Traditional Occupation Villages

In the early of 15th - 16th centuries, the handicrafts had been found by immigrants from the Northern setting up in the Southern and vigorous development in Quang Nam land. Passing the hundreds year of rising and falling, Quang Nam occupation village still remains the tradition from father to son. In the brilliant past, the products of occupation villages had not only served daily life but also presented in international area such as: Kim Bong Carpentry, Thanh Ha Pottery, Phuoc Kieu Bronze Casting, Ma Chau Silk Weaving etc. They altogether had made a part of Hoi An features where used to be the busiest port in the last century like Hue capital into the ancient and full fascinating town.
Thanh Ha Pottery Village
Location: Cam Ha Commune, Hoi An city
This pottery trade of this village is believed to originate from Thanh Hoa Province. From clay as main raw material, the clever hands of artisans create pottery products for domestic use, such as bowls, jars, vases, ornament tree pots, with a variety of shapes and colors, and with great durability. These pottery products are on display and on sale at souvenir shops and are very popular with visitors.
Visiting this trade village, you will not only indulge yourselves in shopping a variety of souvenir items, but also will be able to see with your own eyes the stages in the making of these products.
Kim Bong Carpenter Village
Location: Cam Kim Commune, Hoi An city
The carpentry of this village is believed to originate from North Vietnam, and has long been famous with its arts of wood carving and sculpture. Through contact and exchange with artisans of the same trade from Chiem Thanh, China, Japan and so on, combined with their own skills, these Kim Bong carpenters have created pieces of work which have normally great meaning in philosophy and fine arts. Products made here have been marketed in domestic as well as oversea markets.
Tra Que vegetable Village
It is far from Hoi An old town 2 kms to the Northeast. Its location is between De Vong river and Tra Que alga pond (Cam Ha commune - Hoi An city). This village is famous for many kinds of vegetables in a long time: lettuce, houttuynia, flagrant knoutwed, basil and coriander vegetables etc., and It is usually used in the Quang Nam special foods: Hoi An vermicelli, Quang soft noodle soup, dry pancake roll with pork…
With the area approximately tens of hectares of cultivated land but vegetable planting occupation had become the main occupation of native people from generation to generation. It developed the best prosperously since Hoi An tourism started to get gorgeous achievements.
Now, besides vegetable planting to supply for restaurants and wholesales markets in Quang Nam province as well as in Da Nang city with income up to billions of VND each year. Tra Que people also participate in tourism activities, tourists come here not only being guided to make soil, fertile, grow vegetable but also learn how to make the cuisine from vegetables in this place like the native people.
Phuoc Kieu Bronze Casting Village
Location: Dien Phuong Commune, Dien Ban District
Some of the products made by this village are bells, gongs, gong-like music instruments, incense burners, lamp holders, ancient vases, and other bronze musical instruments which are normally used in festivals, ceremonies and everyday life.
These musical instruments can give out unique sounds due to special techniques of combination of different types of metals in the process of casting which only the skilled artisans can do.
Ma Chau Weaving Village
It was founded in 15th century and located closely to Tra Kieu, Ma Chau village only wove silk and supplied for aristocrats, mandarin classes in the court. The stages of growing silkworms, breeding, unraveling silkworm cocoons and weaving were made by hundreds of householders in village following to craft methods.
When the government in the south of Viet Nam opened the gate to exchange trade to the world through Hoi An port so Ma Chau silk was the most exported goods. At the end of 19th century, when the French arrived in Viet Nam and herein, there was more floriculture and weaving occupations but silk was the main product to be used. In this period, means of production in village was remarkably improved from using wooden looms to half-machine, then reaching automation now.
Today, Ma Chau weaving village has specific characteristics in rural villages of Viet Nam with many green tree gardens, tea and areca palm hedges... Especially, the hospitality of native people will make tourists satisfied when arriving here.
Its location is in Chau Hiep hamlet - Nam Phuoc town, 3 kms far from center of Duy Xuyen district to the East, and on the way to My Son Sanctuary.
Dong Yen - Thi Lai Mulberry Silkworm Village
Like Ma Chau weaving village, in the last centuries, Dong Yen - Lai Chau villages had the reputation of growing silkworms, unraveling cocoons and weaving. Popular products include: Satin, tussore, chiffon and mattresses, which used to be exported to the far east by foreign trader ships. In its hey day, this village grew more than 160 hectares of mulberries and nearly 200 households participated in producing silk by handicraft methods, the craftsmen in Dong Yen - Thi Lai emigrated to settle down in Southern and found the weaving village with the large scale such as Bay Hien, Go Vap in Ho Chi Minh city nowadays.
Dong Yen - Thi Lai weaving village is located in Duy Trinh commune - Duy Xuyen district.
Ban Thach Mat Village
From Nam Phuoc town - Duy Xuyen district to the East of about 5 kms, tourists will see the green groves of jute along the bank of Thu Bon River.
This is a major raw material to make the mat product of Ban Thach village. The exquisite and clever hands of Ban Thach women make simple threads of segde bright,soft & solid mats with multicolor & kinds which are favoured by the domestic market.
Thanks to the location in the water area in Tra Nhieu and has poetic natural landscapes, Ban Thach is becoming an attractive destination for tourists who like discovering the traditional occupation villages in Quang Nam.
Ban Thach is located in Duy Vinh commune - Duy Xuyen district.
Brocade Weaving Occupation Of Cotu Ethnic
Although it has not developed as an occupation village yet but brocade weaving occupation had become the traditional village baring the deep cultural characteristics of Cotu ethnic. With the skillful hand of Cotu women, they had changed the homemade materials into the products such as blankets, loincloths, skirts, etc with multiform color and unique vignettes. The stage of weaving is made entirely by hand-made method, from growing material (cotton, jute, flax, etc) to finishing the products. As for brocade weaving, the Cotu women have to work hard during many days or a month to accomplish product entirely.
Brocade weaving occupation still retains the traditional characteristics of Cotu ethnic minority in village but gathers mainly in Tabhing (far 15 kms from Thanh My - Nam Giang district to the North-West). Herein, tourists will be exciting when being taught heartily by Cotu women to weave brocade products with simple looms that it was made from bamboo and wood.