Traditional Craftsmanship in Vietnam: Who still makes it, and where?
This guide offers a village-by-village overview of traditional Vietnamese craftsmanship to discover what is still made there today, by whom, and where travelers can go to observe it. It explores different regions and their specialties, such as ceramics, silk, and mother-of-pearl inlay around Hanoi, indigo textiles and dyes of ethnic minorities in the Northwest, as well as pottery and lanterns in the Hoi An region. Finally, the article offers advice on recognizing authentic craftsmanship, buying responsibly, and prioritizing encounters with artisans.
VIETNAM TRAVEL GUIDE
Traditional Craftsmanship in Vietnam
Who still makes it, and where?
By the Typic Travel team · Local expert in Vietnam for over 20 years · Updated: June 2026
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Behind every bamboo basket, every indigo fabric, every ceramic bowl sold in the markets of Vietnam, there is a pair of hands, a workshop, and often a family that has been practicing the same craft for generations. But these hands are becoming increasingly rare. Out of more than 5,400 historically recorded craft villages, about 2,000 are now considered active, and some of them only survive thanks to tourism. Here is an overview — village by village — of what is still truly made in Vietnam, by whom, and where to see it with your own eyes.
Table of Contents
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1. Vietnam, land of craft villages
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2. Hanoi and its surroundings: ceramics, silk, lacquer and mother-of-pearl
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3. The Northwest: ethnic minority textiles
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4. Hoi An and the Center: pottery, lanterns, wood
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5. Summary table: who makes what, and where
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6. Buy responsibly: how to recognize true craftsmanship
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7. Experience craftsmanship rather than just observe it
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1. Vietnam, land of craft villages
They are called làng nghề — literally "craft villages". Vietnam currently has 1,975 of them, bringing together 263 different traditional crafts: from bamboo to clay, from silk to brocade, from wood to lacquer. In each of these villages, a know-how has been passed down from generation to generation, often concentrated in a single extended family or a single hamlet.
But the reality is more nuanced than the official figures. Many of these villages now have only a few elderly artisans, their children having gone to work in factories or in the city. Others, on the contrary, are experiencing a revival: driven by cultural tourism and by a new generation returning to their homeland to reinvent the craft of their grandparents.
The Vietnamese government has made craftsmanship a strategic focus: Decision No. 801/QD-TTg aims to restore more than 100 threatened crafts, develop 208 craft villages, and achieve 6 billion dollars in craft exports by 2030. Craftsmanship is therefore not just a heritage issue: it is also an economic gamble on the future.
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1,975 craft villages recorded in Vietnam today |
263 different traditional crafts |
4 Hanoi villages members of the global network of craft cities |
2. Hanoi and its surroundings: ceramics, silk, lacquer and mother-of-pearl
The Hanoi region concentrates some of the oldest and most active craft villages in the country. Four of them have joined the network of Creative Cities of Craft — a rare international recognition, which makes the capital the only Vietnamese locality to achieve this result.
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? Bat Trang — ceramics 13 km southeast of Hanoi, on the banks of the Red River The most visited village in the country for its craftsmanship. Hundreds of family workshops still produce vases, bowls and tea sets using centuries-old techniques, alongside more modern workshops focused on export. There is a permanent ceramic market and several workshops where it is possible to try your hand at the potter's wheel. |
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? Van Phuc — silk About 10 km from the center of Hanoi, Ha Dong district More than ten centuries of history for this village specialized in silk weaving. Traditional looms are still active in some houses, alongside more recent workshops that produce scarves, áo dài and upholstery fabrics. The village is now both a production site and a tourist destination in its own right. |
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✨ Chuyen My — mother-of-pearl marquetry Phu Xuyen district, about 40 km south of Hanoi Specializing in mother-of-pearl inlay on wood and lacquer, this village joined the global network of creative craft cities in 2026 alongside Son Dong. Artisans still hand-inlay mother-of-pearl motifs into screens, boxes and lacquered furniture — a precision work that takes several weeks for a single piece. |
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?️ Son Dong — lacquer sculpture Hoai Duc district, western outskirts of Hanoi A village historically focused on sculpting religious objects — statues, altars, gold-lacquered cult objects. Today, Son Dong artisans apply this know-how to more contemporary decorative objects, while preserving traditional lacquer techniques passed down for generations. |
3. The Northwest: ethnic minority textiles
While Hanoi concentrates "workshop" crafts, the Vietnamese Northwest is home to a different kind of craft: a domestic, feminine craft, integrated into daily life rather than mass production. Here, weaving, dyeing and embroidery are not a profession separate from life — they are an integral part of it.
In the Hmong, Dao, Thai or Tay villages of Sapa, Mai Chau and Ha Giang, girls learn from primary school to handle thread, choose colors and weave brocade. Indigo dyeing — chàm — remains a strong identity marker among the Hmong and Tay, passed down from mother to daughter for generations.
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? Beeswax batik — Hmong ethnic group Sapa and Ha Giang region, notably Lung Tam village An ancestral technique: using a bamboo and copper tool called a tjanting, Hmong women draw patterns with hot beeswax on hemp fabric, before dipping it several times in an indigo bath. The wax prevents the dye from penetrating, revealing the negative pattern once the fabric is boiled. Each piece is unique: none follows a pre-established model. |
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? Indigo dyeing — Hmong and Tay ethnic groups Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, Sapa markets Indigo is not just a color: it is a complete savoir-faire, from cultivating the indigo plant to fermenting the dye, generally between July and August. The result is immediately recognizable: these deep blue-black garments worn by Hmong and Tay women in the Northwest markets, whose shade deepens with each wash. |
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? White Thai weaving Mai Chau, Hoa Binh province In the stilt houses of Mai Chau, the loom is often part of the household furniture. White Thai women produce scarves, blankets, and upholstery fabrics with characteristic geometric patterns, dyed with indigo or in brighter colors. It is one of the rare places where you can see the entire process, from raw thread to finished fabric, in a single village. |
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“In the Northwest, craftsmanship is not visited in a workshop: it is experienced in the home. This is the difference between watching a craft and sharing daily life.” — Typic Travel Team, local expert Vietnam |
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4. Hoi An and the Center: pottery, lanterns, wood
At the other end of the country, the Hoi An region also concentrates about ten traditional craft villages, recently grouped into a new tourist itinerary to diversify the region's cultural offerings.
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? Thanh Ha — pottery About 3 km west of Hoi An city center A peaceful village where the smell of wet clay and the rhythm of the potter's wheel still punctuate daily life. Recognized in 2019 as a national intangible cultural heritage and designated in 2025 as "best community tourism destination," Thanh Ha today sees a new generation of artisans — often trained by their parents — reinventing traditional forms for both visitors and collectors. |
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? Silk lanterns Hoi An Old Town A visual symbol of Hoi An, the making of bamboo and silk lanterns remains a family activity in several workshops in the old town. The bamboo structure is hand-woven, then covered with stretched and painted silk. It is one of the few crafts in the country where tourist demand has directly helped maintain - or even develop - the number of active artisans. |
5. Summary table: who makes what, and where
To help you find your way, here is a summary of the main crafts still active in Vietnam, and the regions where to observe them:
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Village / region |
Craft |
Who still makes it |
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Bat Trang (Hanoi) |
Ceramics |
Families of artisan potters, traditional and modern export-oriented workshops |
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Van Phuc (Hanoi) |
Woven silk |
Weavers on traditional looms and áo dài tailoring workshops |
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Chuyen My (Hanoi) |
Mother-of-pearl inlay |
Artisans specializing in inlay on wood and lacquer, family transmission |
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Son Dong (Hanoi) |
Lacquer carving |
Sculptors specializing in religious and decorative objects lacquered with gold |
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Lung Tam, Sapa, Ha Giang |
Batik and indigo (Hmong) |
Hmong women, know-how passed down from mother to daughter from childhood |
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Mai Chau (Hoa Binh) |
White Thai weaving |
Thai women weaving at home, craft integrated into daily life |
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Sapa, Ta Phin |
Brocade embroidery (Red Dao) |
Red Dao and Xa Pho women, embroidery practiced and taught from school age |
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Thanh Ha (Hoi An) |
Pottery |
Families of potters, new generation trained by the elders |
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Hoi An Ancient Town |
Silk lanterns |
Family workshops, activity supported by tourist demand |
6. Buy responsibly: how to recognize authentic craftsmanship
Not all objects sold as "traditional craftsmanship" in Vietnam are locally made. Some very touristy villages — this is particularly the case for certain sales points near Sapa — resell imported copies, unrelated to the local know-how they claim to represent.
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Some benchmarks for buying with confidence
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Prioritize purchases directly from the artisan or their family, in the production village
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On authentic indigo fabric, the shade is irregular and deepens with time — a blue that is too uniform is often a sign of industrial chemical dyeing
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For Hmong batik, each pattern is unique: two strictly identical pieces are rarely handmade
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Organizations like Craft Link, based in Hanoi, directly support ethnic minority artisans and guarantee fair remuneration
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Don't hesitate to ask to see the workshop or the loom: an artisan proud of their work will gladly show it to you
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? Our recommendation: The best time to observe indigo dyeing in the Northwest is between July and August, a period when Hmong women traditionally prepare their fabrics for the season. |
7. Experience craftsmanship rather than just observing it
The difference between a "tourist craft village" and an authentic encounter often comes down to one thing: time. A bus that stops for twenty minutes in front of a workshop will see a demonstration. A traveler who takes the time to sit down, ask questions, try the loom or the potter's wheel themselves, will experience an encounter.
At Typic Travel, our local guides personally know many artisans in the Northwest and the Hanoi region — not just the most visited workshops, but also families who rarely open their doors to groups. This is one of the concrete advantages of a private tour: the time to stop where it matters.
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“Vietnamese craftsmanship is not just a souvenir you bring back. It's a conversation you can have, if you take the time to stop.” — Typic Travel Team, local expert Vietnam |
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Integrate craftsmanship into your Vietnam trip
Several of our private tours include stops at local artisans — not just as a group visit, but as an organized encounter with families our guides personally know.
A question? pro.marcusco@gmail.com ? +33 6 29 14 31 22
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? Tour 1 — "Northern Vietnam Grand Tour" 14 days / 13 nights · Private tour · From $1,570 / person · Hanoi and its craft villages (ceramics, silk) · Northwest tour with textile encounters among ethnic minorities · Junk cruise on Halong Bay as a finale · Specialized French-speaking guides, private transfers, selected accommodations |
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? Tour 2 — "Vietnam in Depth" 21 days / 20 nights · Private tour · From €1,765 / person · Complete Northwest tour + Hanoi craft villages · Private junk cruise on Halong Bay and Lan Ha · Hoi An — visit Thanh Ha and lantern workshops · Hue and the Ancient Imperial Capital, beach stay in Phu Quoc |
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Ready to discover Vietnamese craftsmanship with Typic Travel? Free and personalized quote in 24h · Private tours · Local expert for +20 years |
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Tags: Vietnam Handicrafts · Craft Villages · Van Phuc Silk · Bat Trang Ceramics · Hmong Indigo · Mai Chau Weaving · Typic Travel · Private Vietnam Tour
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