Ho paintings have another name which is Dong Ho folk woodcut painting by its unique traditional techniques. Even though the process is called “printing”, it is definitely not as easy as you may think. One painting requires at least five different woodblocks with slight changes to be complete, and because each pattern frame will be put in use through generations, craftsmen must outline and crave every little detail by hand meticulously. 

Photo: Collected

Next, with everything ready for the final stage: papers, colors, and woodcuts, experienced artisans in Dong Ho Village apply natural colors neatly to the first woodblock and press it hard onto the paper. They will continue to repeat the step with another color and carvings until the result encapsulates the layout and hues of their satisfaction. Then, the dried painting needs to be protected by a layer of sticky rice paste or “hồ nếp” in Vietnamese to retain its hard-earned colors for a long time.

3. How to get to Dong Ho Village?

Dong Ho Village is only 35 kilometers away from the capital city of Hanoi, travelers can hop in a motorbike or any private transport through the National Highway 5 (head to Hai Phong City) or catch Bus 204 to Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh with less than $2.

When tourists arrive in Dong Ho Village, this place is so Instagram-worthy that you can capture colorful handmade paintings and the unique process behind them everywhere. Dong Ho Painting Center is where you learn how to make legitimate Dong Ho art forms from artisans, their experienced hands keep working while telling you about the traced-back history and the meaning of each distinctive piece. International visitors can also immerse themselves in the authentic and lively atmosphere of the Dong Ho Folk Painting Festival, which takes place in March (based on the lunar calendar) from the 14th to the 16th.

Photo: Collected

Photo: Internet

Located in the southern province of Tay Ninh, Ba Den Mountain is always crowded by Vietnamese people and tourists coming from across the country during the Year-end Thanksgiving season. This event is a sacred moment of each person making pilgrimages to the spiritual legends, returning offerings, and thanks to what they asked for at the beginning of the new year.

The stunning beauty of a complex of famous spiritual works here includes the Ba Pagoda system (Linh Son Tien Thach Tu), where Linh Son Thanh Mau (Linh Son Holy Mother Bodhisattva) is situated and worshiped. In the religious life of Southern people, Linh Son Thanh Mau is the highest spiritual symbol that guides and nurtures them with compassion and mercy for sentient beings. The Ba Pagoda complex also encompasses Hang Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Quan Am Pagoda, and others, all of which have a history of nearly 300 years, drawing millions of tourists annually for worship and prayers for peace.

On every Saturday night in the last month of the year, thousands of Sun World Ba Den Mountain cable cars carry people to the top of the sacred mountain to attend the most magical spiritual ceremony of flower garlands and lanterns offerings. To fill the night sky with illuminating lights, locals and tourists assemble and inscribe their wishes on the lanterns themselves, contributing to a distinctive and sacred experience on the highest mountain in the South.

Source: Collected

The consecration ritual for the magnificent statue of Maitreya Buddha on Ba Den Mountain will take place on January 28, 2024. In the opening ceremony, an unparalleled event will take place on top of Ba Den mountain, where more than 2024 lanterns will be offered by Buddhists and tourists from different places. It will see the presence of more than 500 Buddhist monks and nuns from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.