Hà Nội CAPSULE DIARY
TextileSeekers & The Lissome Creative Fellowship Award
“A force of discovery that will lead me to true metamorphosis”...
Kati Lange
Hà Nội taste
We begin in Hà Nội, where the pulse of Vietnam beats the loudest in an alluring capital city, where old and new come together. After arriving at our boutique hotel, I took time to unpack and joined with a roommate for a quick street walk, followed by a welcome drink and meeting with Thao, the founder of the TextileSeekers.
The Beauty of the Ms Thin Studio
The second day was such an inspiration! We explored selected museums, wandering the alleys of Hanoi’s 36 Street in the Old Quarter, which buzzes with artisans and craftspeople. We visited curated antique stores and the studio of Ms. Tinh, a proud member of the Red Tay tribe who works with natural dyes and vintage looms. I had the opportunity to discover how she weaves the fabrics on ancient traditional loom, and explore how she has adopted the city as her home from which to continue her tribal traditions.
Majestic scenery of Mai Chau
On the third day we headed to Mai Chau nestled in the heart of the mountains, this valley is renowned for its natural beauty, its verdant rice terraces…
Avana Retreat
Upon arriving at the beautiful Avana Retreat, our new home in Mai Chau, I had time to reconvene over dinner, share my aspirations for this part of our journey with other group members, and enjoyed the truly breathtaking surroundings as we were introduced to a wholly different pace of life.
Hemp weaving
After my yoga class in Avana Resort and delicious breakfast we drove to the home of Jay, Thao´s fellow local guide, where we met by H´mong traditional family.We took part in a hemp making workshop to better understand the culture behind hemp and its various products, which include the woven fibres which result in a highly versatile fabric.
Batik Painting
In the lush stillness of Mai Châu, I learned the quiet language of batik painting and indigo dyeing from the H´mong women — artists of rhythm and earth.
We sat on mats beneath wooden stilt houses. With a tjanting tool, I drew in warm beeswax, guided by their gestures and patience. The cloth held each imperfect line like a whispered story.
Then, into the indigo. Green at first — then blue, deepening with air and time.
Each piece became a meditation: wax, dye, heat, repeat. Nothing rushed. Everything intentional.
I returned with more than cloth. I carried the feeling of slowness, of tradition held in hand — a way of working, and being, I now bring into every piece I create.
Blue H´mong family
We spent long, quiet afternoons with a H´mong family, sharing meals, stories, and silences filled with meaning. Their home, full of kids, handwoven cloth and the scent of wood smoke, felt like stepping into a living archive — one made of gestures, not display.
Every moment — every thread — reminded me: beauty lives in the rhythm of daily life, in patience, and in things made by hand.
Threads of Time – Avana Retreat
After all day immersed in the indigo hills of Mai Châu, we returned to the stillness of Avana Retreat — a place that feels more like a breath than a destination.
There, tucked among bamboo groves and soft mountain air, I visited the weaving workshop. Waiting at the loom were two beautiful souls:
Ông Hà Văn Nhiệu, 74, with quiet eyes and hands worn from decades of rhythm
and his wife Bà Hà Thị Thư, 73, with a smile like sunlight on woven cloth.
They showed me how threads move between fingers and memory. How patterns emerge slowly — not from design, but from feeling. Their presence was humbling. Their grace, unforgettable.
From Farm to Cocoon – Bản Lác
On the fifth day, guided by Ms. Trang, we traced the journey of silk — from mulberry fields to the delicate hush of spinning cocoons. A quiet witnessing of nature’s finest thread.
Guided by Ms. Trang, we learned the full process of artisanal silk making — from nurturing mulberry leaves to harvesting cocoons. A rare glimpse into the patience and poetry behind every thread.
Threads of Meaning – With Ms. Trang
Ms. Trang welcomed us into her gentle, purposeful world — a daily rhythm rooted in beauty. We explored the art of natural dyeing with plants and flowers native to the region, the source of the Tay people’s vibrant, iconic palette.
We delved into their weaving traditions, where brocade and jacquard are more than patterns — they are stories. Each symbol holds memory, identity, and a whisper of the Tay tribe’s heritage.
Together, we created our own small interpretations — guided by tradition, shaped by new surroundings, and inspired by the quiet power of making.
Last Light in Hà Nội
I spent my final days alone in this vivid city — where quiet alleys meet the pulse of scooters, where old walls bloom with bougainvillea.
Chaos and Poetry
Hà Nội is contrast and calm, chaos and poetry — and I let it all unfold slowly around me.
I stood still beside lakes where the city seemed to breathe more slowly. I let the noise and stillness live beside each other — and felt no need to choose between them.
Hà Nội is not one story. It’s many, layered and lived-in. And in these last quiet moments, I felt the threads of everything I’d seen — the indigo, the wax, the silk, the people — begin to settle into place.
Not as souvenirs. But as memory.