Sai Gon tours

Ha Tay Travel Guide

Ha Tay Overview (Note: From 2008 Ha Tay province was merged into Hanoi and became a part of the capital city)

Attractions

Van Phuc Silk Village

Located 15Km west of Hanoi, Van Phuc is renowned for centuries of silk making and silk products. The streets of Van Phuc, lined with modern store fronts selling beautiful silk clothes and fabrics, are abuzz with looms and sewing machines. The local silk is known for its smooth and lightweight appearance, qualities that enable it to be dyed more colors to suit a variety of skin tones. You can buy ready made garments or buy the raw fabric of your choosing and have one of Hanoi’s famous tailors custom craft your clothes.

The grandfathers of mother-of-pearl inlay – Ha Tay province

The handicraft village of Chuon Ngo in the northern province of Ha Tay is home to that quintessential Vietnamese art: mother-of-pearl inlay. The delicate and much-admired craft runs in the veins of resident who have passed the skills down the generations.

Truong Cong Thanh is believed to be the founding father of the craft.He graduated as a master of both literary arts and martial arts during the Ly Dynasty.Truong joined Ly Thuong Kiet’s forces to repel foreign invaders and was decorated. Then, he dedicated his life to travelling and learning about his passion – mother-of-pearl inlay.

The years have passed, but Truong’s legacy is still alive and well in Chuon Ngo.Three artisans from the village have had the Golden Hands Medal bestowed upon them.They have skilful hands, artistic eyes and creative minds.They embody the old adage: “Those who inlay mother-of-pearl into wood or copper seem to be laying their heart into their designs too.” I was fortunated to meet them on a recent trip to the village, in Chuyen My Commune of Phu Xuyen District.One of the men, Tran Ba Dinh, took me to a temple devoted to the Tutelary God of the village hidden under a century-old banyan tree.

The site was simple in its adornment, but he drew my attention to the parallel scrolls and gave a rough translation: “The people of Ngo Village give thanks for the prosperous life that is developing on this sacred land and will be handed down forever.”

Nguyen Thuyet Trinh, another Golden Handed master told me: “In the past Chuon Ngo mostly produced mother-of-pearl inlaid tea trays found in royal courts and on the banquet tables of kings, lords and queens.

“A mother-of-pearl inlaid tray placed on a carved bed was a symbol of nobility and dignity."

“Only rich people and Confucian scholars could afford to have them. Mother-of-pearl inlaid products go with old-styled houses: they match curved roofs covered in royal blue tiles.”They do not look so fine among our modern houses,” he conceded. Nguyen Van To is the final Golden Handed artisan. The 80-year-old man, who began his craft when he was just 18 years of age, dropped his chisel to receive me.He talked excitedly and moved briskly. He looked quite sturdy, despite his age.And he was keen to impart some crucial knowledge: the area should be referred to as Chuyen My, because the whole commune works at this craft. Chuong is apparently the village that first began the craft and is well-known to customers for the quality of its products.Neighbouring Ngo Ha is the village famous for its lacquer craft. So the names of these two villages are joined together to symbolise Chuyen My.

When you talk of Chuon Ngo, you are really referring to the seven handicraft villages of the commune. Chuon Ngo has 378 families with 1,700 inhabitants and 95 per cent of its households work in mother-of-pearl inlay. The craft has elevated locals out of poverty and 30 per cent of families are even dubbed “affluent.”

On average each craft family earns VND6 million per year. The lowest monthly salary of a worker is VND200,000, the highest VND500,000. Every year the village contributes VND500 million to State coffers.

Nguyen Thi Vui, chairwoman of Ngo Ha Co-operative, showed me samples of finished products. I had always admired mother-of-pearl inlay for its ability to turn simple mussel shells and wood into a sought-after piece of art. But I was more than amazed when knives and chisels that seemed to fly and dance and, in a twinkling, turned wood or horn into a shepherd, a buffalo, a bridge or a kite.

Chuon Ngo artisans now make a wide range of products. Apart from simple objects like tobacco boxes, trays and combs, they also produce carved beds, cabinets and even paintings and portraits. These products are renowned both at home and abroad and are already exported to Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. While some craft villages jealously guard the secrets of their art, Chuon Ngo is keen to share. Ngo Ha Co-operative, with assistance from World Vision, recently held three charity teaching courses for handicapped children from Phu Xuyen district, Nguyen Thi Vui explained.

One-hundred children have already completed the course and got jobs with monthly salaries ranging from VND150,000 to VND500,000.

At the moment, only the three Golden Handed artisans can make mother-of-pearl inlaid portraits and Nguyen Van To worries that the future generations may not produce any more medal winners. “The young generation are too pragmatic, they run after the spoils of the market economy and work in a careless manner. They are not concerned with art or creativity,” he confided. But the three master craftsmen are determined to keep their trade alive. They are even compelling children as young as seven or ten years to learn inlaying skills. Many local residents share the simplistic belief that their children will not be able to compete in the education stakes with children from urban areas. And even if they could compete, so the thinking goes, they would not earn as much as the average village craftsman.

As a result, many children from Chuon Ngo leave school when they have learnt only the basics: reading, writing and some simple arithmetic. Only 20 of the village’s children have completed secondary school and only four have managed to attain bachelor’s degrees in the past decade. Four other students from Chuon Ngo are currently studying at universities or colleges. But the village’s craftsmen must contend with another worry: the potential for damage to their health. Children learning the art must be meticulous, they sit for long periods of time to polish the mother-of-pearl and carve the wood. Many of them suffer from curvature of the spine and dust in their lungs.

Residents are concerned that the number of illiterate and sickly people will increase, as such an outcome would spell disaster for the village.

When I left Chuon Ngo I was struck by a sense of melancholy. Certainly, locals have prospered from mother-of-pearl inlay. But there are costs to be borne too. How do we minimise the costs but also protect the benefits? That is a question few can answer. Meanwhile, life goes on in Chuon Ngo and the good and bad take their toll. Sadly, such worries are not confined to this humble little craft village.

Phu Vinh Bamboo and Rattan – woven handicraft

Bamboo is ubiquitous in the Vietnamese countryside. Almost all villages are surrounded by bamboo hedges. Images of bamboo are attached to childhood, while a bamboo cane is a good companion to support old people when walking.

From ancient times, traditional bamboo and rattan weaving villages were established and have become famous both at home and abroad. Among them is Phu Vinh craft village in Chuong My district, Hà Tây province.Every family in Phu Vinh village weaves bamboo and rattan articles for domestic use and export. Over 6,000 out of 8,000 villagers practice the handicraft, earning more than VND 2.2 billion a year.

Along with bamboo, Phu Vinh village cultivates 120 mau (approximately 432,000 sq.m) with one main rice crop and one sub-crop a year due to the submerged fields. About 2,800 tons of rice are harvested annually, equaling the income earned from weaving. Weaving has created sideline jobs for the farmers in their free time as well as for the old and disabled, women and children. By undertaking both farming and weaving, Phu Vinh villagers have enjoyed a plentiful life.

The main instruments for bamboo and rattan weaving are knives, pincers, scissors and awls. The knives are varied: big knives for felling and cutting bamboo and rattan trees, small knives for splitting bamboo slices and pointed knives for whittling and polishing slices.

At first glance, experienced craftsmen know how to classify old and young bamboo trees. Old bamboo trees are used for making edges and frames, and the young ones are used for splints. Making splints requires skilled hands. Looking at the way an artisan controls a knife with his forefinger, it is possible to determine his expertise. Splints must be smooth, polished, of the same size, and kept away from humidity.

Designing, however, is the most difficult process and is usually done by experienced artisans. For example, to produce a bamboo and rattan-woven flower vase with a form and size suitable to a particular place, the artisan has to fashion appropriate splints and materials to make the frame and dye to colour the splints. From a picture, portrait or landscape painting, the artisan can imagine how to make a design work with bamboo and rattan materials.

Design artist Nguyên Van Kinh in Phu Vinh and his brother Nguyên Van Chung are famous for their expertise. They were invited to Cuba for vocational teaching and to studying the flora to find raw materials for weaving.

Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan-woven products exceed 500 varieties. The most notable include art work such as panels, couples, birds and animal pictures. They are made of extremely thin and small splints woven with a small awl as if embroidered. Another variety includes fruit baskets, trays, plates, bags, suitcases, sandals, hats, lamp shapes and flower vases.

A third category includes large baskets, sieves, buckets and creels.

Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan-woven products are in demand by both domestic and foreign customers. Orders from Russia, Great Britain, France, Japan, The United States and other countries are placed regularly to Phu Vinh craftsmen.

Related information

1. Halong Travel Guide
2. Ninh Binh Travel Guide
3. Vinh Travel Guide
4. Dalat Travel Guide
5. Phan Thiet travel guide