Ha Thai lacquer village is located about 30km south of Hanoi, in Duyen Thai commune, Thuong Tin district. Right passing through the old village gate, a peaceful rural life exists there, like any northern rural village, with lush green rice fields dotted with buffaloes quietly grazing. But what makes this place even more special is its skillful craftsmen.
Ha Thai village has nearly 700 families in total with more than 3500 people, 90% of whom still follow the traditional profession in some way. Each family has a workshop to produce lacquerware and a shop to sell their products.
A legend has it that the craft of Ha Thai has been around since the 17th century and It was just paint job at that time. Although they weren’t the ancestors of Vietnamese painters but there were many talent and skillful artisans, so Cu Trang usually selected to make handicraft household items for kings and royal family at that time. Therefore it was called the village “offering the king”
Traditionally, lacquer-wares were painted in black, brown and red. Today, new colours include white, blue, green and yellow to create a modern look. The main material of Ha Thai lacquer village products is wood, bamboo, rattan, eggshell, mother of pearl recently added new materials such as composite, ceramic… which make products unique and attractive.
Ha Thai lacquer products have been displayed at many local and foreign handicraft fairs. Besides the traditional lacquer products such as lacquer painting, horizontal lacquered board or parallel sentences, Ha Thai artisans also create attractive products to meet the needs of domestic and foreign tourists such as bowls, plates, flower vases, trays, tables, chairs, beds, cabinets…. In particular, Ha Thai lacquer pottery is a popular item in many countries around the world such as England, France, Russia, USA, Spain, Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea…
Nowadays, Duyen Thai commune has also built industrial clusters and points in Ha Thai lacquer village so that the establishments could focus on producing and promoting effectively. This is also not only for trading but also for travelers to visit and learn about a traditional craft procedure and buy the finest lacquer-wares.
