SHELL PREPARATION
Try turning the flywheel press to punch mother-of-pearl blanks
4-HOUR VILLAGE TOUR • 300,000 VND PER PERSON • 45–50 MIN FROM HANOI
VISIT FAMILY INLAY WORKSHOPS • MAKE YOUR OWN LACQUER PIECE • CYCLE TO THE VILLAGE CHURCH
A half-day inside Chuyen My's family shell-inlay workshops, lacquer studio, and village church.
Step into family courtyards where artisans cut and inlay river shell and sea snail shell, return to Trang Studio to make your own lacquer piece, and ride a bicycle through quiet village lanes to see Biblical scenes inlaid in mother-of-pearl inside the local church.
Stage 01 • Visit 2–3 family workshops
Watch shell punching, fretwork sawing & mother-of-pearl carving
Stage 02 • Hands-on studio session
Make your own Wooden Fish or Round Lacquer Plaque to take home
Stage 03 • Cycle to the village church
Ride through village lanes & view mother-of-pearl Biblical murals
Quick Facts
- Duration
- DURATION: 4 HOURS (MORNING 08:00 – 12:00 | AFTERNOON 14:00 – 18:00)
- Published Price
- 300,000 VND per person
- Group Size per Session
- MAX 8 GUESTS PER SESSION
- Location
- Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi
- Travel Time from Central Hanoi
- 45–50 min drive south (via Highway 1A or Phap Van – Cau Gie Expressway)
- What You Take Home
- Take home both finished pieces (1 Wooden Fish + 1 Round Plaque) in a double gift box the same day.
- Opening Hours
- 08:00 – 18:00 daily (Monday – Sunday)
CHUYEN MY MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAY VILLAGE
From raw river and sea shells to inlaid folk tales and rural landscapes.
Located along the Nhue River in Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi (formerly part of Phu Xuyen District), Chuyen My has practiced mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquerware for nearly 1,000 years, dating back to the Ly Dynasty. Walking into the village, you hear the steady rhythm of shell-punching presses and fine fretwork saws inside family courtyards.
To prepare the inlay material, artisans select thick river mussel shells and marine snail shells, punch them into round blanks, grind away the rough outer lime layer on water stones, and flatten the iridescent inner shell.
Using a hair-thin fretwork saw and small chisels, artisans cut and set thousands of shell fragments into wooden panels to depict Vietnamese folk legends and rural courtyard scenes.
FAMILY WORKBENCH
Visit family artisans sawing and engraving fine shell pieces
VIETNAMESE LACQUER & MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAY
How Vietnamese lacquer (sơn ta) and mother-of-pearl inlay work together.
Preparing the lacquer base board and natural resin coats
Alongside shell inlay, Vietnamese lacquer (sơn ta, a natural tree resin harvested in Phu Tho) is built on a seasoned wooden base board sealed with alluvial clay and handmade paper.
Each coat of dark roiro lacquer and warm cockroach-wing amber lacquer cures in a humid chamber before artisans wet-polish the surface under running water to bring out a deep lustre.
Combining mother-of-pearl, crackled eggshell, and wet-polished lacquer
When Chuyen My mother-of-pearl and crackled eggshell inlay are set into a lacquer base board and coated with natural resin, the dark lacquer frames the shifting colours of the shell.
After wet-polishing under water, the shell, eggshell, and lacquer sit on a single smooth plane.
01. Shell Cutting & Fretwork
Raw river and marine shells are ground and sawed into fine iridescent shapes.
02. Base Board & Lacquer Coating
Seasoned wood is sealed and coated with Vietnamese lacquer (sơn ta).
03. Wet-Polishing
Sanded under water so the inlaid shell and eggshell emerge flush with the lacquer.
MOTHER-OF-PEARL MURALS IN THE VILLAGE CHURCH
Local artisans use mother-of-pearl inlay and gilded lacquer to depict Biblical scenes.
During the third stage of the tour, you ride a bicycle along village lanes to the local parish church. Here, Chuyen My artisans applied their traditional mother-of-pearl inlay and red-and-gold lacquer skills to create large Biblical murals and liturgical furnishings.
CHURCH INLAY PANEL • PENTECOST
Mother-of-pearl inlaid panel of Pentecost
Assembled from thousands of sea snail shell fragments shifting from rose pink to emerald green, village artisans inlaid the figures of Mary and the Apostles framed by traditional Vietnamese geometric borders.
● Highlight stop on the village bicycle loop
SANCTUARY ALTAR01 / 10
Gilded lacquer and mother-of-pearl sanctuary architecture
Curved traditional roof motifs carved in wood, gilded, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
INLAID ICON02 / 10
Mother-of-pearl icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Hand-engraved shell details across the halo, robes, and floral frame.
BIBLICAL SCENE03 / 10
Inlaid panel of the Last Supper in the main sanctuary
Depiction of the Last Supper crafted in mother-of-pearl behind the altar table.
GOSPEL SHRINE04 / 10
Wooden shrine inlaid with apricot blossoms and Alpha–Omega
Carved wooden columns inlaid with white mother-of-pearl blossoms.
CULTURAL HERITAGE05 / 10
Shrine base inlaid with bird-and-flower motifs
Red-and-gold carved wood paired with mother-of-pearl inlay along the pedestal.
CLOSE-UP DETAIL06 / 10
Keys of Saint Peter bordered by round mother-of-pearl beads
Evenly punched circular shell discs framing the gilded keys on the lectern.
LECTERN & PEWS07 / 10
Dark wood lectern inlaid with lattice shell patterns
Interlocking diamond lattice inlaid in white river shell on dark timber.
BAPTISMAL FONT08 / 10
Octagonal dome inlaid with floral scroll motifs
Vermilion lacquer panels paired with black lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl vines.
VILLAGE COMMUNITY09 / 10
Village elders in traditional attire inside the church
Community gathering beneath the inlaid and gilded woodwork.
CHURCH COURTYARD010 / 10
Shaded courtyard relief where guests park bicycles
Rest stop in the church garden during the village cycling loop.
4-HOUR VILLAGE TOUR ITINERARY
Visit family workshops → Make your piece at Trang Studio → Cycle to the village church
A 4-hour experience combining family workshop visits, hands-on lacquer making, and a leisurely village bicycle ride.
DURATION: 4 HOURS (MORNING 08:00 – 12:00 | AFTERNOON 14:00 – 18:00)300,000 VND per person
- Stage 01FIRST 60 MINS
Walk to 2–3 family inlay workshops — Watch shell punching, grinding & fretwork sawing
Walk through shaded village lanes to visit 2–3 family households practicing mother-of-pearl inlay. Watch artisans punch river shell blanks, grind marine shells on water stones, and saw intricate patterns.
✓ Try turning the flywheel shell-punching press with the host family.
- Stage 02NEXT 105 MINS
Return to Trang Studio — Make your own Wooden Fish or Round Lacquer Plaque
Enjoy herbal tea at Trang Studio and work alongside master artisan Nguyễn An Định (40 years' experience) and Art Director Trần Công Dũng. Choose a Wooden Fish or Round Plaque (Lotus, Butterfly, Tree of Life, or 12 Zodiac Animals), inlay shell and crackled eggshell, apply mineral colours, and wet-polish under water.
✓ Take your finished piece home in a gift box.
- Stage 03FINAL 75 MINS
Cycle along village lanes & visit the mother-of-pearl church murals
Pick up a bicycle at the studio for an easy ride through Chuyen My's lanes to the parish church, where you can examine the Pentecost, Last Supper, and sanctuary panels inlaid by village artisans.
✓ Gentle flat cycling route through the craft village.
Includes: Local host, visits to 2–3 family inlay workshops, all materials to make 01 Wooden Fish or Round Lacquer Plaque at Trang Studio, bicycle use, and herbal tea.
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS TO CHUYEN MY
Visit Trang Studio – Lacquer Village in Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi
Located in Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, Hanoi — open daily from 08:00 to 18:00 (Monday – Sunday).
TRANG STUDIO – LACQUER VILLAGE
Trang Studio – Lacquer Village (Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, Hanoi)
GPS COORDINATES
20.7388171° N, 105.8671163° E
No. 6, Lane 3, Trung Hamlet, Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi (Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village), Vietnam
GETTING HERE FROM CENTRAL HANOI
A 45–50 minute drive south of central Hanoi via National Highway 1A or the Phap Van – Cau Gie Expressway, accessible by private car, taxi, motorbike, or tour coach.
No. 6, Lane 3, Trung Hamlet, Chuyen My Commune, HanoiOpen Directions in Google Maps →