Van Phuc

Vietnam720: Hal from Hanoi Scratchpad shares with us Van Phuc, which is only 8km or less than 30mins ride from Hanoi.

Hal: When I hear the word, “village,” I generally think of a small community of houses built in a rural locale, surrounded by farms and all the trappings of a pastoral life. And when I hear the phrase, “silk-weaving village,” I imagine a tiny hamlet wherein old women tend to small wooden looms, following local traditions handed down for generations. So these were the images I had in mind when a friend suggested we visit Van Phuc, a local Vietnamese silk-weaving “village,” and center of Vietnamese sericulture for nearly two thousand years.

The guidebooks inform us that Van Phuc (please pronounce this to rhyme with “fluke,” and not…well, you know what not…) is on the banks of the Nhue Thi River, 8 km. southwest of Hanoi. In actuality, you head down Nguyen Trai Road for about 20 minutes, turn right at a block of buildings, and you’re there. There’s no sense of ever leaving the city, and the “village,” if it can rightfully be called that, at first blush appears to be nothing more than a line of concrete block shops with plastic awnings and large glass windows that just happen to be spilling fabric onto the asphalt.

But like so many places in Vietnam, it only takes a little poking beneath the surface to discover its appeal. First is the history; despite its modern appearance, Van Phuc really HAS been a center of silk production and weaving since…oh, about the time of Christ! The village claims to be where Vietnam’s silk-making industry originated. Van Phuc reportedly provided the luxurious silks that were worn, first, by Chinese emperors (when Vietnam was still part of China), and later, by Vietnam’s indigenous kings and queens. If nothing else, you have to give the place props for consistency.

Beyond that, there is a flavor to the place that becomes apparent as one walks around its narrow streets. Away from the shops one sees people engaging in every facet of silk production: extracting it from the cocoons of the silkworm (Bombyx mori), spinning it, weaving it, dyeing it, and so on. This is not a display for tourists; it’s simply what people do, and there is something reassuring about the matter-of-factness with which Van Phuc continues to do what it’s been doing for centuries.

To be sure, the village has been affected by Vietnam’s emergence onto the world market. Large orders from French and Italian fashion centers have greatly expanded the scale of Van Phuc silk production; where ten years ago there were a few hundred looms; there are now a few thousand. The repertoire of products has certainly expanded – Van Phuc silks come in a blithering assortment of weights, textures, patterns and colors. On the downside, the presence of tourists has created a market for cheaper, lower-quality materials, but the discerning shopper, I am told, still finds in Van Phuc the best silks Vietnam has to offer.

So long as one doesn’t expect thatched roofs and grazing water buffaloes, Van Phuc is well worth the short ride from central Hanoi – for its interesting history, fine shopping, and, dare I say it, village charm.

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

Van Phuc

SHARE this article with all your friends.