Hanoi area arts and crafts

lirelou wrote:

A question for the Hanoi crowd.

Where are the interesting arts and crafts villages or neighborhoods in the Hanoi area? On a previous trip a friend born in the North showed us some interesting tea sets she had purchased at a village that specialized in Pottery making. I also assume that silk may still be produced there. So, what are Hanoi's famous art and craft products? And which outlying neighborhoods or villages are worth a day trip?

Also, are the traditional Northern style hats (Non Quay Thao) made anywhere? When did the Northerners switch to the Non La?

Lirelou, I am not an Hanoian but here is my understanding:

- Hanoi is famous with 2 "hand-made traditional products" belonging 2 villages: (i) Bát Tràng for gốm (pottery); and (ii) Hà Đông for lụa (silk).  While Bát Tràng is a rural district of Hà Nội (Gia Lâm - about 15km from the centre, if I remember correctly!), Hà Đông was originally a district of Hà Tây Province (the Province was merged to Hà Nội in around 2009 and was not existed anymore).  I am not sure about the pottery product in Bát Tràng but for the silk product in Hà Đông, although there is a "traditional village" at Vạn Phúc - Hà Đông, most of the silk product are imported from China and marked as "made in Hà Đông".  Only ones who knows the family manufacturing silk in Hà Đông can get the real silk made in "traditional ways" which are rarely existing nowadays.  However, trust me, real silk can warm you up in the winter (at least a bit in the early winter) and make you feel easy in the summer! I was really surprised about it.

- Nón Quai Thao is normally going with Áo Tứ Thân (cant translate into English, sorry!).  You can easily find it on "Quan Họ songs" in Bắc Ninh Province (about 40km far from Hà Nội).  Not sure when was it switched to Nón Lá but would be earlier than 1945.

- Hà Nội is also famous with "traditional food" mứt (jam) and other.

- One day trip to Bát Tràng or Vạn Phúc should be worth it. I have not been to Bắc Ninh, but if you go to Bắc Ninh, should make it around 13 first month of Lunar year, there is "Hội Lim" there.  I still cant make it yet but my friends said that it would be worth to go.

Are you going up to the north by the way?

Aibiet. Thank you very much for your reply. I don't plan on going this trip as I've been there twice in the cool months. I'm only there for a month, but my wife will be in Vietnam for three months and her sisters want to see Hanoi again. They've been twice too. This time they want to go by plane.

So,  Bát Tràng and Vạn Phúc (Hà Đông). I'll pass that along to her.

ps, I'm a South-Central Person at heart. My wife is Southern, but she loves Hue and Hanoi for tourism. The great irony is Hoi An, so popular with tourists, doesn't count for much with country Vietnamese.