Over the years I made many lanterns, the first in 2022, the last just earlier this year in 2026.

Making the lantern is a great experience and you not only leave with a unique souvenir (because you made it!) but also with a new appreciation for all the colourful lanterns all over the city and the people who make them. If you are worried about how to fit a lantern into your luggage: IT FOLDS!

Overview of the Hoi An Lantern Workshop

• The Lantern Lady Workshop
• How to make a lantern
• 2026 Lantern Workshop Update
• Workshop details and where to book

The Lantern Lady Workshop

The Lantern Lady has her Hoi An Lantern Workshop in the ancient town of Hoi An, near the Precious Heritage Museum. During my first two visits the workshop took place in fenced-in and corrugated sheet metal roofed courtyard. This year it in its stead stood a proper house! I am so happy that her hard work paid off in this way!

You can choose the shape or your lantern and the size. Based on your size choice you then pick your fabric. There are a lot more choices here, both in silk colours and in patterned fabric! And they change with the time to give returning visitors new options.

You’ll then be instructed on how to make your lantern. Several people walk between tables to help during the process, but you aren’t monitored constantly and can talk leisurely with everyone else at the table while crafting.

I met a few cool people here who also travelled alone or as a couple and we exchanged tips for our respective travels and our time in Hoi An. When you are travelling alone I recommend taking part in workshops to meet people who are interested in learning about local crafts and culture as much as you are.

How to make a Hoi An Lantern

First, you choose the shape of the lantern you want to make. Then you choose the silk or patterned fabric for your lantern. My favourite lantern to make is the medium sized traditional Hoi An shaped lantern.

After choosing four strips of silk or printed cloth they iron them for you to remove any wrinkles. Next you apply glue to the bamboo lantern skeleton. Applying the glue to the bamboo stakes is relatively easy, but applying the correct amount in an even way is complicated. Once the glue has dried just enough you are shown how to set and stretch the fabric to cover the stakes. At first, I was worried it would rip if I pulled it too tight, but the silk can take a lot of pulling. For your first lantern(s) I would recommend choosing silk as the patterned fabric is a lot more finicky.

The entire skeleton of the lantern has to be covered in silk, but there is a special technique to it, to make sure that once it’s done the overlays aren’t too visible. The second side you cover in silk is the one opposite the first. Only then do you cover the two remaining sides and finally cut off all overhand as closely to the stake as you can – without cutting the strings holding the lantern together.

I don’t know if it sounds easy from what I wrote here, but I thought it would be. Or at least easier than it turned out to be the first time. With every lantern you make it gets easier.

Once the lantern is covered you glue thick cardboard strips covered in the same (or a different) fabric around the top and bottom of the hanger to cover up the crooked fabric cut-offs.

In the last step you choose a tassel for the lantern base. Adorned with the tassel the lantern is done and left out to dry a bit more before you can fold it to bring it home.

2026 Update – Hoi An Lantern Workshop

Another visit to Hoian, another Lantern Workshop, or rather two this year. Once again I went back to the Lantern Lady to craft a Hoian Lantern. In total I made five lanterns during three visits in six years!

This year I made a red one for my other grandmother and a green one for my sister in law. However I also dragged several people I met during my time in Hoian here to make a lantern as well. Making a lantern is just one of the things you HAVE to do when you’re in Hoian. No matter how artistic- or crafting-inclined you are!

All the lanterns I made over the years and one from a friend I dragged with me to the workshop this year – from left to right:

1. Medium sized traditional Hoi An shaped lantern in red silk with a gold tassel – for myself
2. Small diamond shaped lantern in turquoise silk with a turquoise tassel – for my parents
3. Small round one with a red and flower patterned lantern and a red tassel – for my grandmother
4. Small diamond shaped one with a colourful pattern and a red tassel – for my grandma
5. Large top heavy lantern with green cloth with a bird pattern – for my sister in law
6. my friends lantern

Hoi An Lantern Workshop – The Lantern Lady Details

Starting times: Any time between 9 AM and 7 PM.

Address: 3/6, Đ. Phan Bội Châu, Hội An, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam. Search The Lantern Lady on Google Maps.

If you are visiting my site with everything but the strictly necessary disabled you won’t see the availability window above, so here is the simple link to the Lantern Lady’s workshop on GetYourGuide*

Der Beitrag Hoi An Lantern Workshop – 2026 Update erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

Overview of where to buy souvenirs in Hoian

• Souvenir Shops in Hoian
• Workshops where you can make or buy souvenirs
• Museums where you can also buy souvenirs
• Map of where to buy souvenirs in Hoian

Souvenir Shops in Hoian

Art stamp Engrave shop

As the name suggests this shop specialises in carved stamps and engraved chopsticks. They have many different chopsticks you can choose from and engrave them with a name, or a date, or both. The stamps they sell are unique and are carved to the shape you like. I bought a stamp here that was carved based on a picture of my parents dog and it came out so well!

-> 1st picture in the gallery below

Mountain’s Color 3 Hoi An Handmade Shop

If Sapa is on your list or you already bought souvenirs there, skip this one. However if you are interested in handcrafted bookmarks, Sapa lanterns (different to Hoi An lanterns), wallets or even a backpack made from hemp – this is the place for you! They get most of their things from the ethnic minorities living in the mountains in northern Vietnam and have explanations on how most things in the store were made. Staff is very friendly, there are fixed prices on everything and no pressure to buy!

-> 2nd picture in the gallery below and post picture

Hart Hoi An

At Hart Hoi An you can find old tea sets, swaths of handwoven cloth and hand-loom-woven brocade as well as jewellery and upcycled home decor. Ideal if you want to avoid buying something entirely new when there is already so much stuff on this planet.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below

La Kao Teahouse

At La Kao Teahouse you can’t just do a tea tasting or drink many different Vietnamese teas, they also sell teas for you to take home. I picked my favourite ones from their seasonal collection from their shelves on my tray and once I was done they packed it for me and wrote down instructions for all the teas.

-> 1st and 2nd picture in the gallery below

Reaching Out Teahouse

In the back of the Reaching Out Teahouse you can find a workshop where artisans with disabilities craft jewellery, while at the front you can buy take-away sizes of the handmade cookies they serve along their teas and coffees.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below

FeFe Roastery

While there are many roasteries in Hoian the beans at FeFe Roastery were my favourite to bring home so far, so they get my recommendation for this years post. Here you can buy Vietnamese Coffee Beans, freshly roasted in Hoian.

Alluvia Chocolate House

At Alluvia Chocolate House in Hoian you can buy Vietnamese Chocolate. You can try the chocolates they sell by grabbing a small piece from their tasting box with metal tongs. While the standard size is one bar of chocolate you can also pick and choose many different ones in smaller sizes to put into one of their truly beautiful gift-boxes. The only problem? You’ll want to eat it long before you get home… My recommendations are the lime chocolate, the mango chocolate and the matcha-white-chocolate.

-> 1st picture in the gallery below

SOI handmade

At the store of SOI handmade you can buy handmade things from many different crafters. They got together one day and decided one shop would make more sense than if every single one of them had their own. Here you can find jewellery, crocheted things, embroidered clothing, soap and much more! And since they are close to one of the beaches of Hoian it’s a great stop on your way.

-> 2nd picture in the gallery below

Nightmarket

While a lot of stands at the Hoian nightmarket sell the same things (not just similar, but the exact same! DO NOT BUY THERE unless you want something mass produced), some places still sell handmade things. One of my favourite stands was one with hand-painted handheld fans. The best ones to buy are those where you can see the seller paint new ones right in front of you. There are stands with handpainted fans, handpainted pictures (calligraphy and watercolour), handpainted Hoian lanterns and handpainted conical hats.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below

Workshops where you can make or buy souvenirs:

ECODENIM

Here they make new things from old jeans: Backpacks, wallets, fanny packs, etc. Inside the small shop you can browse their items, look at art they make from jean-scraps or even make your own if you are interested!

-> 1st picture in the gallery below

Lotus Leaf Fine Art and Jewellery

At Lotus Leaf Fine Art and Jewellery you can make your own ring, pendant or bracelet during a jewellery workshop or peruse their collection of silver jewellery with inlays of local materials and precious stones. In 2024 I made myself a ring at a workshop and in 2026 I bought I beautiful delicate Ginko Leaf necklace from this shop.

Jewellery

-> 2nd and 3rd picture in the gallery below

Taboo Bamboo Studio

While I made my own bamboo lamp at Taboo Bamboo Studio you can buy one from their store as well, with many designs to choose from and the possibility of ordering a custom one as well. Next to bamboo lamps they also sell bamboo jewellery boxes with engravings (I went with a lotus flower one), bamboo animal sculptures and many more things. Even if it is just to look around this place is well worth a visit!

-> 1st picture in the gallery below

Hop Handi

Embroidered notebooks, tote-tags, hairclips, wallets, mini-mirros and much more is sold at Hop Handy in Hoian. I did an embroidery workshop here and made my own notebook and ordered a custom one for a friend. Then I bought a green hairclip with an embroidered sunflower for my sister-in-law.

-> 2nd picture in the gallery below – picture by Hop Handy

Thanh Ha Pottery Village

In the Tanh Ha Pottery Village you will find many pottery shops, some at which you can do a pottery workshop and in general more than you can ever shop at. Some specialise in tableware like cups and plates, others in vases and decorations. Some sell whistles and others incense holders. When you like pottery you will find something here! My advice is to compare prices

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below

Not just plastic

Not just plastic produces sunglasses from recycled plastic, which they collect in the greater Hoian area. They have different types of frames and lenses and you can try them on at their workshop space in Hoian. You can also learn about the process in more detail here if you’re interested.

-> 1st picture in the gallery below

Meadows Handmade Leather Workshop

At Meadows Handmade Leather Workshop (previously blue lotus leather) you can do a leather workshop and make your own thing, or buy one-of-a-kind leather wallets, leather purses, leather backpacks, leather weekender bags and more! They also make custom orders and have a streamlined process with check-in points to make sure you are getting exactly the piece you want.

-> 2nd picture in the gallery below – Picture by Meadows Handmade Leather Workshop

Experiential Carpentry Village

At the Experiential Carpentry Village on Cam Kim Island you can do a mini woodcarving workshop or buy handcarved wooden items. From bigger sculptures, like the Japanese temple bridge famous in Hoian, a Buddha statue or an animal carving, to small sculptures and carvings and even dishes and cutlery. I bought a small wooden elephant, because I love elephants.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below

Nhang sạch Phố Hội

At Nhang sạch Phố Hội you can take part in an incense making workshop and buy several different types of incense and infused oils. I prefer their incense, because I can be sure it is made from high-quality natural ingredients, without any synthetic fragrances or chemical binders. And the agar-wood-infused-oil roll-on works wonders to keep my headaches in check, since it has a cooling effect when applied to the skin.

-> 1st and 2nd picture in the gallery below

Khu Dệt Chiếu Kim Bồng

At this traditional workshop you can learn how to make your own straw mat (I wrote about it in my post about Cam Kim island), or buy a woven straw mat, woven straw rug or woven straw tote bag.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below – picture by them

Museums where you can also buy souvenirs:

Folk Museum

Inside the museum of folk culture in Hoian you can do a Calligraphy Workshop. If you don’t have time, or aren’t interested but still want to hand a beautiful piece of Vietnamese Calligraphy or traditional Vietnamese Watercolour Painting in your home you can buy them at the small gallery off the side of the inner courtyard.

-> 1st picture in the gallery below, you can see it behind the workshop group

Precious Heritage Museum

At the museum shop of the Precious Heritage Museum you can buy Photo Books about Vietnam with photographies by Réhahn, who is also the person behind the museum and everything inside. If a book is too much for you they also sell posters, postcards and high quality photograph-prints.

-> 2nd picture in the gallery below. You’ll find the museum shop is directly after entering the building, the museum begins behind it

CSO Gallery

As is the main focus of the CSO gallery it’s museum shop also offers ancient coins, stamps and books for sale, as well as memorabilia related to The Tale of Kiều.

-> 3rd picture in the gallery below, the museum shop is outside in the courtyard in a streetvendors cart on good-weather days and in the roofed section of the courtyard during rainy days

Map of where to buy souvenirs in Hoian

How to read the map: Light Purple are Shops where you can buy souvenirs in Hoian, dark purple are shops where you can buy edible or drinkable souvenirs in Hoian. Orange are workshops where you can make or buy souvenirs in Hoian and dark blue are museum shops where you can buy souvenirs in Hoian.

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Overview of Pottery Workshop Hoi An – Thanh Ha Pottery Village

• Thanh Ha Pottery Village
• Thanh Ha Terracotta Park
• Pottery Workshop

Thanh Ha Pottery Village

Thanh Ha Pottery Village is one of the most long-standing craft villages in the area around Hoi An – located at the banks of the Thu Bon River, a prime spot for gathering clay. References to Thanh Ha Pottery Village can be found as early as the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th century the village flourished and grew exponentially, thanks to its close proximity to Faifo port (the former name of Hoi An used by European traders while it was an important international trading port from the 15th until the 19th century). It was even exported across the oceans and reached Japan, China and the Netherlands.

Today many people in the village still produce products from clay, from bricks and tiles for ancient houses in Hoi An to household objects, decorations and even instruments. The streets are lined with colourful shops and pottery lovers will find many things to bring home.

Thanh Ha Terracotta Park

Inside Thanh Ha Village is Thanh Ha Terracotta Park, a museum about pottery with a park attached to it. The exhibition inside covers the history of pottery in Vietnam and the differences between pottery villages all over the country – differences in clay and colours, differences in cultural influences, etc.), complete with wall-to-wall pictures and examples of their work.

The park features miniature versions of important and famous buildings from all over the world – all made as pottery! While you bask in the sun you can explore the gardens and find miniature versions of the leaning tower of Pisa and the colosseum of Rome, the pyramids of Giza, Sydney opera house, Taj Mahal, St. Peter’s Basilica from the Vatican, the capitol building and Statue of Liberty from the USA, Angkor Wat temple from Cambodia, the Temple of Literature from Hanoi and many, many more!

Inside the village many places offer pottery workshops, though the scope and quality varies greatly. It is important to consider what you want form a workshop before you book it. Is it just the experience of shaping clay? Do you want to make something that you can take home? Do you want to make something you actually want to use, like a mug or a bowl that needs to be glazed to be food safe? Is it important that the workshop is accessible for children?

I have linked several different ones here (on GetYourGuide*) you can peruse and wrote about the potter workshop I picked and why, as well as my experience during the workshop in the second half of this post.

Pottery Workshop Hoi An

I knew I wanted to make an aroma diffuser where a tea candle sits underneath a bowl that carries water and essential oil. Which meant that it had to be fired and glazed to withstand the heat safely. I contacted several workshops… who told me this was not possible, especially since I had never done any kind of pottery before. Then the people from the incense workshop put me in contact with Lê Văn Nhật pottery. They told me we could do it, as long as I had 10 days or more left of my stay in Hoi An, which I did.

The first steps of the pottery workshop were shaping the two parts of my aroma diffuser. The bottom part alone took me 20+ tries. But I did it in the end! They helped me smooth out the opening after cutting it, but the round parts are all me. Then came the bowl. Even though it is much simpler in shape it still took me over ten tries of finishing it, but it being not quite right, and starting over.

Then the finished pieces had to dry for several days, before the were fired for the first time in the kiln. A kiln is a special oven that gets hot enough to dry and harden pottery. Some families in Thanh Ha Pottery Village have their own, others share community kilns.

A few days later I got a text that my things were ready to be glazed. Since glaze looks very different in its raw form from the finished product I looked through their store until I found colours and finishes I liked. They took out the different colours for me and I covered the entire bottom piece in white glaze, before attempting to drip down a light green colour from the rim.

In all honesty I thought it looked atrocious and that I had ruined the work from before. They encouraged me to take a picture of the before, to have to compare to the finished product, since it would look vastly different after the firing. Then I painted the bowl part in dark green shiny glaze and left them to dry once more.

Another few days later they messaged me to notify me that the firing was finished and I could come over in the afternoon to pick my pottery out of the kiln. It came out very warm, but smooth to the touch, very different to the raw glaze. They helped me to grind-off the glaze overflow from the bottom with an electric rotary grinder and then I had my finished pottery!

Now at home it sits in my living room and I am using rosemary essential oil in it which I had bought in Hue.

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Not Just Plastic

Not just plastic is an initiative by Frantz Byrch Pedersen from Denmark, officially started in November 2023 in Hoi An. Hoi An has many hotels, cafes and restaurants, which all produce a high amount of waste, single use plastic being among the highest amount. There are concepts for reusing or switching to more environmentally friendly alternatives, but the plastic trash that is produced currently still has to go somewhere.

At their workshop you can see different bins, each with a designation of what type of plastic is supposed to be collected in it. Next to it are collection areas were the plastic is cleaned and sorted, waiting to be shredded. These steps are essential to have a good base for recycling. Not all plastic is the same and not all plastic can be turned into the same kind of new product.

Since it’s founding Not just plastic started to produce outdoor flooring, pallets, keyrings and sunglasses from recycled material collected in Vietnam. They work with 125 “plastic partners” (June 2026) for trash collection: schools, hotels and other companies in the greater Hoi An area. These local collection points enable them to cut down on collection time and sorting efforts by involving the local population and sorting everything right at the point where it is thrown away.

Sunglasses made from recycled plastic Workshop

I was able to visit their Not just plastic workshop in Hoi An in March 2026 and see the process for myself. Frantz was out of the country at the time, stuck abroad because of the US-Iran war, but he still made the visit possible through online communication. Once the plastic is shredded into small shreds it is stored by colour and plastic type. These can be mixed and melted, before they’re pressed into new shapes.

One example are sunglasses made from recycled plastic straws! The frame of the Naya Black Frame series (last picture in the gallery below) is stylish and because of the material it is very lightweight: Only 25 grams including the lenses! Other options include the Gaia frames, which are made from post consumer t-shirts and recycled plastic waste type #5 (straws, cups and lids). Or the Mana-re-run and Naya-re-run (post main picture, left pair of glasses), which are made from recycled plastic waste and recycled running shoes.

For athletes they have the Sapa v. 2.0 and the Sapa Re-Run Glasses (middle glasses in the post picture), which have more coverage in the lenses. The frames here are made from recycled plastic straws and recycled running shoes. In addition these frames are in themselves 100% recyclable, since there are no paint or metal wires added.

And if you like recycling, but want to avoid as much plastic as possible there is the Mana series: Mana Wood (post main picture, right pair of glasses) and Mana Coffee. They are made from recycled wood waste and coffee waste (from their own office and zero waste cafe) respectively, with a binding material.

The lenses they use come with UV protection (UV 400 CE Certified) and in a variety of different colours. Some have extra functions, such as being polarised or anti-blue-light. While they don’t produce the lenses themselves, the lenses are fitted into the frames directly at their workshop.

He also told me about their three workshops available to the public:

• Sunglasses Workshop – one hour workshop where you learn about the different plastic types, the process behind making sunglasses and then make your own shades
• Bracelet Workshop – half hour workshop where you make a bracelet from marine ropes, etc.
• Educational Workshop – half hour workshop about circular economy, including plastic types, plastic waste sorting, shredding and recycling

Whether you are interested in a workshop, or you are in the market for new sunglasses, consider messaging them to visit their workshop or buy a pair in their Not just plastic online shop (not an affiliate link).

I bought this pair of Naya sunglasses. They are made from plastic waste like bottles and recycled running shoes (the black and yellow specs in it).

That’s not all: For every product sold at their workshop or online they donate to the Giving Back Initiative, which has the main goal of providing clean drinking water.

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Luxi Eyelash & Spa

My go to for anything lash and eyebrow related. I got my first ever lash lift here and since then it has been on my list of institutions in Hoian I will visit at least once when I am in town.

Whether you are looking only for colouring, lifting or something more permanent like brow lamination or lash extensions, come here. The cleanliness and attention to detail are par none in this line of beauty treatments I have seen anywhere, Vietnam or Germany and the results are worth every cent.

The booking is done via WhatsApp (+84 905 665 617), or in person. You can also try on Facebook and Instagram, but I have only tried the first two options.

You can find them at 33 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Hội An Đông, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

The picture of me is a before and after of brow shaping and colouring with light brown as well as lash lifting and -colouring in blue-black.

Ningy Spa

My first fisit to Ningy Spa was in 2024 and I went back again this year. My go-to treatments here are the Head, Neck and Shoulder Massage to prevent the headaches I keep getting and the Vietnamese Massage for 90 Minutes minimum.

A visit to the spa starts with a footbath and a bottle of water. If you aren’t sure what to do or you haven’t booked yet you can use this time to flip through their menu and choose your treatment. Or if you have already booked you can just lie back in their comfy chairs and relax. I went back in 2026 after I was here several times in 2024. I want to say it stayed the same, but instead it was even better!

Before the massage you change into spa clothes that are easier moved and still offer coverage for the parts that aren’t being worked on. The rooms are cool, but not cold and the aromatic massage oils are muted, which I love, since that means I won’t get a headache from the smells. It was great, not too strong and not too light, the massage therapist kept checking in with me throughout and afterwards I felt like a piece of dough that had been rolled out.

The owner and the staff are super friendly, very attentive and dedicated to their job. The location is clean, quiet and reliable. Not instagram-fancy, like some other places, instead the focus is on the treatments themselves.

You can find some of their offers on klook: Ningy Spa Treatments in Hoi An

Klook.com

Blue Gift Spa

Blue Gift Spa was initially recommended by my homestay in 2022. They offer pick-up or drop-off with a certain amount of spending and I opted for getting dropped off after my massage. I returned in 2026 to get my feet taken care of, from a pedicure to a foot and lower leg massage after days of walking. Pro Tip: The Foot Reflexology Massage hurts, but you will feel sooooo much better afterwards!

The spa itself is clean and quiet, especially during the day. You can also get recommendations on package bookings when you plan a full day here. I recommend to book ahead, especially when you want different services like manicure, pedicure and massage.

You can find some of their offers on klook: Blue Gift Spa Experience in Hoi An*

Klook.com

M Spa

If you are looking for that Instagram / TikTok / YouTube Shorts viral hair treatment for your Spa Day in Hoian: M Spa has you covered, with the Vietnamese hair wash & head massage. It is recommended for long hair and straight to lightly curly hair. There are other salons who specialise in curl treatment, which is important to differentiate if you want a satisfying experience.

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If I understood it correctly, and online sources are contradictory to each other, the place where the Silk Village Hoi An now stands used to be an actual crafting village that fell into disrepair some time in the past and has now been rebuild by a company, to be used as a showroom and museum. However there is also a resort hotel at the same address and I am not sure if they belong to the same company.

The normal ticket includes a 45 minute tour and one bottle of water. You learn the basics about silk worm farming, silk thread extraction from the cocoons and how there are three types of thread won from every single cocoon. The first layers of the cocoon are more dirty and have the roughest fibres. The middle part is cleaner and softer and only the inner part is light, thin and soft. I learned in Da Lat in a silk factory that the threads from the outer part are used to make things like pet beds and horse blankets to not waste anything.

Next stop on the tour is the weaving house where antique wooden looms are showcased. Here they show two types of silk weaving: By loom to create wide panels of cloth and by hand to create brocade bands with traditional patterns. Sometimes these brocade bands have gold and silver threads interwoven with the silk.

The tour ends in the showroom / sales room where you learn how to distinguish 100% silk from mixed silk-products and polyester – by burning it. Silk has white smoke, does not rapidly catch fire and smells like burning hair, because it is made from the proteins of the silk worm cocoon. Silk-cotton mixed cloth burns fast and smells like burning paper, because cotton is a plant and usually the percentage of cotton is higher than that of silk, for cost reasons. Silk-polyester mix or specifically woven polyester fabric burns rapidly with black smoke and smells toxic.

Every Half Coffee Roasters

At 28 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Hội An Tây, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, which is the official address of the Silk Village in Hoi An, despite the complex being huge in size, you’ll also the café Every Half Coffee Roasters.

You can visit the grounds and the café without needing to purchase a ticket. Or after your tour, which is what I did. Pictured here is their “Pink Guava Nitro Tea“.

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This post contains affiliate links to things like tours and hotels. These help me earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. Every affiliate link is marked with a *.

About CSO Gallery

The CSO gallery in Hoian is not just one gallery, but rather a collection of collections. Let me explain: The spaces on the premises are dedicated to different collections around a topic. One is focused on The Tale of Kiều, one on ancient coins and banknotes and the last one on stamps. Each collection could be seen as a museum or gallery in itself and all of them have been collected by the owner since his youth.

Overview of CSO Gallery

• The Tale of Kiều
• Ancient coins & old banknotes
• Stamps
• Dó paper painting workshop
• CSO Gallery on Vietnamese TV
• Overview

The Tale of Kiều

The Tale of Kiều was written by Nguyễn Du as a poem with 3,254 verses! The original was written in Chu Nom, the former Vietnamese writing system. It was based on the plot of the 17th century Chinese novel Jin Yun Qio. In the 1960s the poem was turned into a novelette called Kim Van Kieu by Lê Xuân Thuy. This story, in its many forms, is widely regarded as the most well known story in all of Vietnam.

The gallery covers the original poem, rewrites into novelettes and novels, translations into more than 20 different languages and more. There are even books analysing the books and “translations” that rather than translating the story line by line, attempt to explain it instead and put it into a historical context. The poem has inspired many artistic interpretation over the years, from audiobooks to movies, modern twists on the story and even music videos. It can also be used for fortune reading, where you pull a card from a deck and that card has a verse from the poem on it. You can try that at the CSO gallery.

But what is The Tale of Kiều even about?

The poem tells the tragic story of Thúy Kiều over roughly fifteen years of her life. From the first meeting of her and Kim Trọng, a young scholar and her first / real love, over the financial devastation of her family that forces her into an arranged marriage that leads to her being sold as a prostitute, her fight against this fate – even trying to escape it by suicide – and how she seemingly can’t escape it. Her life never stops being turbulent during the duration of the poem, even when she gets taken in by a Buddhist nun her trials are far from over.

The poem ends with being reunited with Kim, who had married her younger sister Thuý Vân years prior and has taken care of her family in the meantime. She marries him, but refuses any kind of physical relationship.

One wall of the gallery is covered in watercolour pictures which depict different events from the story. Below you’ll find the gallery itself, the picture about Kiều when she first accepts her fate in the first brothel shes brought to and the last one where she is shown together with her sister Thuý and their husband Kim.

Ancient coins & old banknotes

There are many different coins in the collection, including graded coins that have been officially evaluated, commemorative coins that were issued at special occasions or events (some of them were used as currency, others only as keepsakes), coins from many different countries, sorted by the country and ancient Vietnamese reward coins, which come from the time of Vietnamese Emperors, they were given during several dynasties as rewards for loyalty or big achievements.

Then there are bank notes from all over the world. Some were printed with royal symbols, examples of famous architecture, colourful animals and historic figures (most of which were less historic at the time of printing). There are notes from colonies and countries that no longer exist today and even notes that were for exclusive use by military personnel during or after war times.

I have taken so many pictures in here, but I want you to go and see for yourself, so here are only three:

1. The last 5000 Vietnam Dong Coin, minted in 2003
2. A 1 Vietnam Dong Note from 1958
3. Ancient (1097!) and international coins (one is from North Korea!)

Another coin I remember well from this collection is an old 5 German Mark coin (currency used previous to the Euro) which was minted in celebration of the 100th birthday of Otto Hahn. He was famous German chemist who won the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of nuclear fission and is is considered the “father of nuclear chemistry” here. I have a coin from the same batch at home, it had been a gift from my grandfather.

Go Home 201

Next to coins and bank notes the second floor of the second building also contains “Go Home 201”. This artwork contains many small watches with flags inside them. Every watch is set to the local time of the country whose flag it’s displaying – in relation to Hanoi time.

The artist describes their intention behind this artwork as “the connection between cultures, time zones, and global life rhythms.”

Lucky Coin Tree

Another artwork in the same area of the museum is the “Lucky Coin Tree of 200 Countries”. A tree-shaped artwork where the leaves are made from coins from 200 countries around the world, with some 1 Vietnamese Đồng coins as well!

The tree is supposed to symbolise luck, wealth, and prosperity, as well as cultural connections between countries.

The “Lucky Coin Tree” artwork was made in the Kim Bong Carpentry Village on Cam Kim Island.

Stamps

Last but not least, the third gallery covers over ten thousand (10.000) stamps. It is spread out over several rooms and the stamps are grouped by type. The stamp collections are sorted into two categories:

Special variety stamps

• a collection of stamps featuring President Ho Chi Minh throughout different periods
• overprinted stamps from countries around the world – an overprint stamp is an issued stamp that is printed with additional titles, images, logos symbols, or prices that are not part of the original design due to changes in government, currency denominations, and geography)
• special function stamps from all over the world – examples of special function stamps are ration stamps during the subsidy period in Vietnam (they could be exchanged for goods and food), dog license stamps, bird hunting license stamps, fishing license stamps, revenue stamps, law stamps, unemployment insurance stamps, railway stamps, telegraph stamps and much more. These impressively show that stamps were much more than just payments for the cost of postal services

Horse stamps

The horse stamp collection itself has exhibits from 200 countries and set a record in 2023 for the most horse stamps in a single collection!

Dó paper painting workshop

Since it was close to closing time at my first visit I came back two days later to do the workshop they offer at the museum: Another version of traditional Vietnamese woodblock painting (I tried Vietnamese calligraphy, traditional bamboo painting and Vietnamese watercolour painting before).

The process is inspired by Dong Ho painting – a traditional way of painting by using carved wooden blocks that originated in Đông Hồ village. Artisans carve different parts of a picture into wood, then paint the wooden blocks in different colours won from nature and press them on top of each other on the paper until it forms a painting.

Some of the motifs you can choose from include similar ones to those popular in Dong Ho painting like a rooster = a wish for a happy family life and togetherness, or a boy playing a flute, while riding a water buffalo, which is a traditional Tết painting. While the one I picked, for obvious reasons, was a scene from the poem “The Tale of Kiều“.

During the workshop at the CSO gallery in Hoian the first step after choosing your motif is rolling black paint onto woodblock with outlines of a painting carved upon it. Then you press it onto the Dó paper. Dó paper is a type of handmade paper that originated in Northern Vietnam. It gets its name from the Dó tree, the inner bark of which is the base for this paper.

Once the outline has dried (the process can be sped up with a hairdryer) you colour it in any colours you want. They have several different ones and give you a palette to mix as you like. At the end of the workshop you get to take your artwork home.

CSO Gallery on Vietnamese TV

Two days after my first visit and one day before my second visit to the CSO Gallery in Hoian a film crew from VTV1 filmed the museum. It wasn’t fated to coincide with my visits, but Nhu Phuong told me about it. I asked her to share the video with me once it was aired, so I could include it here:

CSO Gallery in Hoian

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First we chose our motif from two they had prepared in advance. If you are not a beginner you can also paint what you want, but as a first time bamboo painter interested in traditional motifs I chose one with bamboo and fishing boats.

Initially you start by painting on simple paper. You learn how to hold the brush and how to apply pressure to achieve the look of bamboo and the leaves. Then you learn how to draw the people fishing from their boats. It is more complicated than I thought, but once you know the order of what to start with some brush strokes and some outlines form a boat, a person and finally a pole.

While I only pictured three practice sheets here, I think I went through at least six, before they let me paint the bamboo. You start with the boats and the sunset, before adding the bamboo canes in the foreground.

Once the painting is done you mark it with your thumb-print and sign your name. Then it can dry a little, or they speed up the drying process with a blow drier. I used this time to wash my hands (and underarms) and got most of the paint off.

I asked our instructor, Ho Tam Phuc, about the bamboo paintings along the walls and he enthusiastically explained some oft he motifs to me.

Most often he paints traditional pictures, with nature such as bamboo and lotus, animals like water buffalo, koi and dragons or humans like fishers, merchants or women in Ao Dai (the traditional Vietnamese dress).

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How to get to Cam Kim Island

You can reach the island by boat, bicycle or scooter. By boat you are most likely going to arrive at the pier “Bến Thuyền Du Lịch Cẩm Kim“, from where you’ll have to walk across the island. Make sure to negotiate a return price and time, or you might get stuck. Though many locals will help you organise your transport back it will be more expensive that way. By street it’s about 3 km to reach the island from the center of the ancient town. A lot of hotels and homestays in Hoi An offer bicycles to their guests. Some keep them in better condition than others. Keep in mind to do a check of all the safety features before you leave on a full day trip. You have several options to rent a scooter in Hoi An, but you’ll need an international driving permit / international drivers license.

What to do during a day on Cam Kim Island – Hoi An

• Woodcarving Workshop Kim Bồng
• Incense making Workshop in Hoi An
• Ricepaper Workshop (and eating it afterwards)
• Placemat Weaving Workshop

For my day on Kim Cam Island I bought a Banh Mi and Coffee for breakfast near my homestay in Hoi An. However there are some options to buy breakfast and coffee on the way there and on the island itself.

Woodcarving Workshop Kim Bồng

The main village on Cam Kim island is the Kim Bong Carpentry Village, a more than 500 years old artisan village renowned for woodworking. To this day the wooden crafts from Kim Bong are held in high regard. The wooden crafts made here are not just sculptures and woodcarvings for decorations, but also household items, furniture, architectural decorations and even boats! Several of the workshops in the village have opened their doors to tourists these days and most offer roughly the same experiences in terms of workshop. Of course I didn’t do all of them and since I did a woodcarving workshop in Hoi An already in 2024 I wanted a different experience this year.

This family owned woodworking workshop offers visitors the opportunity to carve keyring pendants. They are made from Agarwood which smells nice! I carved a Hoi An lantern into mine and my grandmothers initials into the back, to bring it back as a gift for her. Afterwards I also visited their shop and bought a small wooden elephant (I love elephants) for myself!

This is where you can find them: Experiential Carpentry Village at V87H+8PH, Hội An, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Incense making Workshop in Hoi An

The incense workshop is just down the road from the woodcarving workshop. Here I got to make three types of incense: cones, hand-rolled sticks and human-operated-machine shaped sticks. The workshop includes colouring your bamboo sticks and mixing the incense mixture with the scents as well. And you get to keep all the incense you make!

More about that workshop here: Incense making Workshop in Hoi An

Ricepaper Workshop (and eating it afterwards)

During your day on Cam Kim Island you can also stop at Mrs. Tiens Noodle Shop. Here you can eat Mi Quang, buy Ricepaper Snacks, Peanut Snacks and Noodles and do a small ricepaper making workshop. The kind old lady who operates this place (who I assume is Mrs. Tien, but I cannot be sure) doesn’t speak a lot of English, but very happily communicates via translator and point-and-smile language.

She showed me the big bags of rice lining the walls of her courtyard. They split the rice from it’s skin and use the rice husks to stoke the fire they use to make the rice paper and noodles. The rice itself gets milled with water to turn it into a thin dough. This dough is applied to a wet cloth that’s pulled tight over a pot of water and spread out until it becomes translucent. Then it is covered with a hollow lid and steamed. Once it is done they peel it off the cloth with an oiled bamboo stick and placed on a rack to dry.

If it’s super thin and dried more it turns into rice paper, if it’s thicker it can be pulled through a cutting machine and made into rice noodles. The third option is that it’s stuck to a sheet of deep fried rice paper and chopped into pieces. That’s the way you get to eat your self made rice paper. This snack is both crunchy and chewy and very delicious when dipped into soy sauce.

I just showed up after the first two workshops and asked via translation app if they would show me how to make it, since I had just seen a tour group leave. She nodded and typed back how much it would cost. I nodded back with a smile and she walked straight off without another word to start showing me. Don’t be discouraged by that.

This is where you can find them: Lò Mì Quảng Bà Tiễn at V87F+5RX, Hội An, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

Placemat Weaving Workshop

Der Beitrag Day on Cam Kim Island – Hoi An erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.

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The workshop starts with a short introduction on what incense was and is used for in Vietnam: it has been burned in temples, homes, and sacred spaces throughout centuries. Included in the introduction is a demonstration by the family who owns the workshop on how it was traditionally made. Then you colour the bamboo sticks you are going to use during your workshop in four different colours.

While the wooden sticks are drying in the sun it’s time to mix the dough. The first step is already done, it consist of grinding the dry ingredients into a powder after drying them for a long time. They explained that they use mainly agarwood and cinnamon for the scents of their incense. Inside a stone mortar you gradually mix water into the the dry ingredients. After every splash of water the mixture is pounded with a heavy wooden instrument to form a pliable dough that is just wet enough to stay together as you shape it.

From this dough they instructed me how to make incense cones. There is a specific way to press the dough into a mould, ensuring that it is packed tightly enough to hold its shape and not to crumble as it dries. Incense Cones are burned from the tip down and produces a stronger, more concentrated scent than the sticks.

While I was stuffing the cone-moulds the family explained that their incense are all made from high-quality natural ingredients, without any synthetic fragrances or chemical binders. This means that while the scent might not be as strong, the burn is very clean and the smoke is less toxic. They added that the quality of incense depends on the quality of its ingredients. (Which is the case with many things, but tends to often get ignored for a cheaper price or higher product margin.)

After that I got to roll incense sticks by hand, which was a lot harder than it looked. But to be fair, the person who was showing me how to do it has been doing it for at least a decade. I have no pictures of that since my hands were too dirty to take one myself and my teacher was busy, well, teaching me.

The last step of the workshop was using a simple human operated and physical strength operated machine to make more incense sticks. The dough is filled into the top, you push the stick into the side and then you press down on a pedal. The downward force moves a chain that pulls the bamboo stick through a hole and pushes the dough out around it at the same time. WAY less complicated than hand rolling. Incense sticks are the most common form of incense around the world. They burn slowly and evenly, releasing their scent in the form of smoke over a certain time.

At the end of the workshop I could take everything home. That means 12 cones and almost 40 sticks of incense! They also have a small shop at their workshop where you can buy something, but there’s no pressure whatsoever to do so. I bought an oil-agarwood roll-on for my headaches. It smells sooooo nice and it cools you down.

I recommend this workshop for everyone who wants to learn more about the traditional way of intense making!

Where to book the Incense making Workshop in Hoi An

You can book it online on GetYourGuide*!

If you have more time I recommend spending a full day on Cam Kim Island. I wrote a post of what else I did there and includes three more workshops: woodcarving, ricepaper making and placemat weaving. Read about it here: Day on Cam Kim Island – Hoi An

Der Beitrag Incense making Workshop in Hoi An erschien zuerst auf Kaya Wanderlust.