Frequently asked questions about our Chuyen My lacquer & mother-of-pearl workshops

The 2.5-hour (150-minute) hands-on studio workshop costs 300,000 VND per person, with a maximum of 8 guests per session. Both the 4-hour Half-Day Twin-Piece Experience and the 4-hour Chuyen My Craft Village Tour (household visits, studio workshop, and village church cycle) cost 300,000 VND per person.

Each standard studio workshop session is capped at a maximum of 8 guests per workbench so every participant receives hands-on guidance from master artisan Nguyễn An Định. To reserve a session on the English site, email nguyenthithutrang198383@gmail.com or call +84-865-180-283 with your preferred date, start time (08:00, 10:30, 13:30, or 15:30), and group size.

You can join a hands-on Vietnamese lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay workshop at Trang Studio – Lacquer Village in Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi, 45–50 minutes south of central Hanoi. The studio is open daily from 08:00 to 18:00 (Monday to Sunday) with four standard workshop sessions starting at 08:00, 10:30, 13:30, and 15:30.

Trang Studio is at No. 6, Lane 3, Trung Hamlet, Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi (formerly Phu Xuyen District), inside the Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, 45–50 minutes by car, taxi, or motorbike south of central Hanoi via National Highway 1A or the Phap Van – Cau Gie Expressway (GPS: 20.7388171° N, 105.8671163° E).

Yes, you take your finished piece home the same day in a gift box. In the 150-minute workshop (300,000 VND), you choose 1 natural wood base board — either a Wooden Fish or a Round Plaque (Tree of Life, Mother-of-Pearl Butterfly, or 12 Zodiac Animals) — and complete all 5 inlay and wet-polishing stages.

Every workshop is guided step by step by master artisan Nguyễn An Định, who has more than 40 years of traditional lacquerware and mother-of-pearl inlay experience in Chuyen My, together with co-founder and art director Trần Công Dũng (Dũng Dị, T.C. DUNG, born 1969, Vietnam University of Fine Arts) and co-founder Nguyễn Thị Thu Trang.

Vietnamese lacquer (sơn ta) is a natural resin harvested from lacquer trees in Phu Tho Province rather than a synthetic paint. Combined with seasoned natural wood base boards (vóc), river mother-of-pearl, iridescent sea snail shell, crackled eggshell, mineral pigments, and silver leaf, it is cured in humidity and wet-polished under water to reveal a deep lustre.

Chuyen My (Chuyen My Commune, Hanoi) is Hanoi's traditional mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, with nearly 1,000 years of history dating from the 11th century and founded by patron ancestor Trương Công Thành. As a village, Chuyen My has more than 7,000 workers, 2,030 households, and 10 companies, with VND 68.2 billion in village e-commerce sales from January to May 2025. In 2026, the World Crafts Council (WCC AISBL) recognised Chuyen My as one of 83 World Craft Villages across 34 countries (recognition letter dated 17 January 2026; certificate presented on 8 May 2026 at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in Hanoi). These figures refer to Chuyen My village as a whole; Trang Studio – Lacquer Village is a workshop studio located in the village.

The 4-hour Chuyen My Craft Village Tour (300,000 VND per person, morning 08:00–12:00 or afternoon 14:00–18:00) combines three parts: (1) a 60-minute walk visiting 2–3 family inlay workshops to see shell blank pressing and fret-sawing; (2) a 105-minute studio workshop making 1 lacquer piece to take home; and (3) a 75-minute bicycle ride to the village church.

Every DIY Lacquer Inlay Kit contains a prepared natural wood base board with pre-traced outlines, pre-cut mother-of-pearl and sea snail shell, cleaned eggshell, mineral lacquer colours and adhesive, full tools (brushes, tweezers, wooden stylus, 3-grit wet sandpaper), and a bilingual VI–EN manual with QR video. Each kit costs 300,000 VND.

Yes, the DIY Lacquer & Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Kit is packed in a shock-resistant box with a complimentary handmade dó-paper gift card and is available for delivery across Vietnam (including same-day delivery to Hanoi hotels on request) as well as international shipping. Completing a piece at home takes approximately 120 to 150 minutes.

Yes. Inbound tour operators, DMCs, and private group leaders can book the 2.5-hour studio workshop (published retail 300,000 VND) or 4-hour village & workshop programmes (published retail 300,000 VND). Visit /en/for-tour-operators or email nguyenthithutrang198383@gmail.com with the subject 'Group enquiry – [Company name]' for trade scheduling and net rates.