Red Dao sewing Workshop
(One day)
Red Dao Embroidery Workshop – One Day Experience in Ta Phin Village
“Stitches and patterns and the warm wind blowing, the days pass quickly when I am sewing.”
Duration: 1 day
Departure time: 8.30am - 9.30am
Return Time: Before Dusk
Physical activity: Easy
Location - Sapa - Ta Phin (traditional Dao village)
Travel Style: - Cultural immersion and participatory workshops.
Connectivity: Wifi - None, Mobile coverage - good.
Maximum: 4 people
Also available as a two day workshop here
A Journey of Culture, Nature and Creative Expression With Skilled Hmong Artisans
The Red Dao people live in the mountainous region of northern Vietnam near Sa Pa. They reside side-by-side with the Black Hmong, and live in a subsistence rice & corn growing culture. Embroidery is one of the special skills of the Red Dao. They acquire silk thread and cotton fabric from other local tribes and use these materials to make their traditional embroidered clothing. In this way the local minorities rely on one another. The silk is twisted. Depending on the size of the thread, it is later twisted again. Sometimes two or four threads are twisted together to make thread ready for embroidering.
The embroidery is completed in lines, using the full length of the needle, and it is quite unique in that a design appears on both sides of the fabric. Embroidery skills are extremely important in ethnic minority life. A woman’s outfit includes a heavily embroidered tunic, apron, and pants, as well as embroidered accessories. A traditional outfit can take up to a year and a half to produce and the embroidery skills take many years to master. Traditional clothing is still worn daily by most Dao women. This means that women take their embroidery with them wherever they go, working on it whenever they have a free moment.No Red Dao women is seen as fit to marry or even desirable until she has sewn her own clothes.
Workshops:
Workshops use traditional cotton fabrics, silk threads and Dao needles. The fabric is hand spund and hand woven and has a tight weave and small holes. Needles are far smaller than most ethnic groups in Vietnam too meaning the work of the Dao is finer and more intricate. It is this that sets their work apart and has earnt the Dao a repulation of being excuisite needleworkers. Good hand eye coordination is essential for our workshops, as is the need for patience and dexterity. A days workshop will usual yeald an outcome that is small, testiment to the time taken to produce a full set of clothes.
Learn Hand-Stitched Patterns, Cultural Stories and Traditional Clothing Techniques
Community based tourism (CBT) is a form of tourism where local communities are directly involved in developing, managing, and benefiting from tourism activities within their area. It emphasises community ownership, cultural preservation, and sustainable practices, offering visitors authentic experiences and fostering economic opportunities for residents.
This class is a full day and it starts in Ta Phin, a Red Dao village nestled in a scenic mounThistain valley north of Sapa. Surrounded by rice terraces and forested peaks, Ta Phin is home to both Red Dao and Black Hmong communities, where the rhythms of daily life continue much as they have for generations.
After a short morning journey by taxi from Sapa, you will be welcomed into the home of your Red Dao host. Spend some time exploring the family farm and preparing your materials before beginning your embroidery lesson. Tuition is always one-on-one or in very small groups to allow for a personal, hands on experience.
Red Dao women are known for their intricate embroidery, a skill passed down through generations. For them, stitching is almost instinctive a daily practice carried out with quiet concentration and care. The patterns they create are full of meaning, often symbolising nature, animals, and the key moments of life such as birth, puberty, marriage and death. Some motifs represent rice, trees, motherhood, or fatherhood.
With guidance from your teacher, who brings years of experience and cultural knowledge, you will learn about traditional fabrics, threads and the deep symbolism behind each design. You’ll create a small embroidered piece to take home, while gaining insight into this beautiful and meaningful art form.
A delicious village lunch and refreshments are included.
Prices - Red Dao Sewing 1 Day Experience
1 person - $88 per person
Please travel with respect. Dress modestly, support local crafts, protect nature, be patient, and stay safe. Connect, learn, and contribute positively during your ETHOS journey. Please refer to our terms for booking conditions for all ETHOS experiences.
“Love is canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.”