My Current Favorites – [June 2025] Vietnamese Artisans (Silverware, Silk, Woodworking)
We just spent two weeks on vacation in Vietnam. These are our first long holidays since we became sedentary again. For the first time in a long while, we can afford to bring back lots of stuff because we can now allow ourselves to be a bit less minimalist and prioritize hyper-comfort. For that, JB and I went to Vietnam with two half-empty suitcases. One pair of shoes each. Speaking of Vietnam, my suitcase was filled only with purchases. We’re very lucky because the euro is very strong right now and it hasn’t impacted VND prices yet. We have +10% purchasing power just from the favorable exchange rate.
Silverware
One of the obsessions I kept in mind during this trip was buying a 99.9% silver tea cup. I’ve already explained the why and how you should use silverware and why 99.9% silver specifically here. It’s a pleasure purchase, not at all essential. But with such a favorable exchange rate and silver (by weight) not going up yet (unlike gold), it’s now or never to treat myself. Eventually, 233€ later, this 115g solid silver cup is mine!
If my tea cup is handmade by Vietnamese artisans from Hi’de Maison…
… the chopsticks, spoons, and silver leaves are machine-made in China and come from a more “dubious” source. It’s a Vietnamese woman who sells items from China online. She buys directly from the manufacturer so she has better prices than Taobao / Aliexpress. Even though I only know her online, I decided to trust her and I was right because all the items bought from her were tested and turned out to be 99.9% silver.
Please don’t ask for her contact info because you need to be able to speak Vietnamese or Chinese with her.
The silver leaves are for those who can’t buy a silver cup. You just slip a leaf into your tea cup and it will release silver ions. The advantage of 99.9% silver is that there’s no metallic taste when you dip it in hot water.
On the chopsticks, it’s written 家和万事兴 (Gia hòa vạn sự Hưng), “Family united, everything succeeds.” They weigh 53g and cost 61€
The spoon only has the inscription 9999 (silver purity), it weighs 25g and costs 38€
On the ginkgo leaf, it’s written 年年有余 (Niên niên hữu dư), “May every year be abundant.” The price varies from one supplier to another, between 5€ and 7€. It weighs between 1g and 2g.
I don’t know if you can get them from France by buying on Aliexpress, because I already tried and the seller canceled my order.
The Art of Tea
By getting into silverware, I inevitably got interested in the art of tea. Because the sellers, seeing me buy such specific things, asked me if I was a tea connoisseur (I’m not). But I got interested to see if these connoisseurs didn’t have other gadgets items that might interest me. Also, when my grandfather was alive, he had managed to collect the 4 most famous teapots in China (I don’t even know which ones). When he passed, we discovered all 4 were gone; my parents think he gave them away to connoisseurs because he knew we couldn’t understand and might misuse his teapots. That’s totally his style! Very generous, a great collector. A very sure taste for all kinds of craftsmanship. Even though he didn’t pass down his knowledge of craftsmanship, I inherited in one way or another (via DNA maybe) his taste for beautiful things.
After several days of research, I concluded I was a small player and that real connoisseur teapots are made from a special Chinese clay (Yixing red clay), handmade for at least 1000€ per teapot.
That you need one teapot per type of tea / the number of guests. What you’re aiming for is the exchange of minerals between the teapot and the tea; as well as a laminar flow when pouring water. Add to that tea-related criteria: does it have odors, do the leaves open up a lot, etc. And that indeed my grandfather did well to give away his teapots because I could never take care of them or appreciate them properly.
I treated myself to two lidded bowls (盖碗) in translucent porcelain (Mutton Fat Jade Porcelain (羊脂玉瓷)), which let light through. Unlike pottery, porcelain is much lighter, and made with kaolin. And to be able to let light through, the kaolin must be well purified. Lidded bowls are the kind of bowls/cups you see in historical Chinese dramas. They can be used as a teapot, as long as you know how to handle them because you can easily burn your fingers. After practicing several times, I can conclude that by following the instructions (gestures, quality water, right temperature…), my Vietnamese lotus tea smells much better after being prepared in my Chinese porcelain cup and enjoyed in a Vietnamese solid silver cup 😀 Of course, my tea is also among the best in the world because it was bought from my friend Vân: Wild Cloud.
I went for the cheap version but you can go up to several hundred euros for a single cup. Or have a cup at 50€ for Eggshell China (薄胎瓷), 0.5mm thick. You have to know your league. I prefer putting money into solid silver than porcelain, but that’s just my personal choice.
Silk at Lua Lang (Nha Xa)
There are 4-5 Vietnamese villages famous for their silk: Nha Xa, Van Phuc, Co Chat… and I forget the rest. I usually get traditional Nha Xa silk from Lua Lang.
Although I’ve been buying from them for several years, Lua Lang, this is the first time I’ve made the effort to ride 30 minutes by scooter to visit their lovely shop in a very quiet passageway. Just because you’re in a producing country doesn’t mean you’ll find 100% silk everywhere. And just because you’re willing to pay a lot doesn’t mean suppliers will go out of their way. In Vietnam, if the effort required is too much compared to the money earned, suppliers will simply cross you off their list. So, for suppliers to accept weaving 100% silk for you in the traditional way (which they find annoying because it’s more expensive and creates many technical problems; blended silk is sturdier than pure silk), Lua Lang has to rely on its 10+ years of experience and close relationships with weavers. They order their own silks, traditionally woven, and their own colors. The silk cocoons they use are white and come from silkworms that eat mulberry leaves, which gives the best possible quality. If the cocoons are yellow, or if the worms eat something other than mulberry leaves, the silk will be completely different. We wouldn’t know, but the pros do. Within the same village, even with the same weaving technique, some families will produce better quality weaves than others. And you need to be in the trade to know that.
I either buy pillowcases from them or have custom-made pajamas. Not only is the quality top-notch, but they are also passionate. We have so much to talk about that I stayed there for an hour.
For custom orders, I usually place my order several weeks/months before my trip, so that as soon as I’m in Vietnam, my order is ready. Traditional silk is very fine and not shiny like the machine-woven silk you’re used to seeing.
As for silk crepe, which is shinier (the one you’re used to using), they no longer make it at all, but they had two prototypes left from a long time ago. I managed to pry one prototype out of their hands and buy it 😀 just for pleasure because silk satin and traditional weaving don’t go together. He told me that this silk satin would become ugly and lose its fibers due to friction.
Anyway, if you touch this silk for the first time, you’ll wonder “what is this?” but this is the traditional silk I used in my childhood, and it took me many years to find it again. It’s unique in the world; once you’ve used it, you’ll never be able to use other silks again.
This time, I’m testing a new supplier. Top-quality raw silk from Co Chat directly from the Co Chat silk cooperative in Nam Dinh. This silk costs twice as much as traditional silk. I’m ordering a custom-made pajama in this silk, and I’m not sure what to think yet because it’s rougher, thicker, but still visually luxurious. I think this pajama will be great for winter because my traditional silk pajamas are too thin for winter. Well, I’ll have to update you in a few months because I’m not convinced at the moment.
However, I did buy raw silk towels from them. And it was a real revelation. I use them to dry my hands in the bathroom, but you can also use them to wash your face. After using these towels, your hands (and face) are immediately dry but not dehydrated. The towels themselves dry very quickly. Here’s the description from the seller:
Each fiber of the towel is coated with a fine layer of sericin — an antibacterial protein secreted by the silkworm when making the cocoon, rich in 18 amino acids beneficial for facial skin. Among them, serine, which can absorb water 50 times more effectively than glycerin, helps the skin stay intensely hydrated and maintain its elasticity.
With this understanding, the craft of spinning and cleaning the fibers has been carefully mastered to preserve soft, clean, and airy fibers while retaining a precious part of the sericin layer on the towel. Notably, the fibers are not dyed, to preserve their natural color and not alter this precious layer.
Thanks to these advantages, silkworm silk towels appeal to many women:
– Soft, silky, pleasant to the touch, they glide over the skin and remove the oily film. The skin appears clean and smooth, even without a facial cleanser.
– Dry very quickly and do not develop any unpleasant odor after use, unlike cotton towels (sericin being antibacterial)
My woodworker in Da Nang
Having bought all the wooden tools for leather crafting from Ngoc Tu, this is the first time I’ve seen him in person during my stay in Da Nang. His workshop is located between Da Nang and Hoi An. He receives me in a dusty workshop, among 1000 wooden boxes that were ordered by a mooncake seller (these cakes will be sold in September this year). We spend 2 hours discussing techniques, the woods used, and his story: from construction to woodworking, including a failed leatherworking experience. He’s a perfectionist like me, and all the tools he uses must be the best in the world. Often, craftsmen are stingy with tools and have to put in 10 times more effort to reach the level of perfection that a more powerful machine allows. He quickly understands that you can’t achieve perfection with cheap tools. Now, Ngoc Tu supplies all the leatherworkers in Vietnam.
I give him the brief to make me two wooden supports on which I can glue the lining of my wallets & bag handles. My version is mini because I don’t want it to take up too much space/weight in the suitcase. 2 days later, he sends the order via courier directly to my hotel. Price-wise, we’re looking at around €20-€30 per unit.
If you’re not a leatherworker, know that he loves making boxes, chess sets, and he’s even made van furniture before (you know the kind of vans people use to travel the world, with shower, sink, kitchen, etc.). In short, you can give him any design, and he’ll know how to make it. He loves unique orders. His favorite wood is walnut. Once varnished, the color is absolutely stunning.
Cosmetics
At Sammishop Vietnam, you’ll find my favorite turmeric mask, Cocoon. It’s a dupe of Kielh’s turmeric mask but much cheaper and more effective. Your skin regains its glow from the first use.
Custom shoes
We had shoes made semi-bespoke in Vietnam. Full bespoke doesn’t exist here for us at the moment. We’re very happy with our orders even though there are clearly some finishing issues. But having shoes tailored to your feet is always better than buying in-store. So we turn a blind eye to the lack of perfectionism and focus on comfort. Unfortunately, I don’t have any shoemaker names to give you because if I recommend something, I need to be absolutely sure of the quality.
Anyway, it was when wearing shoes made to my measurements that I realized my slightly asymmetrical feet (half a size difference) deserve custom-made. In Vietnam, this service costs only about €100 with a wait of about 2 weeks. But it’s very hard to place an order because you need to already be knowledgeable to provide technical terms (and argue with the shoemaker when they don’t follow the brief). For many services, I find doing it in Vietnam or France is more or less the same in terms of quality; but for shoes, I think Vietnam might not have the know-how. I need to try other shoemakers. But anyway, it’s already 100 times better than shoes bought in stores.
Talking with several artisans, I realized one thing: achieving perfection requires very good tools. And to have these tools, you need real passion — because often, they cost the equivalent of several months’ income. If it’s just to meet a standard of perfection that most customers don’t even notice, the investment can seem absurd. But passionate, perfectionist artisans can’t stand seeing flaws. So they’ll invest no matter what.
On the other hand, there are artisans who don’t see the flaws in their work. I’ve tried, sometimes, to push them to improve by giving them a more demanding brief than their usual clients. But instead of taking up the challenge with enthusiasm (and seeing the financial interest), they quickly do the effort/reward calculation — and often, it’s not worth it in their eyes. And I understand them: if I don’t like a task, even for double the price, I’m not sure I’d want to do it. But with passion, I can exceed myself… even for free.
There’s also another category: those who work on inspiration. When my inspiration meets theirs, it’s magical. The object will be an exceptional piece. But if it’s not the right moment… sometimes, the order will never be completed. And it’s frustrating, especially when you know their talent and choose them precisely for that reason. Customer service-wise, we often flirt with zero.
Anyway, when you order a custom piece, you have to assume that the first order will almost always be wonky. The brief will never be clear enough, there will be misunderstandings on both sides. It often takes two or three tries before you truly understand each other. The artisan will say they can do anything, but there’s always their personal touch — which may not match your taste.
My advice: clearly say when you’re disappointed. If the artisan has to correct a mistake once, they’ll do everything to not repeat it. In craftsmanship, every correction costs dearly — both in time and materials. It’s also how they’ll learn to understand your tastes and your level of expectation.
Consumerism
Sharing my purchases/products available in Vietnam on Instagram during my vacation might have been a mistake. It triggered a kind of frenzy among my followers: desire, consumption, greed… when originally, nobody really needed those items/didn’t know they existed. An example: the silver leaves. They’re not expensive, they’re beautiful, they’re pure silver… As a result, even people who don’t drink tea wanted to buy them. I feel too guilty.
When I like something, I talk about it with enthusiasm, sometimes too much passion. But in doing so, I unknowingly contribute to creating new buying desires. So, take this article for what it is: a simple “haul“, a share of my current favorites. There’s no intention to push you to consume, nor to support artisans if you don’t have a real use for them. Maybe you already have a silk pillowcase? Keep it. The day it’s worn out, why not try one from Vietnamese artisans…
