Hanoi: Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Village or Hat, Incense Village

Highlights

• Discover the ancient craft of mother-of-pearl inlay in Chuon Ngo village
• Watch artisans create intricate designs using traditional techniques
• Explore Quang Phu Cau Incense Village to make your own incense
• Participate in a hands-on workshop to learn the art of incense making
• Visit Chuong Conical Hat Crafting Village - to paint your own conical hat

Description

Private Tour: The mother-of-pearl inlay village Begin your journey with a convenient pickup from your hotel in Hanoi. Head to Chuon Ngo village, located in Chuyen My commune of Phu Xuyen district, about 32 kilometers south of Hanoi. This village is renowned for its traditional craftsmanship of mother-of-pearl inlay. Learn about the history of the craft, which was passed on to Chuon Ngo villagers by Truong Cong Thanh, a mandarin of the Ly dynasty. Discover how, after helping General Ly Thuong Kiet defeat the Sung aggressors, he returned to the village and taught the villagers how to insert pieces of mussel and snail shells into wooden objects to create handicraft items. Visit a local workshop and see the intricate process of creating nacre inlay products. Watch as artisans select raw materials, design, draw, saw, inlay, carve, and polish their creations. Learn how mussels and sea snail shells are traditional sources of materials for crafting nacre inlay products. See how the villagers also use shells of silver-lipped pearl oysters and other types of oysters from various parts of the country, as well as abalones imported from Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Singapore. Among the imported raw materials, red abalone shells, with abundant shades of red, are considered the best. Watch as the craftsman selects suitable seashell slabs and saws them into desired shapes. In order to saw tiny details of exquisite patterns such as chrysanthemum petals, butterfly legs, bee legs, and shrimp antennae, the craftsman uses a special saw with the blade made from a hairspring. This step demands exceptional patience, skillful hands, and great attention as a single nacre inlay product may consist of thousands of fragile nacre pieces. After that, see how the pieces are roughly assembled and attached to the dry wooden surface with rice paper glue and their positions are marked in order to provide a clearer picture of what the finished product will look like. Once completing the carving, the craftsman applies layers of sap extracted from the wax tree, Rhus succedanea, a native plant grown in Phu Tho. Option HALF DAY Group Tour : Visit 2 Villages: Conical Hat and Incense Craft Village + Train Street (optional) Duration: ~ 6 hours Morning from 7:45~13:30 Afternoon from 11:45~17:30 Start with a pickup from Hanoi’s Old Quarter and head to Chuong, a village that has been well-known for the craft of conical hat-making for over 300 years. Get an observe how conical hats are made and decorate a hat by painting it then bring it home as a souvenir. Depart for the Quang Phu Cau village, which has been producing incense for more than 100 years. Take a walk to the center of the village and see how locals make incense on the artisanal, family scale. Meet a family who specializes in dyeing incense sticks and take in the colorful bundles of incense. Back to the city center. First place for drop off: Hanoi Train Street. If you don't want to get drop off here, please wait in the car.

Includes

Hotel pickup from Hanoi Visit to Chuon Ngo village Tour of local workshop Demonstration of nacre inlay process Viewing of mother-of-pearl inlay products Incense making workshops Visit to historical and cultural sites Explore village 01 free conical hat for painting in the hat village and take it home as a personalized souvenir Some free incense sticks after you made incense sticks yourself Bottled water All entrance fees Professional local tour guide Hotel pickup and drop-off at your hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter area

Important Information

• The village is located 32 kilometers south of Hanoi The craft involves intricate and delicate work The process of creating nacre inlay products is detailed and requires patience

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund