Introduction
Ninh Binh is the ancient capital of many eras and the cradle of many famous traditional craft villages in Vietnam. Among many famous traditional craft villages, Van Lam Embroidery Village is the oldest in Ninh Binh and Vietnam. Amid the hustle and bustle of modern life, at Van Lam Embroidery Village, traditional artisans are still meticulous with every needle and thread to create a beautiful product. Today, let’s explore more about the traditional craft village of Van Lam Embroidery Village with Ninh Binh Private Car to learn more interesting things here.
Van Lam Embroidery Village Location
- Address: Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, Ninh Binh province
As one of the six traditional craft villages honored to receive a certificate of merit and support for development by the Government, Van Lam Embroidery Village is the birthplace and convergence of the quintessence of traditional embroidery. Located in the Tam Coc Bich Dong scenic complex, the village is a rare place where people still make a living through embroidery and agricultural production.
At the same time, it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ninh Binh. The works of the local people still attract a lot of attention from tourists who want to have something as a souvenir for their trip.
How To Visit Van Lam Embroidery Village?
Van Lam Embroidery Village is only about 7km from Ninh Binh city, so there are many ways for tourists to visit this place. The most prominent of which are using motorbikes, trains, or buses.
If you go by motorbike, you can follow the route Hanoi – old National Highway 1A – Ninh Binh. Note that you should go in the direction of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and avoid going in the wrong direction to Nam Dinh-Thai Binh. You can choose the train to Ninh Binh if you have more time. Visitors from Hanoi can consider some train routes, SE1, SE3, SE5, SE7, or SE19. In Saigon, train route SE8 will take you to explore Ninh Binh.
If you choose the bus, just go to the bus stations in Hanoi, such as My Dinh, Giap Bat, or Nuoc Ngam, and catch the bus to Ninh Binh. In addition, if you need a safe and comfortable choice, please contact Ninh Binh Private Car to book a trip from Hanoi to Ninh Binh Private Car.
Or if you want to travel to other places in Vietnam from Ninh Binh, you can book our Ninh Binh Private Car Transfer, such as.
- Ninh Binh To Cao Bang Private Car Rental – from 168 USD per sedan car
- Ninh Binh To Cat Ba Island Private Car – from 106 USD per sedan car
- Private Car from Ninh Binh To Ha Giang – from 196 USD per car
History of Van Lam Embroidery Village
Van Lam village is one of the few places that still preserves the soul of lace embroidery and is also the only place that masters the “Pulled Thread Embroidery” technique. Through relics and stories, it can be known that this profession began more than 700 years ago. In the past, Van Lam village was the place where feudal dynasties often embroidered costumes to serve rituals.
There are many different anecdotes and legends about the formation of the craft village. However, according to the elders in the village, the embroidery craft started very early, specifically during the resistance war against the Mongols of the Tran Dynasty.
When King Tran strategically withdrew his troops to Ninh Binh, National Mother Tran Thi Dung taught the royal lace embroidery craft to the people. She was the wife of Royal Advisor Tran Thu Do, and thanks to her great contributions, she was very grateful to the people of Van Lam village.
Another anecdote is about two men, Dinh Ngoc Henh and Dinh Ngoc Xoan. They were originally from Van Lam village but traveled to Hanoi to learn embroidery from the French to pass it on to the villagers. Thanks to that, the people here opened a completely new stage of development, with more diversity in products and designs, attracting many customers.
Since then, Van Lam Embroidery Village has expanded in scale, from costumes to tablecloths, curtains, and fashion clothes. There are also large embroidered paintings that are very suitable for display.
What To Do At Van Lam Embroidery Village?
Visit the Temple of the Three Founders
If you approach the village’s ferry terminal, you will see a temple with traditional architecture and a prominent red-tiled roof. This is the place to worship the three ancestors of the embroidery profession, including the National Embroidery Patriarch Le Cong Hanh and two men, Dinh Ngoc Henh and Dinh Ngoc Xoan. The temple is a testament to the gratitude of the descendants to the ancestors who passed on the profession.
Coming to the temple, you can admire the stone pillars with two parallel sentences: “Mỹ nghệ hoa văn truyền hậu thế – Tài hoa cẩm tú ngưỡng tiên sinh.” Through these two parallel sentences, you will easily feel the gratitude and sincere respect of the people here.
In addition, the temple is also the clearest evidence reflecting the good tradition of drinking water and remembering its source, the people. Visitors can go inside to visit the area inside the temple and light an incense stick to express their respect.
Meet the Talented Artists
About 700 out of 830 households in Van Lam Embroidery Village are still practicing the embroidery craft. Therefore, visitors can easily meet talented artisans in the workshops. Visitors can visit the workshops to listen to stories about how to make a painting.
The artisans must develop a design idea and then print the pattern drawing onto a transparent film. Next, use a sharp needle to prick along the drawing and place the drawing on the fabric, using oil and ink to scan the drawing. Then, the pattern will appear on the fabric along the needle lines, and the embroiderer will follow those lines to embroider.
In embroidering according to the needle lines, skilled and experienced embroiderers can adjust themselves to make the embroidery softer and more delicate. However, only a few embroiderers can do that, while most embroiderers will only embroider according to the needle lines, so creating the needle lines is a very important step.
Another unique feature of Van Lam embroidery village is the monochrome embroidery technique, or even using only white thread. That is, the craftsman does not use color to create the vividness of the embroidery; on the contrary, the monochrome of the fabric highlights the work’s sophistication.
Visitors can also visit some shops and buy some products here. Their prices are also very reasonable, considering the value and effort of the artisans. Visitors can consider many options, such as handkerchiefs, embroidery, or a shirt or hat.
Conclusion
Although it has been more than 700 years of association and development, today, Van Lam Lace Embroidery Craft Village still has many artisans attached to the profession. This place has also developed into one of the famous tourist destinations for domestic and foreign tourists. Visiting the village will hear interesting stories and meet famous artisans such as Mr. Chu Quy Thap. Visitors can also buy a beautiful hand-embroidered product for themselves. That is the information you need to know about Van Lam Embroidery Village that Ninh Binh Private Car has collected. Hopefully, this article will be useful for your trip.