Van Diem carpentry village

Van Diem belongs to Thuong Tin District, 20km South from Hanoi. It is an area of longstanding traditional woodwork trade, with wood carved products of high quality. This carpentry in Van Diem came into existance in the still unknown, may be it is because of life requirement people of van Dien learn this profession from somewhere else and then impart to each other.

As time, when by Van Dien people with their skillfull hand and traditional know how has brought the carpentry to a very hight grow lever, they suplier hight quality produce with good aesthetic value which well meet the country demand as well as that of foreign countries.

The industry was developed owing to antique dealers and secondhand repairers learnt acknowledge. Afterwards, thank to increasing demands, the hamlet's woodwork industry has been significantly developed.  In addition to lacquer painting and fine arts encrusting, woodwork is a traditional industry bring high income for home craft households.

Thank to woodwork industry, villagers living standard is not only food and clothes but also targeted forbest food and beautiful clothescontributing to the cause of building rural areas modernized, civilized and cultural. It can be said that Van Diem trade village's super quality woodworks have been meeting demands and requirements of the most fastidious customers.  In parallel with that, the traditional woodwork industry is also a national fine arts beauty when introduced to world markets such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, etc.

Van Ha carpentry village

Self-turning tables can now be reproduced by carpenters at an ancient carpentry village in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam.This was once the traditional product of Van Ha Village in Tam Thanh Commune of Phu Ninh District. But it had disappeared for decades long before young artisans studied to restore the techniques to make the product.

Without using any ball bearings or metal sheets, the table faces can turn around thanks to their special design.A big pillar decorated like a flower vase is vertically placed on a joint of three legs below.

The table face is then placed atop the pillar, as illustrated in pictures attached to this story show.

The turning of the face is based on techniques, not magic or wizardry as rumored before.

To make the table face able to turn round with minimum force, a depression must be made at the exact center on its back side to smoothly match with the top part of the pillar of the table.

It still requires some more tricks and secrets that were not revealed by carpenters to make the table face sensitive to a minimum force, such as the placing of human palms on it.

Before, it was rumored that the table face turns clockwise if one or more people place their palms on it for three seconds, and it turns counterclockwise if palms are placed upward on the table face.

In short, placing either side of your hands is the force needed to make the sensitive table face turn around, and determining the direction is based on the psychological factor of the people impacting it.

Senior carpenter Dinh Tham, now in his 90s, is credited as the authentic restorer of the ancient wood tables of Van Ha Village.

The village, which is believed to have been established in the 14th century, produced wood tables of this design centuries ago, and the last one was made 70 years back.However, Van Ha carpenters at that time did not know that the tables could turn around by placing hands on itThe fact was randomly uncovered by users in the 1990s when the techniques of creating the tables had faded with the passing away of skilled carpenters.Then, they were rumored as magic self-turning tables.

In 2012, Tham was asked by clients to repair two ancient tables his father had made decades earlier. Tham managed to discover how to make the tables turn around.

He transferred ‘the technology' to the two most experienced young carpenters in the village, Pham Mien and Tran Ngoc Tuan.

Currently, they can create new tables, with new wood pieces, with turning table faces. Before, it was believed that only ancient timber could make it turn around.

In 2013, Tham and his young artisans introduced their products at an exhibition in Tam Ky City of Quang Nam Province.

Now, the turning tables of Van Ha Village are well known across the nation and many families wish to own such a table made with ancient techniques, even though they are much more expensive than a normal one.New self-turning tables are presently carved with complicated decorations.

Tham said that all self-turning tables that were advertised as magical ancient furniture were produced by Van Ha carpenters. The oldest such table left till now is over 200 years old.This was because the special design was owned by Van Ha carpentry village, he added.Tham and his colleagues in Van Ha have sold dozens of tables across the nation.

Le Van Chuong, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Tam Thanh Commune, admitted that the restoration of the tables is thanks to the contribution of Dinh Tham and other skillful carpenters in Van Ha.

Bich Chu carpentry village

Located by Red River in Vinh Tuong District Bich Chu is a point of note in the overall picture of Vinh Phuc country landscape. Since long time, Bich Chu has been well known of its marvelous carpentry.

Being a midland village with lyric scenery of palm forest and tea hill, Bich Chu is a famous traditional carpentry village of Vinh Phuc province. Their products are not only the pround of villagers but also being admired by Vietnamese and foreigners, that is why there exists a sentence: "Bamboo wares in Vinh Mo, wooden ware in Bich Chu".

The village elders usually tell a story to descendants about the village history which was formed since more than 500 years. The Lo Ban patriarch is being worshipped in the village. Through development history, carpentry has been reserved as a treasure from generation to generation with daily improvement. For the time being, there are about 1,000 carpenters in the village who are able to make furniture as cupboard, bed, table, chair,…; interior decoration as ceiling, floor, stairs,…; and also art products as statues for sanctuary and temples, big character panel which is red lacquered trimmed with gold,…They are not only good at simple designs for European market but also good at complicated carving for Asia market.

Bich Chu products are welcomed at all provinces in Viet Nam. Many new enterprises were established and brought Bich Chu products to many high quality furniture shops in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh city and other provinces.Would you spare once your little time to come to Bich Chu you will have a good opportunity to gaze with admiration the artisans' high talent and great creativeness. You will be very interested in the look at great To Vu a legendary shepherd akind Venerable Mitreya (Buddha) or a powerful eagle and if you are on the Red River in a windy afternoon when the sun is setting you can hear the rattling and other bustling noises in the small hamlet. You will never forget them as they are always as a solo in a concert in a peaceful village

La Xuyen carpentry village

Following the stories of the gods, the carpentry’s founder is Ninh Huu Hung, was born in 936 in Chi Phong Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province. He comes from the continuity of a carpentry family line so that he became a great famous carpenter in his area.

When Dinh Tien Hoang had unified the nation, he recruited variety of talents and skilled worker in localities across the country to helping the Court. One of them was Ninh Huu Hung. He was assigned to construct the Palace in capital city. It was an opportunity for him to show his talent. He was nominated for the position Supervising General of the Army. 

The Le was taken the place of the Dinh, Dai Hanh Emperor had the palace rebuilt after defeating Tong army. And at this time, Hung was used at an important function. As an undaunted man, Hung was selected to King’s escort protecting the King. Le Dai Hanh usually visited many places and Hung was picked out following with him. Once, Le King crossed over Cai Nanh (nowaday La Xuyen), he saw an ancient temple appeard intermittently. 

The King decided to stop the board to visit. Realized that’s a beautiful land but sparse population, the King let Ninh Huu Hung stay there. Since then, Hung settled here and moved his descendants, relatives to set up a bigger hamlet. He devoted his own money to enroll people, encourage farming expansion, develope handicraft. Carpentry which was imparted to local native by Hung more and more developed. His merit was penetrated into the hearts of people so that people who came to do business all get the surname – Ninh. Therefore, this area had been called Ninh Fief and then Ninh Xa. Hung died on April 6th 1020. To show deep gratitude and respect, the villager had set up a temple for Hung.

La Xuyen is the craft village having a rich history of thousands of years with dozens of skilled workers who participated in building palaces, temples for feudal dynasties. Ninh Huu Hung, the first founder in setting up hamlet, imparting to local native, was the famous craftsman in both of Dinh – Le dynasty using at an important function.

Traditional carpentry in La Xuyen which the pinnacle is the carving art almost reached perfectly. These local carpenters had been not only in Eastern but also in Western country to make a lot of villages’ beauty. Their huge productions are the architectural works with widen spaces and heighten the height of antique dome. Plentiful and common productions such as incense-table, hammock, sindora wood bed, tea chest… all showed high level technique.

Till now, a part of traditional craft village has remained in communal house. The talented carpenters contributed their minds, skilled hands into a huge architectural works. These artisans really infused a vital spirit into the carving and relief works throughout the time. Nowadays, La Xuyen is just a small village of Yen Ninh commune, Y Yen district, but this craft village is still alive throughout the time and become more and more famous. With the tradition of a long-standing craft village, La Xuyen has been contributing to bring fame to motherland.

Kim Bong carpentry village

Since the 16th century, the village which originated in the north of Vietnam, has had its artisans work on furniture and houses across the country, from prominent buildings in Ha Noi to Hue citadel and royal tombs or most of the architectural projects in Hoi An’s heyday.

Location and history

Since the 16th century, the village which originated in the north of Vietnam, has had its artisans work on furniture and houses across the country, from prominent buildings in Hanoi to Hue citadel and royal tombs or most of the architectural projects in Hoi An’s heyday. The style of Kim Bong Carpentry is said to be the excellent combination of Cham kingdom, China, Japanese... and of course the talented hands of Vietnamese craftmen.

For many years, Kim Bong village has developed vigorously and formed 3 groups of artisans: ancient architectural construction, civil wooden furniture and shipbuilding. Whichever the group they are in, Kim Bong's craftsmen still keep their traditional manner of starting out as apprentices and earning the rank of master through years of hard work.

What to do

Today, the tour to Kim Bong Carpentry Village is often a half-day bicycle, which allows visitors to see the artisans working with their skillful hands on the crafts. Kim Bong’s common products such as furniture, religious statues and finely crafted wooden doors can be found and bought on souvenirs shops. They range from the few-dollar coasters or knick-knacks to large religious statues of thousands of dollars. Lots of artisans have shifted to the work of recovering historical monuments or relics, especially old houses in Hoi An.

Walking down the village, tourists will see two parallel streets with low open-fronted buildings. Some of them are the artisans’ working places. The most famous shop is that of Mr. Huynh Ri, where visitors may also have the chance to watch the shipbuilding area where wooden fishing vessels are built using traditional techniques.

How to get there

A boat trip from the Old Town of Hoi An (which can be found at Bach Dang Street) is a common way for tourists to come to Kim Bong village.

Dong Ky carpentry village

Dong Ky is 15km north-east of Hanoi.Dong Ky was at one time known as the ‘firecracker village’. Prior to 1995 (when the Government banned fire crackers) there was always a firecracker festival in Dong Ky. A competition for the loudest firecracker once resulted in the building of a gargantuan 16m long firecracker.

With the firecracker industry now extinguished, the village survives by producing beautiful traditional furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl. If you wish, you can have handcrafted furniture custom-made here and exported directly to your address abroad. Arranging the payment may prove a bit tricky if you are leaving Vietnam before the final product is produced and shipped. 

Dong Ky is well-known for its craft of making things of wood with high artistic sophistication. The whole village, in the day-time is full of sawing and chiselling sounds. The main articles made there are furniture of high quality: tables, chairs, cupboards and ornate beds.

To make these products, many kinds of precious wood are used: talauma for big furniture to support a great weight; Sindora wood, iron wood (Erythophloum) and Cliukrusiu tabiHuris for the objects whose surface must be polished; for smaller furniture to be finely carved and decorated, the manglietia is preferred, and so on.

There are not only traditional models such as cupboards, ornate beds, etc. but also modern ones: drawing-room furniture, wardrobes, etc. As to the decoration, everything is artistically carved and also inlaid with mother-of-pearl of seven colours. The motifs are numerous: grass, flowers, trees, leaves, butterflies, bees or human figures, river and mountain and so on. You will surely be surprised by the highly artistic products of modest ordinary artisans.