We visited several craft villages in North Vietnam.
The noisiest was the blacksmith village of Ly Nhan but the most peaceful was Dien Xa bonsai village.
I  used to think a village was a small place with a church but no market and only a few shops and by that standard most of the ones we visited would qualify as towns or large towns.
Dien Xa is one. It’s a substantial place with some very fancy houses and, of course, lots of gardens.
Japanese bonsai tends to be elegantly shaped trees in small pots.
The Vietnamese version is quite different.
Here the trees are often shaped to form a landscape and bigger is better. The trees might start off in small pots but their final home can be a very large tub with several trees and rocks forming the display. This takes years to complete and the prices are high, up to $100,000 in the past we were told. That’s what paid for all the fancy houses.
The Vietnamese economy has slowed in recent years so prices like that are not likely to come again but the village continues to be a green and pleasant place.

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