After having visited the Twin Mountains, our tour continued into Lùng Tám, one of the bigger towns in picturesque Quản Bạ valley region. This village of colorfully-attired H'mong people is dedicated to weaving and the fabrication of linen products.
Just to the southwest of the city center lies Bát Tràng, a village which has been making ceramics for centuries. We spent a day here, touring a factory and admiring the ceramics being sold in just about every store in town.
Thirty kilometers to the southwest of Hanoi lies the village of Đông Sơn, known for its wicker products. We took a Grab Car to visit a small factory that produces wicker goods, and hoping to see the villagers at work.
Hanoi is surrounded by hundreds of so-called craft villages; communities which have historically dedicated themselves to a particular craft. Though they've lost much of their prominence in the modern age of industrialization and mass production, and many have been consumed by the expansion of Hanoi, some of them are still plugging away. One such place is the forging village of Đa Sỹ, thirteen kilometers to the southwest of the capital. This wasn't the first craft village we'd…
Just across the Thu Bồn River river from Hoi An, Cam Kim is an island known for its traditional crafts and quiet way of life. We spent a morning biking around the island, enjoying the escape from Hoi An's crowds.
