LookAtVietnam – The publication of a traveller’s guide to dozens of craft villages near Hanoi is welcome news for expat residents of the capital city.

The researcher-writer team of Sylvie Fanchette and Nicholas Stedman.

Before it’s too late, hurry to snag your copy of the first edition of a magnificent new book on the traditional industries of the Red River Delta. Two years in writing and production, and based on several more years of research by Dr. Sylvie Fanchette of the Institute de Recherche pour le Développement’s office in Hanoi, Discovering Craft Villages in Vietnam is a handsomely illustrated guide to ten one-day itineraries in the outskirts of the capital.

Vietnam’s ‘craft villages,’ centers of handicrafts organized on a quasi-industrial scale, have existed for hundreds of years and – if they continue to adapt successfully to the demands of the modern marketplace – may thrive for many years to come. There are about 1000 craft villages in the Red River Delta alone, producing ceramics, textiles, bamboo and horn utensils, furniture, paper, lacquerware, mother of pearl inlays, gold leaf – the list is long.

Fanchette, a human geographer, and her collaborator, writer Nicolas Stedman, make several dozen of these villages come alive for us, whether we browse the book in a comfortable armchair or, as the authors intended, we leap onto a motorcycle and go to visit the craftsmen.

“We aimed for a book that tells a lot more than a Lonely Planet guide, but is as easy to use, rather than for an academic tome,” the two explain. And they have succeeded – the directions and accompanying maps are excellent, certainly adequate to support a non-Vietnamese speaker’s solo foray into the countryside.

The book is published in Hanoi by The Gioi Press, 2009.

Discovering Craft Villages in Vietnam is a ‘good read.’ Fanchette and Stedman write with authority and a bit of humor, detailing the craft techniques and illuminating the heritage and contemporary life of the people of these villages. Their book has been published in French, English and Vietnamese by the The Gioi Publishing House, but in only 500 copies each! A second edition is planned.

At 300,000 dong for the French and English versions, and only 200,000 dong for the Vietnamese version, the current edition is a real bargain. That’s because it was generously subsidized by a number of organizations. Copies are available at six bookstores in Hanoi, including the The Gioi store on Tran Hung Dao, and four in HCM City. They won’t last.

Sylvie Fanchette and Nicholas Stedman will talk about and show photos detailing the making of their book at the Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc in Hanoi at 6 pm on Tuesday, 22 September.

David Brown