Incense Village, Hat Making & Lacquer Artisan Small Group Hanoi
Description
Immerse yourself in the traditional crafts of Hanoi on this guided tour. Visit the Chuong, Ha Thai and Quang Phu Cau villages and learn about the art of lacquerware, incense and conical hat making. If you are looking for some cool places off-the-beaten track nearby Hanoi with great local vibes, then this tour could be a perfect choice.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Begin your adventure in Ha Thai village, renowned for its lacquerware production since the 17th century. Meet a celebrated local artisan who will introduce you to this traditional art form. Under their expert guidance, you'll have the opportunity to create your own lacquer painting as a unique souvenir.
Next, journey to the 300-year-old Chuong village, famous for its conical hat making. Wander through the village and, depending on availability, either visit a war veteran to hear personal stories from the Vietnam War or meet other local artisans to learn about their daily lives. Enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch prepared by a local female artisan, immersing yourself in authentic Vietnamese hospitality. After lunch, try your hand at painting your own hat or join in the hat-making process with guidance from skilled craftspeople.
Complete your artisanal tour at the vibrant Quang Phu Cau incense village. Walk through the village center to observe family-scale incense production. Visit a household specializing in dyeing incense sticks and capture stunning photos of colorful incense bundles. The experience culminates with a tour of the village's largest incense factory, where you'll witness the entire production process and gain insights into the lives of rural workers.
Visit a household specializing in dyeing incense sticks and capture stunning photos of colorful incense bundles. The experience culminates with a tour of the village's largest incense factory, where you'll witness the entire production process and gain insights into the lives of rural workers.
17:30 - 18:00: Your journey concludes with a return to Hanoi, with the option to be dropped off at the famous Train Street or another location of your choice.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer free pick up inside Old Quarter area. If you are staying outside, please discuss with us in advance for the best convenient pick up location
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1,491)
Interesting tour with a chance to learn about local traditions and crafts. We especially appreciated visiting small family-run craft workshops, which felt authentic and gave a good insight into local life. For a half-day tour, however, quite a lot of time was spent driving between locations, and the van could have been more comfortable given the road conditions. Overall, a good experience.
Louisa our guide was fabulous. We really enjoyed our visit to the villages and her sharing of information about Vietnamese culture and history. The prison and temple visits were really impactful and gave us a deeper understanding of the Vietnamese people. Thank you Louisa for a very insightful day.
Such a magic experience. Louisa spoke excellent English and kept us entertained all morning with interesting facts and stories. She also took amazing photos for us. Highly recommend.
It was a great experience to the incense and Vietnamese hat industry. Our tour guide Sabrina was great she had the right mix of knowledge and light humor and out right nice personality. I felt the energy and passion she has for here culture and people. I highly recommend for people that interested in beauty and culture but suitable for anyone looking for a fun experience with some culture and knowledge supporting the local economy of the village doing this trades for generations . It also offers some fun arts and crafts.
I had a good time experiencing the craft villages! It's a nice intro to how people create traditional products.Kevin is great !!!
Fun day with Iris visiting the incense village where we not only took beautiful pics but also learned to color incense sticks. We also went to an artisan’s house and learned how the conical hat is made and got to paint our own. Iris was punctual, energetic and great at explaining all processes. We had a fun day with our 3 and 5-year olds. Recommended!
We had a fun day with Iris going to the incense village to take some pictures and learn about coloring incense sticks and then going to someone’s house to learn the art of making the conical hat and painting our own hat to take home. Everything was as described. Iris was very punctual, got to our hotel around noon and got us back around 5pm. The van was comfortable and had a bottled water for each of us. Iris’s explanation of the whole process was very helpful. She was attentive and helped us with pics and videos as well. I went with my 3 and 5- year olds and they enjoyed it as well. Recommended!
We had a fun day with Iris going to the incense village to take some pictures and learn about coloring incense sticks and then going to someone’s house to learn the art of making the conical hat and painting our own hat to take home. Everything was as described. Iris was very punctual, got to our hotel around noon and got us back around 5pm. The van was comfortable and had a bottled water for each of us. Iris’s explanation of the whole process was very helpful. She was attentive and helped us with pics and videos as well. I went with my 3 and 5- year olds and they enjoyed it as well. Recommended!
We booked this on a whim and it turned out to be an absolute highlight of our time in Vietnam. A full day out of Hanoi visiting three traditional craft villages with our guide Louisa, who was genuinely one of the best tour guides we've encountered anywhere. Funny, warm, knowledgeable and just brilliant company all day. First up was the incense village at Quang Phu Cau, where we watched the sticks being made and were treated to some spectacular photo opportunities - huge bundles of brightly coloured incense fanned out in the sun, genuinely one of the most photogenic scenes we've ever stumbled into. Next, conical hat making at Chuong village. We painted our own hats and watched two family members demonstrate the craft with incredible skill. The family had also laid on a wonderful Vietnamese buffet lunch for us - delicious, generous and a really lovely touch. Then on to the lacquer gallery at Ha Thai village, where we had a proper go at creating our own piece to take home. Much trickier than it looks, but all the more satisfying for it. As a bonus, we finished the day at a lotus embroidery shop with tea, snacks, beautiful work on display, and a lovely relaxed way to round things off before being dropped back. Excellent value for a packed, varied and genuinely immersive day. You leave with full hands (we brought home our hat, some incense and lacquer piece), a full stomach, and a much richer understanding of the craft traditions keeping these villages alive.
Highly recommend - the funniest (yet still very educational) tour guide Louisa was super engaging and always kept a light, fun and slightly cheeky approach to an educational day. The tour was fun, engaging and educational - had a much deeper appreciation for the incredible amount of time, effort and skill that goes into Vietnamese craft, and our tour guide was also great at being both a photographer and stand-in model. I didn't know what to expect on the day, but it was above and beyond what I thought it would be.
