Van Phuc Silk Village
Nhue River, 10 km southwest of Hanoi Old Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam
As one of over 1,000 traditional villages existing in Vietnam, Van Phuc Silk Village is considered as one of the few villages retaining the most beautiful cultural and historical traditions of the country.
Far about 10km from Hanoi City center, Van Phuc Silk Village is situated in Van Phuc ward, Ha Dong district, Hanoi. Located on the waterfront of Nhue River, the village still retains many ancient features, for instance, image of village well with pure lotus, the ancient banyan trees, and organizing marketplace right in the courtyard of communal house every afternoon. This is the traditional silk weaving village which has been famous for its beauty for years with numerous floral patterns and most longstanding in Vietnam. "Ha Dong Silk" as well as the products of Hanoi traditional villages has been frequently mentioned in ancient poetry. In many families, ancient looms have been retained and interspersed with modern mechanical ones. In particular, Van Phuc Silk Village once used to select as the tailor taking responsibility for national outfit under Nguyen Dynasty.
Visiting such one of the tourist attractions in Hanoi, tourists will surely have a chance to enjoy interesting experiences. Just setting foot in the village, tourists can hear the sound of bustling silk weaving. They will find easy to catch a busy atmosphere in showrooms introducing Van Phuc Village with colorful fabric. Van Phuc silk is actually durable. Tourists certainly feel soft and gentle when wearing costumes here. The distinctive and unique characters actually come from the skillful hands, virtuosity, and talents of Van Phuc people. According to legend, La Thi Nga, a village girl, had given birth to the rough silk weave with simple, ordinary silk products. Later, she was honored as Tutelary Deity of the handicraft village. From about the 16th century, Van Phuc weaving was enhanced and flourished. Numerous unique and premium items had been created with vivid, subtle patterns. Undergoing its ups and downs, Van Phuc Silk Village retains intact traditional values on fabric each. Weaving has been passed from generation to generation, contributing to create unique cultural features on costumes of Vietnam people. It thus becomes one of the most popular traditional villages in Hanoi.
To manufacture perfect silk products, Van Phuc workers have conducted a complex technical process including several stages such as silk, silk fiber, weaving, and dyeing. Each stage has to be conducted under strict regulations. Van Phuc silk was first introduced worldwide at international trade fairs (1931 and 1938), which was evaluated as sophisticated products of French Indochina. It has been popular in France, Thailand, Indonesia... From 1958 to 1988, Van Phuc silk products were mostly exported to countries in Eastern Europe. It has reached numerous countries around the world since 1990. The silk village has affirmed its product values on the international market.
Today, through generations, Van Phuc silk artisans and weavers have constantly improved and advanced manufacturing techniques. Therefore, silk products in the village always reaches flawlessness, sparkling smooth and soft feeling with iridescent colors, delicate pattern, elegance and magnificence. The pattern is always symmetrically decorated. It is not complicated, complex but surely generous, definitive. Over the generations, Van Phuc Silk Village has remained the traditional artistic counterpoint. Silk products thus not only become popular in the country but reach silk connoisseurs around the world.
Silk stores have sprung up more and more, forming three silk blocks with over 100 pavilions and reputable brands such as Cat Silk, Than Silk... Beautiful silks, fashionable models, bags or scarfs will be extremely suitable as gifts when setting foot in the silk village. In traditional silk categories in Van Phuc, Van Silk is probably the most famous. The special feature of Van Silk in particular and Van Phuc silk is generally is durable, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Diverse decorations make costumes become charming and lively. Van Phuc silk village displays its important contribution in promoting Hanoi tourism to domestic and international tourists.
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- craft villages in Hanoi
- Van Phuc Silk Village
- Van Phuc Village
- Van Phuc Silk
- Attractions in Hanoi
- Hanoi tourism
- Hanoi travel
- Hanoi traditional villages
- traditional villages in Hanoi
