Highlights
- Xuan La village, the only place in Vietnam making To He, rice powder figurines
- Learn from artisans create colorful figurines and make your own Toy Figurines
- Discover the vibrant Incense Village of Quang Phu Cau to make your own incense
- Visit Chuong Conical Hat Crafting Village - to paint your own conical hat
- Visit Dau Pagoda, a famous historical site in Hanoi’s Thuong Tin district
Description
Option Private Tour : Xuan La Village Toy Figurines Making & Dau Ancient Pagoda
Visit Xuan La village in Hanoi’s Phu Xuyen district, famous for making To He, a traditional toy made of rice powder. Discover the only village in Vietnam that makes these toy figurines, a craft that requires dexterity, creativity, and precision.
Learn how To He is made from sticky rice powder, sugar, and food coloring. Watch as artisans use simple tools like combs, bamboo sticks, and beeswax to create these figurines. In the past, To He depicted familiar animals, fruits, and national heroes. Today, they come in a greater variety of imaginative forms.
See how the craftsmen grind glutinous rice into a fine powder, pour water into the mixture, and then steam it. A perfect To He product depends on dough preparation, rice quality, and the artisans’ experience. The seven basic colors of To He include green, blue, red, purple, yellow, white, and black, all made from natural and edible ingredients.
Marvel at the way beautiful flowers, animals, or cartoon characters are created by skillful and creative artisans using simple tools, including a tray of colorful rice powder, a small comb, a bunch of bamboo sticks, and a spongy box to display their products.
Visit Dau pagoda , a famous historical site in Hanoi’s outlying district of Thuong Tin, which houses the embalmed bodies of two monks, Vu Khac Truong and Vu Khac Minh.
Situated on a hill in the middle of the field at Gia Phuc village in Thuong Tin district’s Nguyen Trai commune, the pagoda is covered with luxuriant trees and surrounded with lakes and the Nhue River flowing behind, forming a picturesque landscape.
The pagoda was the object of great care in the feudal dynasties of Vietnam, and has been repaired and upgraded many times. The stele, erected in the year Duong Hoa 5th (1639) of Le Than Tong and preserved in the pagoda reports that the Dau pagoda was constructed under the Ly Dynasty, repaired and enlarged under the Tran, Le and Mac Dynasties.
Option HALF DAY Group Tour : Visit 2 Villages: Conical Hat and Incense Craft Village + Train Street (optional)
Duration: ~ 6 hours
Morning from 7:45~13:30
Afternoon from 11:45~17:30
Start with a pickup from Hanoi’s Old Quarter and head to Chuong, a village that has been well-known for the craft of conical hat-making for over 300 years. Get an observe how conical hats are made and decorate a hat by painting it then bring it home as a souvenir.
Depart for the Quang Phu Cau village, which has been producing incense for more than 100 years. Take a walk to the center of the village and see how locals make incense on the artisanal, family scale. Meet a family who specializes in dyeing incense sticks and take in the colorful bundles of incense.
Back to the city center. First place for drop off: Hanoi Train Street. If you don't want to get drop off here, please wait in the car.
Includes
Visit to Xuan La village
Demonstration of To He making
Interaction with artisans
Viewing of traditional To He figurines and Make your own Toy Figurines
Transportation
01 free conical hat for painting in the hat village and take it home as a personalized souvenir
Some free incense sticks after you made incense sticks yourself
Bottled water
All entrance fees
Professional local tour guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off at your hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter area
Excludes
Personal expenses and Optional Tips
Surcharge for Lunar New Year ( 250.000 vnd / person from 16/02/2026 - 19/02/2026 )
Important Information
- Xuan La village is located about 40km from Hanoi's city centre
To He figurines are made from sticky rice powder, sugar, and food coloring
The art of making To He originated 300 years ago
To He figurines are edible and made from natural ingredients
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
