Traditional craft villages around Hoi An - Part 1

The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes not only the city of Hoi An, but also the artisanal villages surrounding it.

Our lodging is located on the peninsula of Tra Que Vegetable Village, a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Hoi An, surrounded by rice paddies. Here, herbs and vegetables are primarily grown organically and supplied to nearby restaurants and cooking schools. The crops are fertilized with seaweed and irrigated traditionally with watering cans from specially constructed ponds nearby. There is no admission fee here.

The village was founded in the 17th century by Vietnamese families from the north. It didn’t get its name until later: Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty is said to have been so impressed by the intense, spicy scent of herbs during a visit to Hoi An in the early 18th century that he henceforth named the village “Tra Que”—which roughly translates to “(smells as good as) tea and cinnamon.”

First, we visited the Hoi An Fisher Village and, most notably, the Thanh Ha Pottery Village, both of which are located right next to each other west of Hoi An. We arrived a bit too late at the fishermen’s market, and only leftovers were being sold—but there were many different varieties to see, as well as some well-stocked vegetable stands.

Admission to the Pottery Village costs 85,000 VND per person; in exchange, you get a discount at the museum’s coffee stand and an animal-shaped ceramic pipe as a souvenir.

We started with the Sa Huynh Thanh Ha Pottery Museum, since we desperately needed a morning coffee. With a beautiful view of a fountain featuring ceramic figures and the entrance to the Terracotta Park—which showcases famous structures made of ceramic—it was a great start. Personally, I liked the park best: there were many well-known buildings from all over the world to see, from St. Peter’s Basilica to Angkor Wat and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, all the way to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sagrada Família. Inside the museum, sculptures by many artists were exhibited alongside paintings—a very diverse collection of both lifelike and abstract works of art.

We continued through narrow alleys lined with all kinds of cafés and stalls selling handmade cups, plates, lanterns, and figurines. In almost every shop, you could also make your own bowl. Our neighbor Ben also eagerly helped compact the raw clay and work out the air bubbles—to do this, you systematically stomp on the clay with your bare feet for a while.

In some houses, you could watch the ceramics being made and see unfired clay plates drying.

The craft has been practiced here since the late 15th century and is still carried out using the traditional hand-operated potter’s wheel. Initially, the workshop primarily produced high-quality ceramics for export; later, shingles and bricks for construction projects in the city were added to the lineup.

We spent a lovely morning here and even bought two beautifully glazed, handmade cups—two more decorative pieces for our new home.

Cam Thanh Coconut Village is located east of Hoi An and is known for its ecotourism. The area actually consists of two villages, Thanh Tam and Van Lang. Here, you can drift through the Bay Mau water palm forest in round wicker boats, watch locals fishing, or attend a performance of the “wicker boat ballet”—in which the boatmen make their boats sway and spin. We relaxed in a café, observing the hustle and bustle and watching the steady stream of wicker boats drifting by.

Away from the tourist spots, there are also quiet side streets where you can stroll along the nipal palm forest and watch the construction of various bamboo and palm-leaf structures. 

At a nearby bamboo workshop, Bamboo Taboo, you can admire bamboo artworks and even make your own in a workshop.