Things to See & Do in Kim Bong Carpentry Village

Watch Local Artisans at Work

In Kim Bong Carpentry Village, near the river, visitors can find workshops where local artisans work to watch/photograph. They don’t mind showing how they make something and even instruct those who are interested, how to use traditional woodworking tools to carve (such as their name). We advise coming to the village not too early or too late because artisans may go home to eat or relax. To support them, visitors can have a look at their products and souvenirs, and buy something if like. During the rainy season, artisans may not open their woodshops every day or every hour.

Boat Building Workshops & Shipyard

Besides making fine art woodworks and housewares, local artisans at Kim Bong Carpentry Village also build boats and ships. In the past, their ancestors invented ghe bau, a type of trading sail boat used to transport goods but disappeared today.

To see/photograph boat builders at work, visitors need to go to shipyards along Thu Bon River. Usually, they have no fence, so it’s easy to walk in and then go around to watch. If want to have some pictures, locals won’t feel annoyed.

Workshop of Huynh Ri Artisan

The workshop of Huynh Ri artisan, one of the most experienced and talented carpenters at Kim Bong Village, is between the boat station and the market. It’s founded by a Unesco sponsor in April 1997, to let him train the next generations of carpenters. Therefore, if visit, we can watch/photograph young artisans at work as well as see their fine art products.

Huynh Ri artisan was borned in 1940 at Cam Kim, in a family which has a tradition of woodworking. At age of 15, he followed his father to different places around the world, to work. In 1975, when the war ended, he returned to Hoi An and became a member of local co-operatives. Later, he led a group of carpenters who specialize in preservation and restoration of temples and old houses. In 1992-1993, his team successfully restored elaborate decorative carvings at Trung Hoa Assembly Hall. In 1994-1995, wood carvings and structures at Quan Cong Temple and Fujian Assembly Hall were restored. In 1996-1997, he made the new god statue at the Japanese Covered Bridge (the old one was heavily damaged). He also remade ghe bau, a trading boat invented in Hoi An but later disappeared, and now it’s preserved in Museum of Trade Ceramics. Since then, his team has continued collaborating with the city to preserve and restore heritage buildings in town.

From 1996, Huynh Ri artisan trained over 150 carpenters to be highly skilled. One of them is Phan Xuan Nguyen who has his own gallery/shop in the village. His son Huynh Suong became one of the most famous carpenters in Hoi An and then honored to be ‘national artisan’. He was honored by the government as ‘merited artisan’ in 2010, becoming one of a few artisans in the country who got the tittle.

Buy Souvenirs at Kim Bong Carpentry Village

Every wood souvenir in Hoi An is produced at Kim Bong Carpentry Village. Here, visitors can go to shops by the river or visit galleries of reputable artisans Huynh Ri or Huynh Suong, to see and buy handmade sculptures, statues, accessories,…There is a wide range of price and size. However, the price may be cheaper than the Old Town because people sell what they make. Due to history and cultural values, souvenirs from this village are absolutely more meaningful.   

Cam Kim Market

Not far away from the ferry boat station, near the carpentry workshop of Huynh Ri artisan, Cam Kim Market opens in the morning only, like other rural markets. Here, visitors will see lots of local agricultural products, fishes, and pourtries.

Boat Trip to Kim Bong Carpentry Village

Kim Bong Carpentry Village is located on the south bank of the Thu Bon River, on the other side of the Hoi An Ancient Town. Therefore, locals and visitors can take a boat ride (boat ferry) to this village and return after sightseeing. To see boats, it’s needed to go to the quay/harbour on Bach Dang Street, near Hoi An Central Market. Although the boat ride is not long, it’s still a nice experience;

Many visitors cycle to the boat station and then put the bicycle in the boat. Later, they will use it to explore Kim Bong Carpentry Village and further, villages around Cam Kim Island.

From Hoi An Old Town, visitors can use boat to reach and visit Kim Bong Carpentry Village and Thanh Ha Pottery Village; This tour is not only different, but also brings many good experiences; Its duration is often 1/2 day and to know better about each village and its own handicraft tradition, a local guide is necessary;