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| Guiding foreign tourists experiencing making incense at Thuy Xuan Incense Village |
Catching this trend, several craft villages and traditional trade exhibition spaces across the city have placed greater emphasis on organizing hands-on activities for visitors during this year’s Tet holiday. These venues are adorned in vibrant spring hues, closely aligned with the distinctive features of each craft, from the gentle fragrance of incense and the vivid colors of paper flowers to the familiar charm of handcrafted products. Destinations have also proactively collaborated with travel agencies to design experiential activities integrated into tour programs, enriching visitors’ springtime journeys during the Lunar New Year.
At Thuy Xuan Incense Village, one of the “hottest” destinations whenever Tet arrives, the atmosphere in the opening days of the Lunar New Year grows even more vibrant, filled with traditional ao-dai, cheerful conversations, and the lingering fragrance of incense. Beyond costume rental services for photography, local households also offer visitors the opportunity to take part directly in the incense-making process, from mixing materials to rolling incense sticks by hand.
Many travelers, particularly international visitors, express delight at hearing stories about the craft village’s cultural and historical values before crafting their own incense sticks infused with the distinctive scent of Hue’s Tet. Quite a few also choose to purchase incense products as new year’s gifts, a meaningful way to share the cultural story of Hue Ancient Capital to family and friends.
Alongside traditional craft villages, exhibition, introduction, and live demonstration spaces dedicated to handicrafts in Hue in particular, and Vietnam in general, have also become favored stops for visitors in the days leading up to Tet and throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. At the Traditional Craft Exhibition and Demonstration Space in Hue (15 Le Loi Street, Hue City), the concentration of multiple crafts within a single venue not only helps visitors save travel time but more importantly offers an authentic and vivid glimpse into craft village life amid the bustling spring atmosphere. Meanwhile, at Hué Plaza, a newly operational commercial-cultural-service complex, the harmonious connection between Hue’s heritage values and modern experiences provides visitors with refreshing impressions. Most notably, the space dedicated to the display and tailoring of traditional ao-dai has emerged as a highlight, drawing keen interest from tourists.
During Tet, after hours spent visiting Hue Imperial Citadel, royal mausoleums, and other renowned attractions, many visitors choose to immerse themselves in a Tet atmosphere rich in the character of the Ancient Capital. They listen to stories of long-standing craft villages, observe each stage of the production process, and directly engage in delicate handcrafted techniques under the guidance of skilled artisans. From making paper flowers, folk paintings, conical hats, and incense to exploring traditional ao-dai spaces during the Lunar New Year, each experience offers a sense of warmth, familiarity, and profound cultural depth.
Beyond simply viewing or purchasing traditional products, Tet experience activities enable visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the value of traditional crafts and to appreciate the meticulous care and dedication of artisans. In doing so, these experiences contribute to preserving and promoting the cultural essence of Hue within contemporary life.
Together with Hue Today Online, Let’s take a look back at visitors’ hands-on experiences:
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| Tourists experiencing making incense |
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| Tourists buying Thanh Tien paper flowers as souvenirs |
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| International visitors exploring and experiencing Vietnam’s traditional embroidery craft |
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| Introducing visitors to Hue’s poem conical hat |
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| International visitors trying leaf stripping - a key step in the traditional conical hat–making process |
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| An artisan demonstrating the leaf-ironing technique |
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| Foreign visitors experiencing leaf ironing for conical hat making over a charcoal stove |
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| Guiding visitors making “độn” through layering and covering leaves in the conical hat-making process |
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| Foreign visitors experiencing conical hat stitching |
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| Tourists experiencing ao-dai displaying space at Hué Plaza |
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| Tourists listening to an introduction to ao-dai made from Zeng fabric |