Vietnam 2023

 Hiya, 

It has been a wonderous few months, finally able to wander again and do two trips to  Vietnam.

Firstly "Textile Traditions of Vietnam's North" we had great success following up on some leads and met a young woman working with natural dyes in Hanoi.... there are new ideas to follow up...

Found a far away village making traditional Zo Paper- this had nearly died out but the government initiative to get farmers to plant trees on the steep slopes instead of degrading and landslide encouraging manioc had had great results. Trees on mountain sides and with support from artisan development groups a re-emergence of hand made paper.

The next trip was a sketching tour "Travel Sketching- Vietnam" with Leonie Norton as our travelling tutor [Leonie is travelling with us to Jaipur next year- by the way ]. The slower pace is wonderful because it is all about taking time to look, you really do see so much more and have time to process what you see.

Hmm- lesson in that.

time to sketch

time to wander through the rice fields

 

Interesting the changes you notice, after you have been away for a while.

So happy to see so many colleagues/ friends doing well- relieved the world is opening up and lots of stories of resilience to be shared.

Hanoi has started closing down the whole area around Hoan Kiem Lake on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings- to the obvious delight of locals and visitors. You can wander without the hassle of traffic. Yeh!

The Votive Offerings village seems busier than ever- it is a sign of increasing affluence or nervousness, not wanting a repeat of the last few years.

Is it a sign of the government's liberalization and greater acceptance of spiritual practices? not sure but interesting to note.

Old friends are not just people I realise as I wander around... there are sights and smells that also seem like old friends...

The smell of incense in the Temple of Literature, being there when many students come along to seek blessings before they undertake major exams. Always a great ambience. Always bring pleasure.

These exotic orange flowers at the hotel in Mai Chou, I have always thought they would be satisfying to draw.... and they were 😊

We visited Indigo workshop of Mrs Chi below Sapa- traditionally Black H'mong do plain indigo, dipping their cloth every day for a month to get a deep rich hue which is then bee's waxed to make it shine... tourists aren't going to stay a month so she has picked up batik and does a workshop with batik and indigo. Go Mrs Chi love your entrepreneurial skills

AND

Finally got to visit a Green H'mong village up near the Loas Border- I've heard about them since my first visit in 2007... in those days it was not considered safe to visit because it was edge of the drug routes.... but now after the government has done a lot of work to improve people's lifestyle options there has been a big change in the area and it is open and safe for visitors. Very satisfying... we asked about indigo vat preparation... same, same as Black H'Mong but a little bit different. Both Ethnic Minorities grow their own indigo and hemp to make and colour cloth.

Ha Long Bay is busier than ever, yet still has a beauty that pulls you in 

The Guardian of Thai Vi Temple seems ageless

Sapa in 2007.... it has changed but is still a buzz... there are lots of people trying to sell you stuff, I know, but I found they were more likely to have a laugh with you. In the past there could often be quite a desperate edge to their requests of you to buy.

The textiles are stunning

Around Hanoi there is much to please the eye

I really enjoyed being back in Vietnam

I believe our tourist dollars do help the local economy and it is such a joy experiencing the friendly welcome.

Always on the look out for a new connection and a new story or theme to a tour, we will be using some of our new connections to present two new ideas in 2024.

Vietnam- Travel to Quilt with tutor Gillian Tavis- for the textile enchanted- this is an opportunity to travel, to learn from Gillian her travel photo to textile techniques, also to collect textiles and then create using them- a bit of heaven if you ask me.

Jo Beal is a wonderful Travel Journal keeper and artist /tutor; she is joining us to facilitate your Travel Journal opportunities on Vietnam- Create a Travel Journal

I've been happy to re-connect with Vietnam and continue to curate experiences for you to take the opportunity to form your own bonds with these welcoming people and a beautiful homeland.