Quick Details
Adult
from 2 pax
$ 65.00
Highlights of this experience:
- Awesome souvenir
- Find your hidden talent
- Result of a work-out
Unique local experience
Nestled in Kien Hung Commune, Ha Dong Town, Hanoi, the small, but prestigious village renowned for one of Vietnam’s most historic traditional handicrafts – Da Sy forging. This village has a long-standing history in the forging profession, dating back several centuries. Historically, two blacksmith ancestors of the profession – Nguyen Thuat and Nguyen Thuan came to the village several hundred years ago and taught forging technics for locals.
During the Vietnam wars, the village was the main source supporting weapons for Vietnam military. However, when peace returned to Vietnam 40 years ago, the locals returned to making to agricultural implements such as ploughs, rakes…
The work of making forging products is intricate and labor-intensive, involving several critical steps. These include making rough drafts, keeping fires burning, hitting red-hot iron into shape with hammers, tempering (strengthening) the metal with water – and then sharpening the final product.
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Duration: 4 hours
Group Size: 1-5 people
Time: @08:30 – 12:30 | @10:00 – 14:00 | @13:00 – 17:30 | 14:00 – 18:00
Meeting place: Hotel pick-up in the old quarter
Private/Customized Tour/Team building: Available upon request
Inclusions: Tour guide, Transportation, Materials, Instructor
Exclusions: Personal expenses, tips, food and gratitude for tour guide
Good to know: Customers should wear comfortable clothes. Flip-flops are NOT recommended. Shoes/ sneakers/ sandals are recommended and Breakfast/lunch before the tour.
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Discover Da Sy Village Blacksmithing – a traditional Vietnam handicraft
In this knife-making course, you will learn every step of crafting a high-quality, custom knife. The journey begins with designing the shape of the blade, the blade is made on a sheet of metal, which is made of durable high-carbon steel or another specialized metal especially chosen for its long-lasting strength.
Using traditional tools like hammer, cutter and anvil, the blade and tang (the metal part which extends into the handle) are meticulously forged and cut out. The metal is then placed into the glowing embers of a furnace or forge to heat it to the right temperature for blacksmithing.
Alternating blows with the maker, the learner will then work the blade with a hammer to continue shaping it. The blade then has any imperfections trimmed by a hydraulic cutting machine, before it heads to the grindstone to be sharpened.
Under the expert guidance of the maker, you will alternate between hammering and shaping the blade, refining its form and functionality. Afterward, any imperfections are trimmed away using a hydraulic cutting machine, preparing the blade for the next stage of precision knife making.
The blade then moves to the grindstone for sharpening, a process that involves multiple phases of knife sharpening and edge refinement. One final secret touch includes immersing the blade in a specially formulated tar-based chemical wash, a closely guarded family recipe passed down through generations, ensuring the blade’s ultimate durability, edge retention, and polished finish.
Experience the traditional art of blacksmithing in Da Sy village, Hanoi. Forge your own knife and learn about Vietnam’s centuries-old craftsmanship. Book your unique cultural workshop today!
The Knife making class in Da Sy was so much fun! Easily one of our favorite things we did in Hanoi. The instructor made the material feel engaging and was very patient with us and our guide/translator Nick did a great job explaining what we needed to do as 2 Americans who don't speak very much Vietnamese as well as being very fun to talk to. Plus! We left the class with the 2 knives we made complimentary! Overall a phenomenal experience.
– Justin S, TripAdvisor
I did the knife making tour in the knife village with Tour guide Nick. Nick was fantastic, friendly, funny, intelligent and genuinely interested in us and the craft. The expert we were creating our knifes with was amazing. Her knowledge and abilities were truly impressive. I do a bit of metal and wood work at home, so to experience how professional does it on the other side of the world was a real treat for me. I learned a ton and will incorporate the information I learned today in my future crafts. But if you are a newbie with no experience in metal or wood working don’t worry, my partner has never done it before and our expert was a great teacher paired with Nick’s interpreter skills. We both had an absolute blast and now we get to bring home a couple real cool knifes too from the experience. Couldn’t suggest this experience enough, we had no intention of coming back from Vietnam but truly after our time in Hanoi we both agreed we will, and we’ll be taking the class again and looking for Nick to help us out with future tours. 5/5 stars from this Canadian.
– Excursion27118522810, TripAdvisor