In picture-perfect Hoi An, a date with artisans and an Instagram-friendly beach

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In picture-perfect Hoi An, a date with artisans and an Instagram-friendly beach





Iam hunched over a bamboo lantern frame as I try clumsily to glue a swatch of silk over it. Next to me, my instructor gently but firmly admonishes me, telling me to re-do my handiwork. What the lantern artisan is too polite to say is that my shoddy crafting skills are certainly not worthy of the iconic silk lanterns that are emblematic of the atmospheric ancient town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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It feels like primary school art class all over again – except that I am ensconced in air conditioned comfort in a private lantern making group class at the Glasshouse, a sunlit function space in Hoiana Resort & Golf. One of the latest luxury resorts to launch in the central Quang Nam province of Vietnam, it is a speedy 40-minute ride from the Danang airport.

After what feels like an eternity of fumbling fat fingers – and plenty of help from the patient, long-suffering artisan – I finally complete my, well, masterpiece. Let’s just say it is clear I should not give up my day job.

At the same time it is a good reminder that heritage crafts, even those that appear so commonplace they have become touristy caricatures of a destination, require a patient honing of skills to create. It is something I keep in mind the next day when I visit the town of Hoi An and feel tempted to bargain down the prices of handmade crafts just to save a few dollars.