Location & History

Located on the banks of Nhue River, about 10km southwest of Hanoi Old Quarter, Van Phuc Silk Village is famous for its traditional weaving and high-quality silk products. With more than 1,200 years old, Van Phuc is proud to be the ancient silk village providing the best silk in Vietnam.
Photo: baolangson.vn

Visitors to Van Phuc village will be impressed by the typical style of an ancient village of Northern Vietnam with banyan trees, wells, communal houses and the sound of electric looms echoing everywhere. Walking on the main road in Van Phuc, visitors will get lost in the world of silk with a variety of products such as shirts, ties, crafts, ao dai… made from the available silk of the craft village.

For a long time, silk was considered an extremely valuable craft that was only used to make clothes for members of the Royal Family and aristocrats. The special beauty of Van Phuc or Ha Dong silk has been the inspiration for many Vietnamese poems, songs and films (see The White Silk Dress, one of the 5 best Vietnamese films).

During the Nguyen Dynasty, Van Phuc silk was brought into the imperial city of Hue to make costumes for the royal family. During the period from 1931 to 1932, Van Phuc silk was first displayed in international exhibitions in Marseille, then Paris, and was highly appreciated and favored by the French. From 1958 to 1988, Van Phuc silk was mostly exported to Eastern Europe, and since 1990, Van Phuc silk has been known to many countries around the world.

Silk production

Van Phuc Silk is known for its soft, lightweight material and elegant appearance. In particular, the traditional silk is Van Phuc silk produced in Van Phuc, giving the wearer a feeling of coolness in the summer and warmth in the winter. Nowadays, to meet the market’s diversified demand for silk, Van Phuc silk production facilities have expanded silk and garment products such as embroidered silk, wrinkled silk, double-layer silk and more colors for silk products.
@youkphoto’s photo
@nhat_bun .’s photo

Many families in Van Phuc open their own shops on the main road of the village; created a “silk town” selling eye-catching and high-quality silk products. Tourists can purchase beautiful souvenirs and clothes available in the store, or choose the most suitable materials to get the products on demand. The sales people are very friendly and can speak a little English and French to communicate with foreign tourists.

Today, although weaving has been mechanized for higher productivity, in some houses in the village there are still simple handmade looms to help visitors contemplate the traditional way of silk making in Vietnam. Male.

How to get there

Visitors can join a tour to visit Van Phuc village at travel agencies, or come to Van Phuc by car or motorbike by themselves, or catch local bus 02, 21 and walk 500m to the village.

Visitors should go southwest out of Hanoi center along Nguyen Trai street until bordering Ha Dong district, then turn right and drive about 3km to the village.

Useful information

• Location: Van Phuc, Ha Dong, Hanoi

• Best for: Families, couples, alone

• Free admission

• Hours: All hours

• Distance to city center: 8.5km (5.3 mi)