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Hoi An Lantern Workshop – 2026 Update
Internationally Hoi An is probably best known for three things: The yellow buildings of the old town, its tailors and the hundreds if not thousands of colourful lanterns all over the city. You can’t walk down even one street without seeing several of them. Buying one as a souvenir is the first thing that will come to your mind, but…
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Pottery Workshop in Hoi An – Thanh Ha Pottery Village
Thanh Ha Pottery Village in Hoi An is famous for its pottery and has been for generations! Today the many families there are still a producer of bricks, tiles, household objects and decorations in central Vietnam. The village has a museum dedicated to the pottery of Vietnam, with a park full of miniature landmarks from all over the planet. You…
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Sunglasses made from recycled plastic – Hoi An
Most organic and plastic waste ends up in landfills all over the world. Only a small percentage is actually recycled. To combat plastic waste pollution all that material has to go somewhere else. In a circular economy things are ideally reused and recycled until there is little to nothing left. An initiative in Hoi An is producing sunglasses made from…
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Traditional Bamboo Painting Workshop in Hoi An
In 2024 I had taken part in a Vietnamese Calligraphy Workshop in Hoian and a watercolour workshop in Hanoi. When I saw a traditional bamboo painting workshop while browsing workshops I could do I expected it to be like one or the other. Instead bamboo painting is it's very own discipline and it was very interesting to try my hand…
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Incense making Workshop in Hoi An
On Cam Kim Island, close to Hoi An, you can make your own incense. Incense has been used in Vietnam for millennia and the traditional methods of production are still used to this day. At the incense making Workshop in Hoi An you'll use all natural ingredients and learn how to shape incense by hand into cones and sticks.
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Crafting Paper Lotus Flowers in Hue
Every summer lotus flowers bloom in the ponds and lakes of Hue. For generations artisans have crafted paper flowers, to be used for temple worship, during festivals and as decoration for the Lunar New Year celebrations. During this visit to Hue I went to a workshop to craft paper lotus flowers.
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Conical Hat Keychain – Crafting in Ho Chi Minh City
Every time I travel to Vietnam I consider painting a conical hat to wear and bring home. But every time I decide against it, since it is quite big and fragile. In Ho Chi Minh City I found the Workshop Hub which offered a conical hat keychain workshop - the answer to the question how I could paint my own…
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Shake & Savor: Coffee-Cocktails Workshop Vietnam
As a big fan of Vietnamese coffee I am always looking for new workshops and experiences connected to it when I visit the country. I found the coffee-cocktail workshop by the Vietnamese coffee brand Lacàph in Ho Chi Minh City and immediately signed up. We made two delicious cocktails and I learned a lot about how other parts of the…
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Mini Lionhead Workshop in Ho Chi Minh City
Lion dancing is tantamount to celebration in Vietnam and many other countries in Asia. And what do lion dancers carry, but a lion head! When I saw a workshop to make a mini lionhead I signed up immediately. What better opportunity to take home a unique souvenir that has such rich history and symbolism.
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Bamboo Workshop in Hoi An – Crafting a bamboo lamp
Half a day of woodworking in 30° Celsius heat might not be something you think of when thinking about things to do on vacation. I am here to tell you why you should consider it anyway (I almost didn't do it either) and how it shaped my understanding of the people and culture of central Vietnam.
