Wood Art Vietnam Workshop: What to Expect From the 3-Hour Wood Carving Class
A few hours at Wood Art Vietnam can give you a different side of Hoi An beyond its lanterns, old houses and busy streets. Set in the countryside around Go Noi, the workshop lets you choose a design, carve wood by hand and take your finished piece home. Here is what to expect from the 3-hour class, including the location, transport, price, process and practical tips.
Wood Art Vietnam Workshop at a Glance
| Overview | Details |
| What is it? | A 3-hour beginner wood carving workshop |
| Location | Wood Art Vietnam, Dien Phong, Dien Ban |
| Distance from Hoi An | 15-17 km from Hoi An Old Town |
| Distance from Da Nang | About 32 km from Da Nang Airport |
| Price | 600,000 VND/person with own transport; 500,000 VND for Vietnamese guests |
| Opening hours | Daily start times: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 |
| Booking | Advance booking required |
| Best for | First-timers, couples, solo travelers, and anime or Marvel fans |
Where is the Wood Art Vietnam Workshop, and how far from Hoi An?
Wood Art Vietnam Workshop is on the Go Noi / Cam Phu 2 area of Dien Phong, Dien Ban (Source: Wood Art Vietnam). That is about 15-17 km from Hoi An Old Town and about 32 km from Da Nang Airport. It is a family home with a garden and studio, not a shop on a busy street. The drive passes rice fields and rivers, which many guests count as part of the trip.
For navigation, use the right pin. Search “Woodart Vietnam” on Google Maps. On Grab, use “Au Lac Wooden Company” and check that the address reads 389 Dien Phong, Dien Ban. For bookings with hotel pickup, the workshop says the driver collects guests about 45 minutes before the selected start time. Some booking pages say the car details arrive by WhatsApp beforehand, so enter a working number. If you need a local SIM or eSIM first, see our guide on getting a Hoi An SIM card.
If you are staying at Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness, you can also ask the resort about arranging a private transfer to Wood Art Vietnam through its transportation service. This can be more convenient than arranging separate transport, especially if you are travelling with family or a small group. The resort also offers a free shuttle bus into Hoi An, which can be useful for planning the rest of your day. Check the pickup time and return arrangements with the resort in advance so you can fit the workshop comfortably into your schedule.
What actually happens in the Wood Art Vietnam Workshop?
You arrive at the gate and meet your host, who walks you through two art rooms. The first is the father’s mini museum, filled with huge sculptures inspired by Vietnamese history and culture. The second is the son’s room of modern carvings, with anime and pop culture characters alongside other contemporary designs. This short tour sets the mood before you pick up a chisel: you get to see what years of practice can produce before trying the craft yourself.
Then you choose a design. You can pick from the workshop’s ready-made options or send a photo of your own ahead of time. From there, the class follows a straightforward process:
- Choose a design
- Transfer it onto the wood
- Chisel the main shapes
- Refine the details
- Finish and take it home
The class area is by a river, with green corn fields and mountains in the distance. A welcome drink of tea, coffee or water is included, and each seat has its own set of carving tools.
Do you need wood carving experience to join the Wood Art Vietnam Workshop?
No. The workshop is designed to be accessible to beginners, with instructors showing you how to hold and use the tools before you start. They stay nearby throughout the session and step in when a cut becomes difficult, while leaving you to do most of the carving yourself.
This is also where the three-hour format becomes important. You can complete a simple design with guidance, but a highly detailed piece will require more skill and time. Wood carving can be more technically demanding than it first appears, especially when working on fine details. Choosing a simpler design gives beginners a more realistic chance of completing their piece within the session.
The atmosphere is relaxed rather than formal. Guests describe a room with a playlist running while the teacher takes photos of their work on their own phones. Do not expect silence. Expect steady tapping, some laughing and a lot of “how did that happen?” when a chisel takes an unexpected turn.
How long does it take, and when should you go?
The Wood Art Vietnam workshop lasts about 3 hours, although the actual time can vary. Classes are available daily, with start times between 9:00 and 16:00. Advance booking is recommended because same-day availability is not guaranteed.
The 3-hour schedule includes more than just carving. You will also have time to visit the small museum and learn about traditional wood carving before working on your own piece. Some experienced or fast-working guests may finish in around two hours, while beginners may want extra time. If you are travelling independently, allow about half a day for the whole experience, including the journey to and from Dien Phong.
A morning session is a good choice if you prefer cooler weather and want the rest of the afternoon free. The 14:00 session works better if you want a slower morning or plan to combine the workshop with another activity earlier in the day. Keep in mind that a surcharge may apply on public holidays and is payable on site.
Wood carving involves repeated tapping and gripping, so your hands may feel tired after the class. If you are staying at Bliss Hoi An, you could finish the day with a massage at Ngoc Linh Spa.
Who is behind Wood Art Vietnam?
The workshop belongs to a family of carvers in Quang Nam, now part of Da Nang. According to the workshop’s own website, the founder, Tran Thu, is a National Artisan with more than 35 years of experience. He has taught hundreds of students. His large sculptures fill the small museum you walk through at the start.
His son, Tran Duy, leads the modern side. According to a Kinh te Sai Gon feature, Duy left Hue University of Arts after only one month to return to the family workshop. He then built a YouTube channel around carving anime and game characters. The channel has passed one million subscribers and earned a Gold Play Button.
The workshop also lists some big names. Marvel Studios featured a “What If…?” foosball table the team built. Bandai Namco and the Black Myth: Wukong developers worked with them on promotional art, and the Korean soju brand Jinro showed their work in a campaign. These credits come from the workshop itself, so treat them as its own claims. Still, you will see the pop culture pieces in person, and that is what sets this class apart from a standard craft village visit.
Wood Art Vietnam Workshop vs. other Hoi An craft experiences
Craft workshops around Hoi An offer different ways to spend a few hours making something by hand. Here is how Wood Art Vietnam compares with some of the area’s other popular craft experiences:
| Experience | Main activity | Setting | Take-home item | Typical time |
| Wood Art Vietnam workshop | Wood carving | Dien Ban countryside | Carved wooden artwork | ~3 hours |
| Lang Cui Lu Driftwood Village | Driftwood carving and painting | Tra Que area, Cam Ha | Painted driftwood piece | About 2.5 hours |
| Lantern making | Lantern assembly | Hoi An town | Handmade lantern | Varies |
| Pottery | Shaping and decorating clay | Thanh Ha village | Ceramic item | Varies |
| Basket boat / cooking class | Local food and countryside activities | Hoi An countryside | Meal or shared experience | Varies |
If your goal is to make a piece of wood art with your own hands, this workshop offers a different format from lantern or pottery classes. It is also worth separating the workshop from buying a finished carved statue: the studio has a gallery displaying larger and more detailed works, but browsing or purchasing these pieces is separate from the hands-on class.
Read more: A month in Hoi An: What a long stay actually looks like
How much does the Wood Art Vietnam Workshop cost?
The base price includes tools and materials. Prices below come from the workshop’s website.
| Option | Price per person | Notes |
| Workshop, own transport | 600,000 VND | Tools and materials included |
| Workshop + pickup, 1 person | 1,000,000 VND | Hotel pickup and drop-off |
| Workshop + pickup, 2-3 people | 820,000 VND | Price drops with group size |
| Workshop + pickup, 4 people | 720,000 VND | Best per-person rate |
| Small statue upgrade | +300,000 VND | Available on the day |
Do the math on pickup before booking. For two people, the transfer adds roughly 160,000-220,000 VND per person compared with the workshop-only price. It is worth comparing this with the cost of arranging your own return trip, especially because finding a Grab in the rural area after class can be difficult. Prices on booking platforms vary, so check the total price for your date before paying.
The 3-hour workshop is the easiest option for travelers, but Wood Art Vietnam also offers longer carving courses for people who want more practice. A full-day course costs 2,200,000 VND, while longer courses are designed for guests who want to spend several days learning from the artisan. Homestay accommodation is also available if you want to stay at the workshop rather than return to Hoi An after class.
You can also order a finished wood carving if you prefer to take home a larger piece without making it yourself. Some character statues are priced from around 12,500,000 VND, with larger or more detailed pieces reaching roughly 28,000,000 VND. Custom pieces can take several weeks to carve before shipping, so this is better treated as a separate purchase rather than a same-day souvenir. If you are considering one, it makes sense to look at the finished work during your visit before placing an order.
Who is the Wood Art Vietnam Workshop a good fit for?
| Workshop fit | ✓ / ✕ |
| Hands-on activity rather than a demonstration | ✓ |
| Already seen the main highlights of Hoi An’s Old Town | ✓ |
| Interest in crafts, anime, Marvel or video games | ✓ |
| Quiet countryside outing | ✓ |
| First-time wood carving experience | ✓ |
| Only a few hours available in Hoi An | ✕ |
| Activity needed inside the Old Town | ✕ |
| Expectation of completing a large, detailed statue in three hours | ✕ |
| Dislike of sitting still for focused craft work | ✕ |
Wear comfortable clothing, as the workshop involves seated, hands-on work with tools and wood. Children under 6 are not recommended, and alcohol and drugs are not permitted at the workshop. It is also worth carrying some cash for tips and small expenses during the outing.
What to know before booking:
- Book ahead: The workshop requires advance reservation rather than walk-in booking.
- Choose your design early: Send or bring a reference photo before the session when you have a specific image in mind.
- Allow extra travel time: The advertised three hours covers the workshop itself, not the journey to and from the studio.
- Confirm your pickup point: Check the exact pickup time and location in advance when using the transport service.
- Ask about finished artworks: Speak to staff about the display area separately from the workshop when interested in browsing or buying a carved piece.
- Check the address: Make sure the booking lists the Cam Phu 2, Dien Phong location to avoid confusion with other wood-carving studios around Hoi An.
The studio behind this workshop has built a genuine reputation beyond local tourism, with its YouTube channel earning over a million subscribers for videos of pop-culture figure carvings, and past collaborations tied to franchises including Marvel Studios and major game titles. That level of recognition is part of why the 3-hour class draws visitors specifically looking for this workshop rather than a generic wood-carving stop.
Pairing a countryside morning like this with a quieter place to unwind afterward rounds out the day well. Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness, on Binh Minh Beach, gives guests a relaxed spot to return to once the drive back from Dien Ban is done, and the front desk can help coordinate transport timing around a booking like this. For travelers still planning the rest of their countryside activities, our Hoi An Countryside Vespa Tour offers another way to explore the rural side of the area. If a slower-paced stay outside the Old Town sounds like the right base for your trip, book your stay at Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness before finalizing your Hoi An itinerary.
FAQs
Can beginners join the workshop?
Yes. No experience is required, and instructors provide guidance throughout.
Does Wood Art Vietnam pick up guests from hotels?
Yes. Paid pickup and drop-off are available from Hoi An hotels, usually around 45 minutes before the class.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes, advance booking is required. Sessions run from 9:00 to 16:00, and you should choose your design or send your own photo before you arrive.
Is it good for solo travelers?
Yes. One solo guest was the only student that day and still felt welcome, and solo reviews are positive. It is a friendly, low-pressure setting to meet the artisans.
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