Secret Handicraft Villages of Hanoi (Aldeias de incenso e chapéu)

Great little tour. Including hat village, incense village, bahn mi lunch and Hanoi city tour. Louisa was a fantastic and funny guide and a great photographer.

An absolute must! It’s interesting, informative, creative, and fun, and it gives you a real glimpse into the cottage industries that make Vietnam what it is.

If you want a little time out from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, then this trip out of town is for you! We visited 3 different villages, firstly seeing the amazing wood carving and having a go at creating our own lacquered picture (mindful, relaxing and good fun) We then went for a typical Vietnamese lunch, kindly hosted by a local lady. The food was served sharing style and catered to vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters within the group and was a delicious taste of local food. We had a demonstration of the art of hat-making and helped prepare some palm leaves for them. Our final visit was to see incense sticks being made and have a go ourselves, followed by some breathtaking photo opportunities amongst the colourful incense stick display. The whole day gave me a really authentic and interesting insight into daily life in the villages and we travelled through some fascinating scenery. We were extremely well looked-after by Jane and Lulu and I would highly recommend this tour.

Jane put together an incredible day of cultural immersion that was interesting and very hands on .We totally enjoyed learning about the conical hats , visiting an incense factory and creating a lacquer art piece of our own . The lunch was delicious !

Highly recommend, Wonderful visit to the 3 villages, made handicrafts, received gifts, excellent learning experience, we were immersed in the culture, fabulous lunch prepared by Vietnamese family, guides were friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable, thank you Jane

Interesting, educational and fun day with a visit to 3 different handicraft villages. Our guide was knowledge-rich and fun-willfully shared away about his everyday life in Vietnam

Very insightful and interesting if you're looking for a cultural tour that's a little more "off the beaten path". The lunch was REALLY good! For the price of the tour & time spent with us, its a good deal. Doing a tour of this type is also a great reminder at how privileged we are in my country. When you compare all the work and time these families put in to their craft with so little money gained, its really eye opening. This isnt a tour where anyone is trying to sell you anything though. I kind of thought it might be, but no. No one bugs you about buying things. That said, when you go to the hat maker and the art shop, you'll definitely want to buy a BUNCH of beautiful things though!! 😆 I had to remind myself my suitcase is stuffed full enough already. 😊

First we went to the lacquer village watched a the man at work then it was time for us to have a go. Then we went to the conical hats village where they still make all the hats by hand. I did buy a fabulous one. Then the family made us a traditional delicious lunch. Lastly we went to see how the incense sticks are made and of course those amazing photo opportunities. Was a great day out.

Great day trip. Three different handicraft villages. One for the traditional art of lacquering. We “had a go” and could buy lovely lacquered pieces A conical hat making village we we watched this ancient tradition and had a lovejy lunch made by a local family and finally traditional incense making. A full day which was so interesting and different

We thoroughly enjoyed this small-group tour to the traditional incense-making villages, where we learned firsthand from local artisans about crafting joss sticks (incense sticks), lacquer paintings, and the iconic nón lá hats. Our journey began with a visit to one of the largest bamboo factories, where we observed how incense sticks are meticulously handcrafted from thin bamboo slivers, coated with fragrant cinnamon paste, and sun-dried in vibrant, fan-like displays. The artisans then guided us through the intricate process of creating the nón lá, detailing each meticulous step of its construction. We also explored the fascinating art of sơn mài (lacquer painting), a technique that involves building up multiple layers from the topmost down, almost in reverse of traditional painting methods. Our guide, Vu, was exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, ensuring the experience felt special and unrushed. A highlight was the side trip to the home of a Vietnam War veteran and his wife, where we enjoyed tea and heartfelt stories. Highly recommend this tour for an authentic, offbeat experience!