By mid-2024 Cao Bang had 21 traditional craft villages, 8 of them officially recognised. These are the ones that welcome visitors within the Geopark.
| Craft village | Where | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Phia Thap incense village (Nung An) | Quang Uyen commune | See yards of incense fanned out like flowers and try rolling sticks; buy incense, cones and insect-repellent incense |
| Pac Rang blacksmith village (Nung An) | Quang Uyen commune | Watch the forges and try the hammer; Phuc Sen blacksmithing is National Intangible Heritage (2019) |
| Dia Tren paper village (Nung An) | Quang Uyen commune | See the whole process from bark to sheet and lift a sheet yourself; buy fans, notebooks, cards and paper lamps |
| Lung Ri yin-yang tile village | Hanh Phuc commune | Shape tiles with the artisans and see the kilns; admire old tiled stilt houses |
| Luong Noi Tay brocade | Ha Quang commune | Try spinning, throwing the shuttle and weaving your first rows; learn what the motifs mean (National Heritage 2023) |
| Dao Tien embroidery and beeswax printing | Tam Kim commune, former Hoa Tham | Watch spinning, weaving and indigo dyeing; try beeswax drawing and a few stitches |
| Bo To slab sugar | Phuc Hoa commune | Watch cane juice boiled into slab sugar, busiest before Tet |
| Tay and Nung bamboo weaving | Tu Do and Hanh Phuc communes | Watch and try weaving baskets, trays and conical hats |
Tips for craft villages
- The incense, blacksmith and paper villages are close together in Quang Uyen – half a day covers all three, easily on the way to Ban Gioc.
- Incense drying is most photogenic in the last months of the year; the forges burn day and night before Tet.
- Ask before entering workshops or taking photos; buying on site directly supports the artisans.
- In October 2026 the “Hands of Cao Bang” craft week on Kim Dong walking street offers hands-on paper making, incense making, embroidery, beeswax printing and brocade weaving.
See the craft villages on the Culture page
Compiled from the Non nuoc Cao Bang Geopark management, Vietnam’s official tourism portal and the press; updated October 2026. Schedules and rules can change, so check before you travel.
