Hanoi Knife Making Traditional Workshop

Mark arranged transportation for us. He provided perfect translation that helped my wife and I when working with the blacksmiths Our hotel (Hanoi Sheraton (Westlake)) was not too helpful with helping us send our knives home, but the DHL nearby helped us send our knives home. If you love cooking knives and learning about blacksmithing, I cannot recommend this experience more.

Come for the knives. Stay for the stories. Leave with something that may or may not cut a tomato. 🔥🔪 About 40 minutes beyond the beautiful chaos of Hanoi lies a small village where the soundtrack isn’t scooters and car horns. It’s fire, hammers and steel. This is where generations of Vietnamese knife makers have been quietly practising an ancient craft — turning old car springs into kitchen blades, one red-hot piece of steel at a time. Our host, Minh, gathered us up and threw us straight into the action. No showroom. No glass cases. No “please observe the master while standing safely behind this line.” We were in. Hands-on. Dangerously enthusiastic. The family business has been forging knives for more than four generations, and Minh showed us the extraordinary range of shapes and styles they produce. We picked our blade shape. Selected our wood. Then headed for the forge. The raw material? Old car springs. Because apparently when your car finally gives up on life in Vietnam, its springs get a second career. We cut the basic shape, threw the steel onto a bed of extremely angry-looking coals and waited for it to reach that magical glowing orange that says: “Now hit me with a hammer.” And so began three hours of belting, banging, grinding and generally attempting to convince a piece of car suspension that it really wanted to become a chef’s knife. In between the hammering came the stories. Stories of the family’s history. Of the struggles of keeping a traditional craft alive. Of changing times. And of the astonishing reality that this little family operation can produce more than 250 blades a day when the orders are flowing. Meanwhile, two foreigners stood nearby producing something that bore a passing resemblance to a knife and would probably struggle to cut through a cloud. But we persevered. The handles were shaped. The blades were ground. Chips, blemishes and our various creative interpretations of “straight” were slowly removed. And somehow, unbelievably, the blunt, ugly piece of steel started to look like an actual knife. Then came the heat treatment. Another blast through the forge. Salt. And an oily quench. Hiss. The blade was born. Finally, the sharpening stone came out. A few more passes. A little more patience. And… Voilà. Two blades forged from old car springs, made by hand, with our own sweat, questionable hammer technique and a little help from four generations of Vietnamese craftsmanship. Three hours disappeared. Just like that. And that’s the thing about experiences like this. You don’t come here simply to make a knife. You come to step outside the tourist conveyor belt for a few hours. To sit amongst people who have spent their lives doing something that existed long before Instagram, TikTok and fast travel decided everything needed to happen immediately. You hear the stories. You feel the heat. You hear the hammer hitting steel. You make something with your own hands. And you leave carrying something that isn’t just a souvenir. It’s a memory. The world is getting faster by the minute. Everything is becoming automated, instant and disposable. But places like this still exist. People still pass down skills learned from their parents, who learned them from theirs. Four generations. One forge. One piece of old car spring at a time. So get off your arse. Take the road less travelled. Find these places. Meet these people. Have a go. You might make a knife. You might make something that looks suspiciously like a knife. Either way, you’ll make a memory. And that’s worth far more than anything sitting on a souvenir shelf. 🔥🔨🇻🇳 Three hours. One family. Two questionable knife makers. Memories forged forever. This is travel.

A wonderful unique few hours spent in a local village learning the craft of knife making. Couldn’t do better with your time.. the experience was amazing and very personable. Tee and family were friendly, knowledable and professional. A once in a lifetime opportunity to create something you and your family will treasure for many lifetimes !!

This was an amazing experience. Tee was very friendly and a great translator. The business is family run and everyone has a roll in the steps to help you creat your knife. They are so welcoming and patient with you.

Had an amazing time. Great host and tour guide would 100% do again and recommend. Just 20 minutes out of Hanoi too so nice and close

Fantastic experience!! Highly recommend to do this tour visiting a family of 3 generations making knives by hand!! This was a highlight of our trip 🔪

- The activity itself is a 5 out of 5. - You get to choose the type of knife you want to make and then off you go from forging and shaping to honing and sharpening! - It was a really fun and different activity. - You also have the option of buying a ready made knife at an excellent cost. - The reason for not giving it 5/5 was that the morning of the activity we were asked to walk 10 minutes to a meeting point (vs the hotel pick up option that we had selected). We were then advised we may need to pay additional money ($2 or $3USD) for the transport due to needing larger car needed to accommodate 4 people. It was all very confusing but became clearer when the transport was Grab vs a private transport. In the end there was no additional charge and we were returned to the same meeting point via grab. - Given the transport is just a Grab - you can easily do that yourself so I’d skip the pick up option. - Regardless we’d do it again.

This is a unique experience where you truly make a knife from start to finish. I was a bit nervous, but the family is warm and welcoming and instantly put me at ease. The whole process takes about two hours and to walk away with a knife and many memories.

My wife and I had the pleasure of experiencing authentic vietnamese knife making in hanoi. The experience was amazing and I would do it 100% again. We got picked up at our hotel in old town at roughly 08:30 and arrived at our destination roughly 09:15. There we were greeted by a cup of tea. Then we were shown some prepared knife forms. We were able to choose between japanese and traditional vietnamese knife forms. We took the sample and started by heating it up in fire and continuously hammered the material to slowly develop a edge. You get assistance all the way and they make sure to fix any mistakes you do. After we finish hammering the rough edge, we let it cool and proceed in cutting a piece of wood in the form of a handle. Afterwards we smooth the handle by using a grinding machine. This is followed by grinding the knife and rounding it so the backside does not cut while preparing the cutting edge. In the end we used a wet stone to sharpen the edge and test it by cutting a piece of paper. The material used is a recycled car part but I forgot the actual name. The people are super nice and the vibe is amazing. The while process took somewhere between 2 and 3 hours. Would do it again tomorrow. Had so much fun. Was the highlight of our hanoi trip. I did it together with my wife. Both do not have any handywork experience and we still had a blast and a good cutting knife as a endresult. As it is not a stainless steel knife if can rust if not taking care properly but you also get the necessary information on how to maintain it.

Great experience with my son and our guide “Son”. He was very informative and took plenty of photos and videos for us while we were making the knives. The family that own and run the shop were lovely and so helpful. Doesn’t matter your skill level at all. You will end up with a great little souvenir at the end of the class. Highly recommend doing this when you’re in Hanoi

The guide Khoi was very nice and helpful. He brought us to the family-operated workshop. Khoi translated for us and gave us interesting insights into the work and live of the family. During the knife-making process Khoi and the worksmen guided us and let us do each individual step for a good part on our own. In the end, each of us had a self-made knife in our pocket, learned a lot about the craft and got to know a nice family.

I was searching the internet where I could buy some knives as that’s what I’m into when I stumbled across this knife making course while visiting Hanoi. It’s nice and close only being 13km from old quarter. The overall experience was amazing and they showed the way that they do it. It’s been in there family for 4 generations so they have a wealth of knowledge. Nothing was too hard for them and they made sure that everything was perfect how I wanted it. It was extremely cheap to do also for what it is and they said they even cater for kids as young as 10 and do group bookings An amazing memory made and cannot recommend it more highly 10/10

I just did the Hanoi Knife Making Traditional Workshop and honestly, it was such a highlight. If you’re looking for something hands-on that isn't just another walking tour, this is it. The family running it and the guide were so incredibly welcoming and kind. It honestly felt more like hanging out in their home than being in a formal class. They were super patient and gave really clear instructions, which was huge because I’d never done anything like this before. What I appreciated most, though, was how safety-focused they were. Dealing with a forge and power tools can be a bit intimidating, but they were on top of everything the whole time, so I felt totally comfortable getting into it. I walked away with a really cool, hand-forged knife that I actually helped make. It’s easily the best souvenir I’ve picked up—way better than just buying something off a shelf. Definitely check them out if you're in Hanoi!

Really happy I went through with this! Also got to meet some great guys that did it solo like myself.

I had a great time at the workshop with the Mao family. I enjoyed every step of the process: from hammering the blade of my cleaver to carving the handle. While the final finishing touches were completed by my teachers, the experience was a fantastic way to understand how a knife is made. They were incredibly kind and patient throughout the session. Can’t wait to use my cleaver!

This activity was something I would never do at home, but, being in a foreign country made me want to try something unexpected. It was exciting and fun ! I enjoyed the challenge of making something from scratch. The staff (family members) were very patient and helpful !

Friendly and helpful staff with good atmosphere. Event went as planned and we made a high quality knife. Very experienced staff.

New found appreciation for knife making. It was really complex but super interesting and the staff are very friendly! I really recommend joining this workshop!

Incredible experience with the Mao family, true craftspeople, learned a lot and would highly recommend to anyone in Hanoi looking for a unique experience

We had a great time on this tour. It was so nice to do something different and unique, and we have the perfect souvenir to bring home. Tee was very helpful and informative, and the whole family were so kind.

I had a wonderful experience making my knife with the Mao family. The two sons are very nice and helpful, they’re very skilled at this craft! They welcomed me into their workshop and helped me make a wonderful christmas gift for my mom. I am very excited to gift it to her. I highly recommend this as an activity to do while you’re in Hanoi.

It was an amazing adventure as experienced bladesmith guided us through the knife making process in an authentic workhop. Our guide, Nathan, was patient and engaging. He was a great travel companion and made sure that we were entertained during our journey. Do give this workshop a try and bring home not so conventional souvenir!

Really nice experience, good organized. We are very happy with everything and how the knives turned out. I definetly recomend it.

Awesome experience and atmosphere. Great family vibes. Very generous with sharing their skills. And a great translator/instruction. We brought our own designs and they happily accommodate for it. Highly recommend for a handmade bring-home souvenir. Cheers from NZ!

Sick way to spend a few hours, guides were super patient with our abysmal blacksmithing skills, family was lovely and friendly

Awesome experience. Good value and friendly staff. Came away with a sharp knife! They helped us through the whole process

One of the best experiences I have had in Vietnam. Tee our guide picked us up from old quarter to bring us out to da sy village. Where we introduced to the crafts smiths and they brought us through the whole process. We got to pick the blade type we wanted and try every part of the process before they tidied it up. They were all so kind and I have a new appreciation for the trade. I would highly recommend this!

This was an unforgettable experience, honestly one of the bets of our trip. The craftsmen were so knowledgeable and patient with the teaching and the quality of the products was incredible. I couldn't recommend it enough and our tour guide Tee was perfect. I'll recommend this to everyone.

This experience is special! Family Mao is so lovely and it was so much fun! The best souvenir I could imagine! I am going to use it every single day :)

This was a very fun tour to take part in. Knife making is harder than you think. The tour guide was very helpful and you get to take your knife home afterwards.

Mao Family was so helpful an it was such a gorgeous experience!! everyone here is so nice and you can experience every step and now i own the sharpest knife ever!! love it❤️

It was an eye opener into the skills of these artisans. I consider myself experienced when it comes to working with tools but I was still shocked at the ability it takes. Tee was a great guide and gave me heaps of information about the village and the workshop.

I had an amazing time learning how to make a knife from scratch. the family we visit have been working in this field for generations, the lady told us they start at 12 years old and you can see how expert they are. they let us pick the size of the knife we want and guide us through the steps and at the end they were very kind and also treated us with tea and mango. Our tour guy was great, he was very information and helped us through the all process. I also loved the adorable dog & cat the family had, super friendly. It's a unique & fun experience and I highly recommend.

Lovely experience, and friendly staff! Two hours I the making and you get a knife out of it. We had a lovely time! Definitely worth it!

Guide Tee helped with explanation and guidance in this nationally recognised knife making company. A beautiful souvenir

Such a unique and fun experience! It was so special and intimate as we are allowed into their family workshop where they have been producing knives using the traditional methods for generations, and we get to make our own knives under their expert guidance - truely one of a kind! Highly recommend

The experience was very enjoyable and guide was great. The family was welcoming and very experienced. We made two unique knives that we look forward to using at home.

Fun activity that takes you into a family-run workshop in a part of the city that you would likely not see otherwise. Cool souvenir to take home with you too.

Tee was very nice guide helpful and knowledgeable and the staff were very friendly and very helpful at the workshop it was something different to experience worth the try

Everything went great. Tee is a very friendly guide and speaks multiple languages. Would definitely recommend this activity to everyone. At the end of the day, you get an unique knife you can take with you home as a souvenir and enjoy your cooking experiences.

We had such a great time at the knife-making class in hanoi! The experience was fun and well organized. My knife turned out amazing — beautiful and sharp! I’d definitely recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a unique and memorable experience. Tee was a lovely tourguide as well!

Must do experience if you are into creating useful stuff! The artisans are very passionate with their art and they stand by your side always eager to help you out on what to do! Don’t miss that one especially if you want to bring a sharp knife back home!

An excellent trip learning the knife making craft. Awesome support from our guide Tee, he showed great knowledge during this process. A very welcoming family owned business!

Had an excellent tour with Tee. Enjoyed making a knife and seeing the whole process of how they are made. The staff working there are very friendly and helped us through the whole process.

Awesome experience and very helpful workers who let you have your own experience but make sure you get a well made knife!

They were super skill crafts man and helped us make a very blade to take home to use. Can't wait to go home and give it a go. Would definable recommend coming and having a go. You can't screw it up

A good way to spend a few hours in Hanoi doing something a bit different. The family who run the workshop were all lovely and keen to demonstrate the various skills and assisting the participants in doing them too. Our guide Khoi was very helpful in explaining and translating key info. Younger kids may have trouble with some of the steps as they do involve disc sanders; hot metal etc. The setup of the workshop would also rule out those who are mobility impaired. Also, be prepared for a lot of sitting/squatting on low stools while you work with tools on the ground. No waist high benches here!

Khoi was a fantastic guide who explained everything for us during our workshop. Our 15 yr old had a great time and we were all very involved with making our own knives. As we were all busy making our knoves he captured many photos/videos for us which was great. Thanks Khoi for a great and memorable morning.

Great time with the Mao family. Me and my 13yo son. Good take home souvenir. Good for solo or with a family, not too far from hanoi