The embroidery craft appeared in Van Lam village in the 13^th century in the Tran dynasty. At the gate of the village, there is an ancient temple dedicated to the founder of the local embroidery craft. Vu Thanh Lam, a local elder, says Van Lam people worship the founder of the embroidery craft on the 15^th day of the first lunar month: “Legends say that Ms Tran Thi Dung, the Great Tutor Tran Thu Do’s wife, came to the village with other people of the Tran royal family and taught local people the weaving and embroidery crafts. The first local products were clothes decorated with bird patterns and parallel sentences and robes for the royal family. Since then, the embroidery craft has become popular among local people. Van Lam embroidery products have found their way to other regions of Vietnam and overseas. We set up this temple to show our deep gratitude to the founder of the craft and to preserve the craft”.

The temple also worships Dinh Xuan Nghenh and Dinh Xuan Xoan, who brought the lace craft to the village in the early 20^th century.

Photo: internet

Local women demonstrate their embroidery craft at the Tam Coc wharf while waiting for boat customers. As the craft is handed down through generations, most people in Van Lam get involved in creating embroidery and lace. Men in the village master the embroidery craft just like the women. With thin colorful threads, the skillful hands of local artisans make embroidery products that are as sophisticated and beautiful as masterpieces of art. Ms Nguyen Thi Lua of Van Lam village says embroidery is a detailed craft: “We cannot say how long it takes to make an embroidery picture because it depends on the type of the picture that we make. It takes more time to make more detailed and larger pictures. The craft requires artisans to master every step”.

In Van Lam village, nearly 700 households make embroidery pictures. Each house in the village is a workshop whose artisans are family members. Ms Vu Thi Diu is a local: “I learned the craft from my grandparents and parents when I was small. Day by day, I gradually mastered the skills. The decorative patterns of our pictures are diverse and we constantly have to create new patterns for our pictures”.

Van Lam embroidery products are famous not only in Vietnam but also overseas. In recent years, they have been exported to Japan, the US, Germany and France. Van Lam artisans are constantly creating new products and modifying their products to meet market demand. They have created more than 200 lace patterns and combined embroidery and lace to make beautiful pictures. Ms Lua says:“Customers’ needs are diverse. Some people like blankets, some like table cloths, mattresses or clothes. They are interested in seeing how we make embroidery pictures. We always try to make quality products to introduce to customers”.

Photo: internet

Van Lam people have organized package tours to introduce tourists to local scenic spots and embroidery craft. Decorative patterns depicting the Vietnamese countryside, charming Vietnamese girls, and flowers on Van Lam embroidery products are most impressive.