Cao Bang is located in in Northern Vietnam. This place has the famous Ban Gioc waterfall, a favorite tourist destination of many tourists. Besides, traditional craft villages such as blacksmithing, incense making, brocade embroidery… are now attracting many tourists to learn and explore. Let’s find out with Origin Vietnam what traditional craft villages are in Cao Bang!
1. Phuc Sen forging village
Forging village in Phuc Sen commune, Quang Uyen district, Cao Bang province. Phuc Sen forging village is located on Highway 3 to Ta Lung International Border Gate, 30km from Cao Bang City. This is a traditional craft of the Nung An people, over 300 years old.
Phuc Sen Forging Village has 160 forges, producing a variety of products to supply to Cao Bang province, many northern mountainous provinces, Tay Nguyen, Hanoi city and border districts of Guangxi province, China.
Traveling to Phuc Sen, you will visit blacksmith households. Besides, you will have the opportunity to experience community tourism in Pac Rang village, where the water mine never dries up and the primeval forest creates a peaceful ecological landscape. And admire the indigo fabric costumes woven by the skillful hands of women, in folk arts, culinary culture…
2. Phia Thap incense village
Located at the foot of Pha Hung mountain, Quoc Dan commune, Quang Uyen district, Cao Bang province, Vietnam. This is where the Nung people live.
Phia Thap incense is made entirely from natural ingredients from mountainous areas. Apricot trees make sticks, rice bark, sawdust and gourd leaves are a type of forest leaf used to make glue to bind materials together. Incense sticks are made from long bamboo or apricot trees.
To have a finished incense stick, Nung An people have to go through many stages. Phia Thap incense is dried naturally. Corners of yards, walls, and fields are all used to dry incense. When the sun comes up, Phia Thap incense village has round incense bundles drying all over the yard…
Phia Thap incense village has become a favorite community tourism destination for tourists. Visiting the incense village, you will learn about the lives of Nung An people and experience incense making.
3. Brocade embroidery craft of the Dao Tien people
Dao Tien people live in Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province, Vietnam. They have a craft of brocade embroidery and beeswax pattern printing that is still preserved and developed today. According to custom, Dao girls who are about to get married must know how to embroider and sew to weave their own wedding dresses.
The cotton fibers are cooked and a little rice is added to make the cotton fibers stiff and not break. Then squeeze it dry and put it in a frame to weave it into fabric. The main raw materials for weaving brocade fabric are jute, flax, and indigo fibers grown by people themselves. For indigo fabric used to make clothes, the woven fabric is dyed with indigo which is quite complicated with many steps.
The art of embroidering beeswax patterns on brocade fabric is a feat of high art. The beeswax printing process is very difficult and requires high technology. Take beeswax from wild honeycombs and bring it home. After separating the honey, put the wax in a pot of water, boil it, and filter to get the clear water. Then continue to boil the clear water until it thickens, then pour it out and let it cool for about 2-3 days to form a smooth wax block. After printing beeswax on the fabric, wait for the beeswax to dry, then dye it in indigo and then dry it. Next, dip the indigo cloth into boiling water to melt the beeswax and the printed patterns will appear clearly on the indigo background.
The traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people are works of art combining meticulousness, ingenuity and creativity. It carries many different meanings, expressing the cultural life and beliefs of the people.
Cao Bang also has many other traditional craft villages and many attractive places to explore. If you want to know more information about Cao Bang travel, please contact us. Origin Vietnam’s professional, friendly and experienced staff will provide you with useful travel information and a journey to explore Cao Bang with interesting and memorable experiences.
