Arts and crafts Hanoi

The engraving of seals used by scholars was a traditional activity in the capital. An ancient art that had almost disappeared, but resurrected thanks to the tourists' craze for an original and customizable souvenir. The design is first traced on paper, then the inverted pattern is engraved on the tiny space of the stamp with a wood chisel. Choose from a catalog of traditional designs or create your own. The price depends on the size and complexity of the design.

Craft Link is a Vietnamese non-profit organization whose objective is to promote fair trade by helping artisans access new markets in the context of a transition economy. It provides assistance in marketing, quality control and product adaptation, and is directed at marginalised producers as a matter of priority: ethnic minorities, street children, disabled… The products presented (ceramics, textiles and soies embroidered…) are beautiful gifts to offer or to offer.

A shop a little far from the tourist centre, but worth the trip if you want to offer or give yourself a somewhat exceptional gift. Very beautiful objects (trays, vases, etc.) in lacquered wood. It takes almost a year to make some pieces, which explains a price that may seem high, but it is not, given the exceptional quality of the work. They are always unique pieces made by hand according to the traditional techniques of Vietnamese lacquer (son ta), a thousand-year-old tradition

For decades, the famous Mr. Pham Ngoc Toan, the owner of this shop (his family has been in the carpentry business for 5 generations), has been faithful to his job. Rain or shine, he is at work, handling the chisel with dexterity, engraving a stamp, with concentration under the fascinated eye of the customers. In another life, Mr. Pham Ngoc Toan was a physics and mathematics teacher. Wooden stamps made by hand, pattern to choose from the fifty or so models or to create. Also in wood, very beautiful traditional cake molds.