Which town in Vietnam is known for its tailors and custom-made clothing?

Which town in Vietnam is known for its tailors and custom-made clothing? This is a question that piques the interest of those fond of silk villages. Hoi An, specifically, and Quang Nam, in general, are famously known for their silk-making craft. Over 300 years ago, the Hoi An trading port was recognized as one of the most prominent names in the region for trading silk and textiles. Today, to preserve and maintain these ancient cultural values, a tourist area named the Hoi An Silk Village has been established. Visitors to this place can not only admire, purchase, and have silk clothing tailored but also experience becoming silk artisans themselves, weaving fabric.

Which town in Vietnam is known for its tailors and custom-made clothing?

Hoi An is renowned in Vietnam for its tailors and custom-made clothing. The town is famous for its skilled tailors who can create high-quality garments tailored to individual measurements and preferences. Visitors to Hoi An often take advantage of the opportunity to have custom suits, dresses, shirts, and other clothing items made during their stay.

The craft of fabric weaving – one of the oldest professions in Hoi An

Centuries ago, around the 16th and 17th centuries, the craft of fabric weaving, silk production, and trade was considered to hold a significant portion of the commerce at the Faifo trading port. Merchants from both Eastern and Western countries eagerly flocked to the Hoi An port city to purchase various types of silk and raw silk threads. This significantly contributed to making the Hoi An port an important link in the “Maritime Silk Road” of that era.

This very reason led to the rapid development of the weaving industry in Hoi An. It was easy to come across fabric shops, tailoring establishments, looms, and colorful rolls of fabric.

Folklore also narrates that the silk weaving craft in the villages of Dong Yen and Thi Lai (present-day Duy Trinh and Duy Xuyen) originated in the 16th century, closely associated with the legend of the Silk Queen, Doan Quy Phi, and Prince Nguyen Phuc Loan. Thanks to Doan Quy Phi, the cultivation of mulberries, sericulture, and silk weaving were encouraged and developed more than ever before and have been maintained to this day.

The Hoi An Silk Village tourist area – a place that preserves the ancient charm of the weaving craft in the old town

Today, when visiting Hoi An, tourists interested in learning about the fabric weaving craft cannot miss the Hoi An Silk Village tourist area. Located at 28 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Tan An Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam, it is approximately 1km northwest of the old town center. Therefore, this location is ideally suited for combining with a day trip to the ancient town of Hoi An for visitors.

Regarded as the most comprehensive and detailed museum dedicated to the craft of fabric weaving in Hoi An, the Hoi An Silk Village recreates the life of the weaving artisans, from the stages of mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing to silk spinning and weaving. Additionally, the site features a traditional house displaying hundreds of Ao Dai, representing Vietnamese culture through 3000 years of history, as well as the costumes of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. All are made from brightly colored silk fabric.

In addition, visiting the ancient mulberry garden, where mulberry trees, some over 10 meters tall, have been directly transplanted to the Silk Village since 2012, is also a beloved activity among tourists.

After exploring the traditional houses and exhibition halls, visitors can experience a day as a weaving artisan, hand-picking mulberry leaves for silkworms to eat, cooking silkworm cocoons, weaving silk, and learning more about distinguishing various types of silk, ancient Cham culture, under the direct guidance of skilled artisans. This is undoubtedly an experience not to be missed for tourists, especially for foreign visitors.

Finally, before departing, don’t forget to purchase some silk clothing or pieces of smooth, shiny, and colorful silk fabric as gifts for family and loved ones.

With its development and appeal to a large number of tourists to Hoi An in general or the Silk Village in particular, the surrounding area boasts numerous hotels and resorts for overnight stays. Additionally, if visitors wish to experience traditional Central Vietnamese cuisine right within the Silk Village, such as Cao Lau, Banh Xeo, Mi Quang, and Banh Hoa Hong, they can make advance reservations. Immersing themselves in a rustic market atmosphere, with vendors dressed in traditional Ao Ba Ba attire, is sure to be an enjoyable experience for tourists.

On TripAdvisor, a social media platform specializing in sharing American travel experiences and destinations, the Hoi An Silk Village tourist area has received nearly 600 reviews from visitors, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Huynh Thu Dong, a traveler who visited in February 2019, commented: “Experiencing with the artisans was truly wonderful. We should preserve and promote such craft village experiences.”

Lu P, a visitor from Indonesia, also shared: “This is an interesting tour for the whole family. After the trip, we gained a deeper understanding of the silk-making process, and even my 8-year-old child got to experience it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Finally, we also got to enjoy delicious Vietnamese cuisine.”

Other travelers’ opinions also highlight the trip’s worth, providing interesting and informative insights.

When in Hoi An, if you’re already familiar with the ancient town and the serene flow of the Hoai River, you might consider exploring the silk village for a day. There are two options available: a short tour lasting 45 minutes, costing 100,000 VND per person, or a longer tour spanning 4 hours, which includes the guidance of a tour guide, meals within the tourist area, and silk-making experiences with artisans.

Western visitors, after indulging in Vietnamese cuisine not everyone dares to try, often comment, “It’s delicious!”