Places to visit in Vietnam

Places to visit in Vietnam

The Cu Chi Tunnels were built in order to combat better-supplied American and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, Communist guerrilla troops dug tens thousands of miles of tunnels, including an elaborate network running underneath the Cu Chi district northwest of Saigon. Soldiers used these underground routes to house troops and supplies, lay booby traps and mount surprise attacks, after which they could disappear underground to safety. To combat these guerrilla tactics, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces trained soldiers as “tunnel rats” to navigate the tunnels while detecting booby traps and enemy troop presence. Now part of a Vietnam War memorial park in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), the Cu Chi tunnels are a very popular tourist attraction.

  

In all, at least 45,000 Vietnamese men and women are said to have died defending the Cu Chi tunnels over the course of the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese government preserved the Cu Chi tunnels and included them in a network of war memorial parks around the country.

Learn more about the history of the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Places to visit in Vietnam

Textile Tribal Art Vietnam

Textile Tribal Art

Vietnamese Hmong women continuing to wear ‘traditional’ clothing tend to source much of their clothing as ‘ready to wear’ cotton (as opposed to traditional hemp) from markets, though some add embroidery as a personal touch. In SaPa, now with a ‘standardised’ clothing look, Black Hmong sub-groups have differentiated themselves by adopting different headwear; those with a large comb embedded in their long hair (but without a hat) call themselves Tao, those with a pillbox hat name themselves Giay, and those with a checked headscarf are Yao. For many, such as Flower Hmong, the heavily beaded skirts and jackets are manufactured in China.

Origin of the Red Dao

The Red Dao people originated from China and migrated to Vietnam starting around the 12th or 13th century and continuing until the early 20th century. The majority migrated into Vietnam during the Minh dynasty, due to drought, failed crops and the pressures of Feudalism in China.

Overtime, the Dao people in China were divided into small groups and they migrated to different places, with some of them coming to Vietnam. During the migration, the different groups incorporated some cultural practices of other nations, creating new, diverse Dao cultures. However, the different groups still maintain a common Dao identity, as they have the same origins and continue to share a common language.

Red Dao people mainly live in Cao Bang, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang and Lao Cai. Nowadays, Ta Phin village has more than 700 Red Dao people.

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Textile Tribal Art Vietnam

Embroidery Village in Dalat - Vietnam Holidays

Embroidery Village in Dalat

Dalat is a small and charming village found in Vietnam. Dalat’s surrounding countryside is covered by lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests.

Local products include silk, embroidery designs, garden vegetables and flowers which are sold all over southern Vietnam. This makes Dalat perfect for those who love textiles and crafts, where you can shop for beautiful crafts on your Vietnam holidays!

The city’s population is made up of about 5000 members of hill tribes. Traditional dress can even be spotted in the market places, with beautiful embroidery. Hill-tribe women of Dalat carry their children on their backs in a long piece of cloth worn over one shoulder and tied in the front. 

Also known as ‘The City of Eternal Spring’, Dalat’s temperature can vary between 15°C (average daily minimum) to 24°C (average daily maximum). Dalat has a dry and a wet season – dry occurs form December to March and wet falls from April to November. But not to worry! Even in the wet season, mornings normally remain dry, leaving time for shopping and other leisurely activities on your Vietnam holidays before the downpour begins.

Find out more about Dalat.

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Embroidery Village in Dalat - Vietnam Holidays

Cat Tien National Park

Cat Tien National Park – Vietnam Holidays

Cat Tien National Park - Forest Floor Lodge is an eco lodge hotel ideal if you are going to Vietnam on your holidays. This ecotourism lodge is in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. This is one of Vietnam’s most important national parks which is still home to some of the worlds most critically endangered wildlife. There are a wide range of activities available, from guided treks through the forest to walks across local paths, you may also love to see the bear sanctuary and the crocodile lake, all in easy walking distance from the Forest Floor Eco Lodge. This eco lodge hotel is situated by a river amidst the wildlife of the forest, sitting on the veranda you will be serenaded by the howls of the gibbons. The rooms in the hotel are made of local products, such as larva rock used for the tiles and the shower floor. Each of the beds have a very romantic feel with their mosquito nets – even though we did not actually see any mosquitos or any other insects in fact! This eco lodge hotel is run by Mai Bateman and her husband Roy. Roy is an entomologist who loves sharing his knowledge of the jungle. The food is plentiful and tasty, cooked by a couple of local chefs who seem to get a fabulous balance between local ethnic food with a touch of western cuisine thrown in. Really delicious, especially the local bananas that are small and sweet.

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Cat Tien National Park

Sapa Textile Tours - Vietnam Holiday Packages - Travel

Sapa Textile Tours

Come on a Colouricious Sapa Textile Tours holiday – you will love Sapa Textile Tours. Sara is a small town high in the hills of northern Vietnam. What is particularly special about the town of Sapa and its neighbouring area is that this is the home for the indigenous Hmong Tribes. When you go on these Sapa Textile Tours you will experience first hand the magical Hmong tribes, the people, the culture and for us the most exciting aspect is the Sapa embroidery. 

Learn more about Sapa.

Here is a map of where is Sapa is situated in Vietnam.

 

Learn more about our Colouricious textile holiday to Vietnam.

Colouricious hosts many different wonderful textile holidays – check out Colouricious textile holidays.

Sapa Textile Tours - Vietnam Holiday Packages - Travel

Hmong Arts and Crafts

Hmong Arts and Crafts

Hmong Tribe Arts and Crafts

The Hmong people are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China. Their history is somewhat difficult to trace but it is believed that they originated in the mountains of the Yellow River before migrating South in search of more arable land to farm. The Hmong people are now in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos as well as China.

The Hmong people are famous for their intricate textile art which comprises bold geometric patterns often in bright contrasting colours. Sub cultures of the Hmong people, not surprisingly, associate themselves with different patterns and techniques when it comes to their textile art designs. White Hmong are usually associated with reverse applique while the Green Hmong are more likely to be seen using batik.

As is common with many textile arts that have been handed down over the centuries, the Hmong designs are often referred to as story cloths, and represent stories from Hmong history and folklore handed down through the family.

The textile art and embroidery techniques are an important part of the Hmong people way of life and visitors can go to the Hmong villages to watch the work and children at work creating their intricate designs.

You can see the Hmong crafts and people in this video we took when we last visited Vietnam. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Colouricious are organising another trip to Vietnam in October and on this trip you will get the opportunity to visit a Hmong village and watch these wonderful fabrics being created. It is a truly wonderful thing to watch and experience and one that will create memories that will last a lifetime. If you are interested in joining us on our trip, then please visit our website and download the booking form. Send the form back to Colouricious and your place will be reserved on this wonderful trip. We would love for you to join us, we know that you will not be disappointed.

Hmong Arts and Crafts