Silk village Van Phuc a hub of tourism in Hanoi

Van Phuc silk village in Van Phuc ward, Ha Dong district of Hanoi is one of the most famous craft villages in Vietnam.

The oldest national silk village, with a thousand-year-old history, still retains the tradition of weaving and preserves significant cultural and historical values.

A traditional craft village

Speaking about Van Phuc history Pham Khac Ha, chairman of the Van Phuc Silk Weaving Village Association proudly said it was Vietnam's one of the most famous and beautiful silk villages in the world.

During feudal times, Van Phuc silk was chosen to make national costumes for the Nguyen Dynasty kings (1802-1945).

In 1931, for the first time, Van Phuc silk was introduced internationally at the Marseille fair and the French considered it one of the most sophisticated and beautiful silk lines of Indochina.

By 1958, the silk was exported to Eastern European countries and today it is still a favoured product for many domestic and foreign consumers.

Van Phuc silk is famous for its durability, beauty and softness. That special and unique feature is thanks to the skilled hands and experience of the people of Van Phuc.

Over many generations, the artisans have maintained their traditional craft techniques. Patterns are symmetrical, meticulous and sophisticated, while being no less beautiful and durable and are suitable for customers of all tastes.

The silk weaving process is not much different from the traditional one. Artisans put raw silk on the reel and pull out small cores to hook the loom, they connect it up and start to weave.

While weaving, they skillfully interlace silk threads at right angles to form patterns within the fabric, which will get ever more elaborate and meticulous, before becoming a completed product.

Artisan Tran Thi Ngoc Lan said that within the village, many crafts people have received certificates from the State and the Vietnam Craft Villages Association.

Among them is Do Van Hien, a pattern designer for silk products of the village. Hien not only restores ancient patterns but also designs new ones.

Designing is also one of the most difficult stages in silk weaving and the variety of designs depends greatly on the skills of those who create them.

According to a report by the People's Committee of Van Phuc Ward, there are currently over 100 weaving households in the ward, each year producing 1.2-1.5 million metres fabric of all kinds, earning a revenue of about VND100 billion ($4 million).

Currently, Van Phuc people weave about 70 types of patterns with different names, such as floral ribbon, dragon and phoenix, flying cloud and cinnamon flower.

In the age of technology, to diversify markets and target exports, many households have applied newer techniques to push their businesses and products today are often uploaded on e-commerce platforms to reach more customers.