Van Phuc silk village and traditional cultural beauty from thousands of years

Talking about the beautiful and famous silk weaving village in Vietnam, we cannot help but mention the name of Van Phuc silk village, Ha Dong with delicate embroidery lines and patterns.

Van Phuc Silk Village Ha Dong is one of the most famous silk weaving villages in Vietnam. This is a traditional silk weaving village that has been recognized as the record “The oldest silk weaving village still operating to this day” awarded by the Vietnam Record Book Center. Moreover, Ha Dong silk village is also an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

How to get to Van Phuc Ha Dong silk village?

Van Phuc silk weaving village is also known as Ha Dong silk weaving village in Van Phuc ward – Ha Dong – Hanoi. Having existed for more than 1000 years, Van Phuc silk village is one of the most beautiful silk weaving villages in Vietnam.

From Hanoi center, to visit Van Phuc silk village, you will need to pass Nguyen Trai street to Ha Dong post office and then turn right; Or else you can follow the route Le Van Luong – To Huu. Although the current urbanization process is happening very quickly, Van Phuc Ha Dong silk village still retains its ancient beauty.

The history of Van Phuc Ha Dong silk village

Van Phuc silk village was formerly known as Van Bao. Due to the Nguyen Dynasty, the village was renamed Van Phuc. In 1931, for the first time, Van Phuc Ha Dong silk was promoted to the international market at the Marseille Fair and was rated by the French as one of the most beautiful and delicate silk lines of Indochina. By 1958, Van Phuc silk was exported to Eastern countries and so far, Ha Dong silk is popular in many countries around the world.

Over time, Van Phuc silk retains its traditional beauty. And now, Van Phuc silk is at the forefront of the textile industry in Vietnam. Van Phuc silk is always considered beautiful and durable. Because the pattern on silk is diverse, symmetrical decoration, elegant and simple lines bring the decisiveness and freedom to the viewer.

The production process of Van Phuc silk craft village

B1: Growing mulberry to raise silkworms

This is the first and extremely important stage for us to start creating the perfect beautiful Van Phuc silk sheets. The quality of silk will depend entirely on silkworm raising. Therefore, silkworm raising is extremely hard, and must be monitored regularly. When silkworms grow up, farmers have to avoid the silkworms to release silk and create cocoons. When the silkworms create cocoons, the artisan chooses the cocoon to prepare for the next silk collection stage.

B2: Collecting silk

After silkworms release silk and close cocoons. At this time, the artists continue to choose the old cocoons with good quality to pull the cocoon, also known as the silk yarn from the cocoon out of the silkworm. Previously, this process would be handcrafted but now it is made from machinery.

When the cocoon is finished, the long strands will be refined by the artist and then entered the reeling stage. This is the manual process to avoid tangled silk when put on a reel. 

B3: Weaving silk

After the silk is put on the reel, the yarn ends will be pulled out to the small cores to carry the weaving and splicing so that the system of fibers is fed into the loom. And at this time, the artist must be on duty 24/24 to detect the error or to continue the thread when needed.

The rough silk sheets after being woven will show the patterns on it. According to the Van Phuc silk village artist, this pattern is available on the machine according to the model, or according to the customer’s request. And when weaved, it will always be, not embroidered patterns like counterfeits. After about 2 to 3 days of weaving, the silk tube is about 45-50m long and will be dismantled and dyed.

B4: Dyeing fabric

Before dyeing, Van Phuc silk must be taken to cook and bleach to remove impurities. To make the silk more beautiful, the dyeing step is extremely important, especially the mixing of dyes in the right ratio.

Finished silk will be washed. Then it will be performed by artisans. Previously, if the weather conditions were favorable and there was plenty of space, the finished dyeing silk was exposed to the sun. Silk drying will be finished in accordance with the dyeing time, the silk plants will then be displayed or delivered to silk dealers.

In Nam An Craft, we proudly present to you the most high-qualified silk products from Van Phuc Ha Dong village.

Van Phuc silk village today

Today, Van Phuc silk village has become extremely diverse with many different models and types: clouds, dragon and phoenix, flower buds,… has been shown under the skillful hands and delicate and creative vision of silk artist Van Phuc. As a result, the new silk products are so plentiful, unique and aesthetically high. With outstanding features, so, Ha Dong silk is always chosen as a gift for relatives and friends when visitors come here.

Currently, Van Phuc Ha Dong silk has nearly 800 households working in silk weaving, accounting for nearly 60% of the total number of households living here. Every year, Van Phuc Ha Dong silk village produces about 2.5 to 3 million square meters of fabric, equivalent to 63% of the total turnover of the craft village.

The attraction of Van Phuc silk village in Ha Dong

Especially when visitors come to explore Van Phuc Ha Dong silk village, surely all of us are fascinated by the colorful Van Phuc umbrella. It is the eye-catching and unique decoration from colorful umbrellas that has brought an impressive scene, allowing visitors to freely check in beautiful pictures when coming here.

Besides the colorful umbrella road, Van Phuc silk village also has a very “hot” check-in place, which is a frescoed wall. The large frescoed wall was recreated by the teachers of the Van Phuc Kindergarten at Van Phuc silk village in the central area where many young people must take pictures as a souvenir.

Closing the journey to discover the traditional craft village of Van Phuc, visitors will surely have great experiences of making Van Phuc silk with the artisans here. If you love and want to learn about the cultural beauty of Hanoi about silk weaving, Van Phuc silk village is an interesting destination for visitors.

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