Hanoi City Breaks

Stroll along Hang Gai Street in Hanoi you’ll see more dazzling examples of Vietnames embroidery paintings-landscapes, portraits or still-lifes, all executed in silk threads. Thousands of minuscule stitches make these pictures as sharp as photographs, while the soft shine of silk lends them a warm and lively glow. The man credited with introduction embroidery to Vietnam was Le Cong Hanh, a 17th century diplomat. Following a mission to Chine, Mr. Hanh returned to his native village of Quat Dong in the northern province of Ha tay and taught his fellow villagers to embroider. From Quat Dong, the craft spread to other villages in Ha Tay and Ninh Binh, and to the Hanoi capital.

Embroidery guilds were established on Hanoi’s Hang Trong (drum), Hang Chi (thread), Hang Non (conical hat) and Hang Manh (bamboo curtain) streets. Northern artisans built a shrine to Le Cong hanh at their communal house in Hanoi, located at 2A Yen Thai Street.

In Van Lam, a traditional embroidery village in Ninh Binh province, rows of women sit beneath a canvas awning in the courtyard of an old, tile-roofed house. Golden light filters down through the canvas, and the only sounds are the soft voices of the women and the occasional trill of a caged bird. All heads are bent, all eyes focused on the designs emerging beneath their skillful hands.

In the pass, embroidery villages supplied products to the imperial court. With no more demand for royal robes and turbans, the villagers of Van Lam have now set their sights on the export market.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             Source: vnviews.com

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