Sapa Workshops
Sapa Workshops — Batik, Indigo & Embroidery
Learn directly from Hmong and Red Dao craftswomen. Create your own batik textile, explore natural indigo dyeing, or master traditional embroidery all while supporting local families.
Experience True Craftsmanship
These aren’t tourist classes. ETHOS workshops are led by skilled artisans from local minority communities who preserve their ancestral crafts. Every design, stitch, and dye bath carries generations of story and symbolism.
By joining, you’re helping sustain traditional livelihoods and keep Sapa’s artistic heritage alive.
Choose Your Workshop
Hmong Batik & Indigo (Half-Day/Full-Day) – Learn how the Black Hmong use beeswax and traditional tools to draw intricate motifs. Create your own batik cloth and take it home as a memory of your time in Sapa.
Hmong Indigo Dyeing (Half-Day) – From leaf to dye vat. Experience how colour emerges from natural fermentation, and learn sustainable textile techniques. Produce your own tie dyed cotton piece.
Red Dao Embroidery (Full-Day/Two Day) – Sit with Red Dao women to practice fine needlework, explore pattern symbolism, and enjoy tea and conversation as you stitch side by side. Embroider motifs with twisted silk, learn technique and Dao symbology.
Hmong Hmong Embroidery (Half-Day/Full-Day) – A deeper dive into textile creation from hand-spun hemp to dyed yarns and woven patterns. Perfect for design students or craft enthusiasts. Emroider motifs, learn how to make hemp, take home your piece.
Multi-day creative retreats available on request — combining workshops with homestays in artisan villages.
What Makes ETHOS Workshops Ethical
Fair pay: Artisans set their own workshop income rates.
Women-led empowerment: Each program is hosted by local women entrepreneurs.
Cultural integrity: All designs and techniques are authentic, not simplified or commercialised for tourists.
Sustainable materials: Natural dyes, local beeswax, handwoven hemp, and zero waste practices.
Community reinvestment: Profits support ETHOS programs in education and anti-trafficking awareness.
Workshop Highlights
Cultural meanings of patterns, sustainable dyes, traditional techniques and life stories.
Hands-on instruction with expert artisans
100% natural dyes and local textiles
Photograph your own creative process
Tea, freshly prepared food and conversation in a family home
Take home your handmade artwork
Support women-led cultural preservation
FAQs
Do I need prior experience? Experience is not necessary. Many traditional skills are technical so require patience. We can tailor classes to your ability level.
Can children participate? Some workshops work for children, others don’t – our artisans love teaching families, and we can adapt certain sessions for children. Please email for more details.
Will dye stain my clothes? We suggest casual clothes as splashes may occur. ETHOS provide aprons when required.
Do you sell textiles? We have a dedicated space with a range of hand crafted Hmong, Dao, Lao, Nung and other textiles available within our community centre.
Can I combine with a short trek? Yes. We do have options that can combine activities.
Book
Ready to discover the art of Sapa?
Join our craftswomen for a hands-on, ethical workshop. Every session supports traditional skills and sustainable livelihoods.