Van Phuc Silk Village

Van Phuc has woven silk for a very long time, and by the colonial period its cloth was being shown at expositions in France. The village has been absorbed by Hanoi's expansion, and the main lane is now a run of shops hung with scarves under a canopy of red lanterns, but behind them the looms are still running. Van silk, the local speciality, carries a pattern of clouds and figures woven into the structure of the cloth rather than printed on it, visible only when the fabric is turned to the light. A few sheds keep old wooden hand looms; most now use power looms, and the clatter carries down the alleys all day.

What you actually see

• The weaving sheds - power looms running behind the shopfronts, open to look into.
• Van silk - cloud patterns woven into the cloth, seen only at an angle to the light.
• The lantern lane - the main shopping street strung with rows of red lanterns.
• Dyeing yards - skeins hung out to dry in the courtyards behind the village temple.

When to go

Looms run on weekday mornings, which is when the village is worth seeing; by late afternoon many sheds are shut and only the shops remain. Weekends bring Hanoi visitors and photographers to the lantern lane. It is a straightforward taxi or bus ride from the centre, about forty minutes in traffic, and there is no ticket or opening time.

Honest expectations

A large share of what is sold here is machine-made blend or imported cloth, priced as local silk. Ask to see the loom a piece came off, and expect genuine hand-woven silk to cost several times more. The lantern lane is arranged for photographs. Traffic on the approach roads is heavy and the village itself is not scenic.

Nearby

The lacquer and embroidery villages south of Hanoi are on the same side of the city.