Top 15 Famous Craft Villages in Nam Dinh

Not only in Nam Dinh, but you can also easily find the signboard of 'Traditional Nam Dinh Pho' in Hanoi. Let's explore why Nam Dinh Pho has such a charm.

In Dong Son commune, Nam Truc district, there are up to 3 pho-making craft villages: Van Cu village, Tay Lac village, and Giao Cu village. If you ask about Cồ, Vũ families making pho, everyone knows. Making pho here has the longest history, the most abundant, and the beef pho is also unique. They choose rice that has lost its plasticity from the previous season, then grind it into a fine and elastic powder, spread it thinly on a pot of steam over a wood fire to make pho cakes.

The beef must be taken from mature, strong, and weighing about 3 to 4 tons per cow for the broth to be sweet. The deliciousness of pho depends largely on the sweetness of the broth. Salt is used very sparingly because it makes pho taste salty and bitter. People replace salt with fish sauce. Fish sauce is carefully chosen because if it's not good, the pho broth will be cloudy and less delicious. The bone pot is simmered gently, adding a bit of ginger and dried onions. Fresh beef is thoroughly cleaned and boiled. If there are foam and impurities, they are removed immediately. After the beef is cooked, it is left in the pot for an hour before taking it out to drain. The meat is sliced and marinated with spices, served with pho cakes and broth...

Cồ Pho, the pho of the Cồ family, is the most famous, but in Dong Son, other families also cook pho very skillfully, contributing to building and preserving the traditional brand of Nam Dinh pho.

Goi Village, also known as Sa Chau Village in Giao Chau commune, Giao Thuy district. Sa Chau Fish Sauce Craft Village has been famous since the reign of King Minh Mang. The village is always filled with the aroma of fish sauce. Every house has rows and alleys of vats for drying around their premises. With over a hundred households engaged in this trade, the annual fish sauce production of the village reaches up to 500,000 liters. The main market for Sa Chau fish sauce is within the province and neighboring provinces such as Ha Nam, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh.

Small and fresh shrimp and fish are carefully chosen as ingredients. In spring, they use anchovies, while in winter, they use mackerel because during this time, they are the plumpest, and the fish sauce will not taste bitter. The salt used to marinate the fish is aged salt, as the salt has lost its bitter taste. Eighteen kilograms of salt are enough to marinate one ton of fish. To let the fish naturally ripen, after six months, it is filtered through cloth placed on bamboo baskets to extract the pure fish sauce. The fish sauce is 'cooked' with dew, sun, and wind, not with fire. After being filtered, the fish sauce is exposed to outdoor sunlight and dew for another six months, always avoiding rain. After these six months, the fish sauce is poured into black vats, buried in the ground, and left to age for at least one year before being used.

Goi fish sauce is as smooth as honey, transparent like amber, with a delightful aroma and a sweet salty taste that warms the heart even when eaten with plain rice.

Vị Khê Ornamental Plant Craft Village in Dien Xa commune, Nam Truc district. This village has a horticultural history of over 700 years. According to the elders, the ancestor of the flower planting craft, To Trung Tu, arrived at Nguyen Gia Trang (now Vị Khê village) and found the place beautiful, with fertile fields, and the people were simple. He decided to build a house to visit occasionally. Not only that, he encouraged the locals to expand agriculture, taught them to plant flowers, and ornamental trees for a livelihood. When the Tran family built the Tuc Mac palace in Nam Dinh, the Vị Khê flower village had the conditions to develop and supply flowers to the royal palace. Since then, the flower profession here has continuously developed.

In Vị Khê, there are many kumquat trees that are not only plentiful but also beautiful. Every spring, these kumquat trees are sent to every corner of the country. In addition to kumquats, the village also has many other types of flowers such as orchids, camellias, sea-buckthorns, azaleas, medicinal herbs, and apricots. Famous ornamental trees here include Vạn Tuế, Sanh, Si, Lohan Pine, and the King's Betel. The trees are shaped into various forms, and iconic works like the Eiffel Tower, Pho Minh Tower, Phoenix, and Peacock always captivate tourists with the creativity and talent of the artisans.

Nghĩa Châu Conical Hat Craft Village in Nghia Chau commune, Nghia Hung district. The image of women chatting joyfully while skillfully sewing conical hats has become familiar in the village. Hat makers must be talented, clever, patient, and have a high sense of aesthetics to create durable and beautiful conical hats.

The leaves used to make hats are split, sun-dried, and steam-treated to create a milky white color and prevent mold during rain. Then each hat is placed on the surface of a heated plow blade, using a hand pad to smooth it straight, ensuring even strokes. Next, the hat maker will stack the leaves on the mold, with two layers of leaves separated by a layer of stitching and sewing. The stitching must be straight and tight.

The completed hat is both durable and beautifully decorated with various eye-catching patterns. If you are from a distant place and want to visit to explore and buy hats as gifts, head to Nam Dinh city and then travel along provincial road 490 for about 17 km, asking locals to reach Nghia Chau.

Since ancient times during the French resistance, the Kien Lao Rice Wine Crafting Village in Thanh Nam has been renowned. Today, Kien Lao comprises the two communes of Xuan Tien and Xuan Kien in Xuan Truong district. Crafting a batch of good wine requires meticulous selection of rice and yeast. The rice used is the famous glutinous rice with golden flowers from Hai Hau district, Nam Dinh province. A batch of wine typically yields 6 to 7 liters from 10 kg of rice. First, the rice is thoroughly washed to remove excess starch.

Boiling water is poured into the pot, and then the rice is added to ensure the water level is about 1 inch above the rice surface. When the rice boils again, it must be stirred evenly, wait for about 5 minutes, then bury the rice for cooking. After about four hours, take out the rice, stir it well, and sprinkle the wine yeast. Then put the rice in a plastic barrel, seal it, and let it sit for a week before transferring it to the fermentation vessel. Once the rice has fermented, it is distilled to obtain the finished wine. This wine has a fragrant, spicy, and clear taste, akin to spring water, making it enticing for connoisseurs.

Today, only a few families in the village continue to make wine for local consumption. Although it's a wine crafting village, the people of Kien Lao are diligent and innovative. They have produced mechanical products exported to many European countries. The traditional wine is now reserved for casual sipping and storytelling, rather than for heavy drinking.

If you want to find your way from Nam Dinh city to Kien Lao village, travel along provincial road 490, cross Lac Quan Bridge for about 1 km, and you will reach Xuan Kien commune. Locals will guide you to the families still practicing the wine crafting trade.

Thach Cau Bamboo Weaving Village in Nam Tien commune, Nam Truc district, is where people of all ages, from the elderly beyond seventy to children just over ten, can deftly weave bamboo. Thus, this craft has flourished for hundreds of years. The bamboo material must be old, with long and straight poles being the best. After cutting the bamboo, it is soaked in the pond for at least a month to prevent mold before being brought up for splitting and bending.

The straight poles are made into the main strips, both the tip and base used for the edge and woven strips. The process of splitting bamboo must be continuous and fast because leaving it for too long will cause it to dry. The old strands of bamboo are thinly split, sun-dried, soaked again to soften, and then peeled once more to thin them. Craftsmen use long-handled knives with thick, sharp blades to split the bamboo into thin strips ranging from 1 to 2 mm. The strips are woven into panels, tightly tied, and then smoked to achieve the desired color, often managed by men who handle the splitting, bending, and smoking, while the elderly, children, and women weave and bring the products to the market.

Here, there is a common saying passed down through generations: 'Thach Cau stands at the top of the world.' There is a reason for that. When visiting the village or purchasing its products, travel along provincial road 490 about 10 km from Nam Dinh city and inquire about Thach Cau.

Bao Dap Star Lantern Making Village in Hong Quang commune, Nam Truc district, is the only and oldest village in Vietnam specializing in making star lanterns. Since the 1950s, various types of star lanterns, paper flowers, and nylon flowers have been present in markets across northern provinces. Star lantern making has become a traditional craft for the entire Bao Dap village, especially during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

The materials for making lanterns include: split bamboo, transparent colored paper, and bamboo ribs for the handle. The split bamboo is carefully tied together with zinc wire to create the frame, then transparent colored paper is glued and finally painted. While it may sound simple, each step requires the meticulous and patient work of skilled craftsmen. To ensure the lantern is tight and round without breaking, the bamboo needs to be soaked for a long time to make the strips flexible. There are three main sizes of lanterns based on diameter: 30cm, 40cm, and 50cm, so the bamboo strips are split and classified accordingly. White transparent paper is soaked and dyed into red or yellow as desired. After dyeing, it is cut into a five-pointed star shape. The glue mixture is brushed onto the frame, and the colored paper is glued on. The bamboo ring around the star is carefully wrapped. After completion, the lanterns are air-dried, and batches of 100 are packaged for sale. The lantern market extends across the country, mainly in Nam Dinh city, Hai Phong, and Hanoi.

Although the craft is only active for about two months each year, the radiant brilliance of these lanterns is evidence of the vitality of this traditional craft village. If you want to visit the village, travel along the provincial road for about 10 km from Nam Dinh city, and you'll find it easily.

Tong Xa Bronze Casting Village located in Yen Xa, Van Dien, Lam Town, Y Yen district. This craft village has existed for over 900 years since the early 12th century, and the bronze casting craft was passed down by the founder Nguyen Minh Khong to the locals here. The traditional products of the village, such as bronze bells, bronze statues, and souvenirs, are not only used in daily life but also have high artistic value.

Some famous works of Tong Xa Bronze Casting Village include: the Victory Monument of Dien Bien Phu on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the statue of King Ly Thai To on the occasion of the 990th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the 14 statues of Tran Dynasty kings placed at the historical and cultural site of Thien Truong, the 35-ton statue of the Buddha at Non Nuoc Mountain (Soc Son, Hanoi), the 50-ton Three Buddhas statue at Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh),...

Visiting Tong Xa, you will immerse yourself in the cheers of the casting fire, witness the glowing red furnaces, and meet talented artisans diligently creating. Traveling along National Highway 10 (you can take the North-South railway), stopping at the border between Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh and inquiring about Tong Xa Bronze Casting Village, everyone will guide you there.

There's an old saying: 'Nam Dinh has the Chè ferry - Has the Ngô Khách ship, has the silk weaving craft.' Co Chat Silk Village, located in Phuong Dinh commune, Truc Ninh district, has long been famous for its strawberry cultivation, silk farming, and silk weaving. According to the elders in the village, the silk weaving craft has been present here for a long time. Around the early 20th century during the French colonial period, the French capitalists built a silk cocoonery factory at the entrance to the village to take advantage of the skilled labor here.

From here, the silk cocoon industry in the village began to thrive. Traders came from many places to buy silk and sell it at the Che Ferry, a bustling area before 1945. Despite the war, the silk looms collapsed, but the people still maintained the craft until today. Silk cocoons are purchased within the province or neighboring areas such as Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa. The cocoon boiling pot is boiled vigorously with smoke, and then the cocoons are thrown in, splashing water continuously to pull the threads, which pass through a small hole and are rolled onto a spinning wheel. The gentle and simple women embrace bundles of golden and white silk, spreading them on bamboo poles.

The commercial silk is exported to weaving villages such as Van Phuc Silk Village (Hanoi) and exported to Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Traveling 21 km along National Highway 21 from Nam Dinh city, approximately 20 km more, you can reach Co Chat Silk Village, strolling by the strawberry fields along the banks of the Ninh Co River, listening to the rustling wind, and admiring the village with predominantly two colors: shining yellow and white.

Phuong Village, located in Nam Duong commune, Nam Truc district, has long been famous for the traditional crafts of making noodles and rice crackers. In 2013, the village was officially recognized as a traditional craft village. The village produces two types of noodles: rice vermicelli and dong vermicelli. Producing 1 ton of rice vermicelli requires 1.2 to 1.3 tons of rice, while producing 1 ton of dong vermicelli requires 1.6 to 1.8 tons of dong flour. After preliminary processing, the flour is spread into cakes, steamed until cooked, and then dried in the sunlight. It is then used a machine to roll it into threads. After rolling, the vermicelli threads are exposed to the sun again to achieve a natural softness and crispiness, beautiful appearance, and a fragrant aroma.

In addition to the noodle craft, Phuong Village is also known for the rice cracker craft. These are flat crackers, not noodle crackers for cooking. The villagers select good brown rice, soak it for 12 to 13 hours, then grind it twice with a flour mill to obtain a smooth, fine powder, free of dust, and cool to the touch. Then the flour is fermented with an appropriate amount, kneaded until smooth, and then taken for cracker coating. The coating process is usually reserved for those with skilled hands, as it requires a gentle and even touch, with the addition of sesame seeds, resulting in flat crackers with a diameter of about 40 cm. The crackers are then sun-dried to complete the process. The final step involves using a fan over a charcoal fire to shape the crackers. The finished crackers are uniform, not misshapen, very crispy, and have a rich, fragrant, and enticing taste.

The market for noodles and rice crackers from Phuong Village has expanded from Hanoi, Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Son La to some southern provinces. If you travel along the provincial road from Nam Dinh city for about 20 km, ask for directions to Phuong Village in Nam Duong commune, and the locals will guide you there.

The village is located in Yen Tien commune, Y Yen district. Historical records state that two officials named Dinh Ba and Ngo Dung (from the Dinh dynasty) came to the village and taught the craft to the locals in the 11th century. Despite numerous ups and downs, Cat Dang lacquerware craft village is still being preserved and developed. The bamboo used for creating lacquerware is not too young or too old; it is soaked in water for at least 6 months to prevent pests and increase flexibility.

After that, the craftsmen take the bamboo, polish it, place it in a mold, and then apply a layer of glue before meticulously polishing until the product becomes smooth and thin. In the past, manual polishing by craftsmen took 3 months to complete one product; now, with machinery, it only takes a few days. However, this is just the raw product; artisans will further decorate it with intricate patterns, add colors, and spray paint to complete the masterpiece.

The secret of painting and coloring is known only to the villagers and not shared outside. The decorative items found in the Hue and Hanoi palaces are mostly crafted by the skilled hands of artisans from Cat Dang village. The village is situated between two railway lines and a highway crossing Vietnam, so if you travel along this route and reach Nam Dinh, asking for directions to Cat Dang lacquerware craft village will lead you there.

Co Chat weaving village is situated along the Ninh River in Phuong Dinh commune, Nam Truc district, approximately 30km from the center of Nam Dinh city. Renowned for silk farming, silk cocoon cultivation, and traditional handwoven craft, Co Chat lies about 20 km southeast from Nam Dinh city center, accessible via National Highway 21 or along the Red River.

From Nam Dinh city, along National Highway 10 towards Ninh Binh for about 20km, look to the left, and you will reach La Xuyen Wooden Craft Village – a renowned village for its long-standing traditional carved wooden products.

Vân Chàng Blacksmith Village, located in Nam Giang commune, Nam Trực district. According to tradition, during the reign of King Trần Nhân Tông (1279-1293), the forging profession was introduced to Vân Chàng. At that time, the village had 15 master craftsmen from 15 different lineages, including Đoàn, Trần, Vũ, Nguyễn, Đỗ, Ngô... taught by six teachers who came from other places. To commemorate their contributions, Vân Chàng homeland honored the six master teachers as the Saintly Instructors and built a temple as the Village's Imperial Palace.

In ancient times, Vân Chàng could only produce a few simple handmade items such as knives, scissors, hinges, nails, screws, wooden stoves, hoes, spades, and scrapers... However, in the past few decades, the Vân Chàng craft village has gradually developed. Some of their products have been mechanized with exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful designs, achieving high durability in use, especially bicycle components. Thanks to these products, over a decade ago, the Tan Tien and Tien Tien cooperatives from the local area became outstanding units in the industrial handicraft sector.

Due to market mechanisms, the two mechanical cooperatives were dissolved, but the mechanical profession in Vân Chàng has never developed as strongly as it does now. Vân Chàng is not lacking in skilled craftsmen, and most of these skilled craftsmen have their own production workshops. As a result, the lives of the people in Vân Chàng are always improving, with well-built houses.

All scrap materials brought to Vân Chàng become useful objects, achieving high utilization efficiency. Every day, Vân Chàng's products are sold everywhere in the country and even in Laos and Cambodia.

15. Bạch Long Salt-making Village

Bạch Long commune, Giao Thủy district, Nam Định province, is the place with a traditional salt-making profession boasting the largest salt field in the Northern region, covering an area of up to 230 hectares, providing an annual output of tens of thousands of tons.

Transforming seawater into fine white salt is an extremely labor-intensive process. Salt workers start their day early, before the sun rises, and finish their work in the evening, after the sun has set. The salt-making method in Bạch Long doesn't involve direct exposure of seawater like in the Central or Southern regions; instead, it employs the sand-drying technique. Despite the strenuous labor, the local salt makers are dedicated to their craft, diligently producing pure white salt crystals for life.

The Bạch Long salt fields are located about 60 km from Nam Định city and over 100 km from Hanoi. Being a coastal area with abundant saline water, Bạch Long doesn't engage in rice cultivation like other rural areas but specializes solely in salt-making. To experience salt-making, visitors should come in the summer, from April to July, to capture beautiful scenes of the salt fields and hardworking salt workers.