Chuyen My: a guide to Hanoi's mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village

South of central Hanoi, the craft hamlets of Chuyen My Commune — including Chuon Ngo, Boi Khe, Chuon Trung, and Chuon Thuong — have practised the art of cutting and inlaying river mussel shell and marine mother-of-pearl for nearly a millennium. According to historical accounts and village tradition in Chuon Ngo, the founding patron ancestor of the mother-of-pearl inlay craft is Trương Công Thành from the 11th century, who taught villagers how to craft iridescent shell inlay.

Unlike industrial decorative workshops where patterns are printed, Chuyen My functions as a living ecosystem of specialised household workshops. Walk through the village lanes between 08:00–18:00 and you will hear the steady sound of fine fret-saws, hand files, and water-grinding stones from family courtyards. One household specialises in sorting and pressing raw river mussel shells (vỏ trai sông) and iridescent sea snail shells; the next household saws delicate motifs by hand; another carves wooden recesses and applies natural lacquer.

In 2026, following on-site evaluation in November 2025, the World Crafts Council (WCC AISBL) officially recognised Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village 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). Together with Son Dong, Bat Trang, and Van Phuc, this milestone made Hanoi home to four World Craft Villages and placed Vietnam second globally by number of members, after Iran.

Understanding why genuine Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay commands such respect requires looking closely at the raw material. Natural nacre — harvested from freshwater river mussels and iridescent sea snail shells — is curved, brittle, and layered in microscopic calcium carbonate platelets. Before a single petal can be inlaid into wood or lacquer, the artisan must transform a curved shell into flat tesserae without fracturing its natural lustre.

During the 4-hour Chuyen My Craft Village Tour hosted by Trang Studio – Lacquer Village, guests step inside 2–3 working family households to observe the six classical stages of Chuyen My inlay:

One of the most distinctive expressions of Chuyen My's craft heritage is preserved inside the village church visited on Stage 3 of the Chuyen My Craft Village Tour. Here, local artisans dedicated their mother-of-pearl inlay skills to creating sacred artworks for the sanctuary.

Rather than painting biblical scenes in oil on canvas, village artisans composed large-scale inlaid panels — including 'Pentecost' (Lễ Hiện Xuống), 'The Last Supper' (Bữa Tiệc Ly), 'Our Mother of Perpetual Help' (Đức Mẹ Hằng Cứu Giúp), and 'The Passion of Christ' (Chúa Giêsu Chịu Nạn) — out of thousands of hand-sawed and hand-engraved fragments of iridescent sea snail and river mussel shell set into seasoned wood and lacquer.

As natural daylight shifts across the church windows, the inlaid robes, halos, and architectural perspectives refract shifting rainbow tones without synthetic paint, with facial expressions and drapery articulated through fine engraved lines.

For generations, traditional Chuyen My workshops focused on ceremonial furniture, horizontal lacquered boards (hoành phi, câu đối), and large architectural panels. Because these pieces take weeks or months to produce, visitors could previously only watch from the sidelines.

Trang Studio – Lacquer Village was founded in Chuyen My to let visitors experience the craft firsthand. The studio brings together Co-founder Nguyễn Thị Thu Trang (born and raised in Chuyen My), Art Director & Painter Trần Công Dũng (born 1969 in Tuyên Quang, Việt Nam, graduate of Trường Đại học Mỹ thuật Việt Nam), and Master Artisan Nguyễn An Định (more than 40 years of hands-on craft experience).

Instead of passive souvenir shopping, Trang Studio prepares authentic Chuyen My materials — natural wooden fish and round plaque cores (vóc), river mother-of-pearl and sea snail shell, cleaned eggshell with the inner membrane removed, silver leaf, mineral pigments, and natural lacquer — for a structured 2.5-hour creative workshop where every guest completes and takes home their own piece the same day.

Chuyen My Commune is a convenient half-day trip from central Hanoi. Trang Studio – Lacquer Village is located at GPS coordinates 20.7388171° N, 105.8671163° E and is open daily from 08:00–18:00 (Monday to Sunday).

By car, taxi, motorbike, or tour coach: Travel 45–50 min from central Hanoi south via National Highway 1A or the Phap Van – Cau Gie Expressway, following directions directly to Trang Studio on Google Maps (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xzqNNqGJRxH4RFRx9).

Visitors and tour operators can choose between three published studio and village experiences at Trang Studio – Lacquer Village, plus three take-home DIY Kit editions: