20 years ago

Vietnam — Many Ways to Travel Vietnam is one of those places that keeps drawing us back. We’ve been travelling here for many years, and each return offers something slightly different – not because the country changes dramatically, but because the way you choose to move through it shapes what you notice. At Creative Arts Safaris, Vietnam has become a place where we explore more than one way of travelling. The destination stays the same, but the focus shifts. One of our core Vietnam journeys is our longer full-immersion textiles tour . This is a deep dive into Vietnamese textile traditions, taking us into weaving villages and workshops where we spend extended time with artisans working in silk, cotton, brocade, and natural dyes. We look closely at process, pattern, and continuity, and how these skills are still part of everyday life. There’s a strong sense of lineage here – grandmothers, mothers, and daughters all playing a role – and the time we spend allows those relationships and stories to unfold naturally. Alongside this, we also offer tutor-led Vietnam journeys , which sit as a separate category. These tours use Vietnam as the setting for a specific creative focus led by a visiting tutor. Vietnamese textiles, materials, and artisan workshops become the backdrop for a guided creative response, rather than the subject of a full cultural deep dive. Each of these journeys is fully hosted by our team, supporting the tutor-led workshops while Vietnam unfolds around us as the setting and source of inspiration. We also run Vietnam journeys focused on art and sketching . Drawing on the road changes how you experience a place. You slow down, sit longer, and begin to notice rhythm, structure, and everyday moments that might otherwise pass by. Travelling with a skilled tutor offers guidance and confidence, but the place itself remains central. What all of our Vietnam tours share is an unhurried pace. We don’t rush from highlight to highlight. We build in time to wander, to work, to talk, and to simply be where we are. Vietnam rewards that approach. Looking ahead, we’re continuing to expand how we travel here. Food will soon become part of our Vietnam mix, with journeys focused on cooking with locals, understanding flavour, and translating those experiences back into home kitchens. Ceramics is also on the horizon – time spent in workshops, learning processes, getting hands dirty, and allowing making to unfold alongside travel. Each Vietnam journey offers a different way in. Some people are drawn to deep textile immersion, others to tutor-led creative practice, sketching, food, or clay. There’s no right choice – just different ways of engaging, depending on how you’d like to spend your time and what you’d like to take home with you.  Vietnam continues to be a place where creativity and daily life sit comfortably side by side. We’re looking forward to exploring it in even more ways in the years to come.

Not all the “people” I visit are actually people - sounds odd, I know. Every time I go to Paris, the very first lady I want to see is The Lady and the Unicorn in the Cluny Museum. She feels like an old friend, waiting quietly in her tapestry world.

Rachel at Artizan and Creative PlaceMakers asked me to write a little about what I do.....

Aren’t these guys wild? They're called Kooshtak, and they’re shaped like both real and fantasy animals. These little creatures are traditionally part of the Spring Equinox rituals, deeply rooted in folk beliefs and magic. Especially popular with Uzbeks and Tajiks, they’re closely tied to the celebration of Navruz, the Eastern New Year. According to ancient tradition, their sound was believed to scare away an evil dragon - symbolizing winter. Winter in Uzbekistan- you really need all the help you can get to bring on the warmth! Some also thought that their whistle could summon the wind and bring the rain needed to help the crops grow. The best part? Very few people still make them these days, but we happen to know someone who does - and she’s invited us to visit! Big win for the ceramics tour! Join us 4 -16 April 2026

Life has been busy lately - satisfyingly so, but time to spare has been a rare commodity. Nepal was full of surprises and pleasures. Having lived in India so long I was not expecting to find somewhere so 'new' and different. The Temples and Palaces were stunning- amazing- gobsmacking.... yep I really, really liked them! Just look at they quirky snake above - he sums it all up. The food was delicious and so different in their use of spice and fresh produce - loved it. The roads - I must admit were in a state - but a whole lot of highways along our route laying tar as we passed so hopeful for the next trip. The misty mountains all around were impressive and the nature and wildlife spotting at Chitwan National Park impressive. We passed a rhinoceros walking along the road, coming home from dinner. He was relaxed, the locals looked like he did it often and just looked on and laughed, you could see they were stepping off his direct route but they had no nervousness about them, just a polite neighbourly giving space.

Kerala & Benin - a strange paring, I know

Workshop experience

How do you train for the El Camino?

Glorious is the word- Ghana you always delight.