Practical matters
Shipping, duties & care
Everything we promise at checkout, written down. If a question is not answered here, write to us and we will answer it the same day — and probably add it to this page.
01 — Shipping
Crated by hand, insured door to door
Each work is wrapped in the workshop, then crated in our Hà Nội studio in a plywood box built around the piece — never a box the piece has to fit. Lacquer travels flat and face-up; ceramics are suspended; silk is rolled on acid-free tube. We photograph the crate before it closes and send you the pictures.
Works leave within five working days of your order (commissions on their own timeline) and travel by air with a courier we have used for years. The work is insured in our name until it is in your hands; if anything happens on the way, you deal with us, not the carrier.
Transit times from Hà Nội, door to door
| Region | Working days | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia | 4 – 8 | Included |
| United Kingdom & Europe | 7 – 10 | Included |
| United States & Canada | 8 – 12 | Included |
| Middle East | 7 – 12 | Included |
| Everywhere else | We will tell you | Quoted at checkout |
Furniture and works over 40 kg travel by sea freight on request: slower, less costly, and we will say so before you order. Times exclude the five days of crating.
02 — Duties & taxes
Nothing is collected at the door
The price shown is the price you pay. Import duty, VAT or sales tax, and brokerage are calculated for your country at checkout and paid by us in advance (the courier calls this DDP — delivered duty paid). The courier will not ask you for anything.
Handmade works are classified under their craft codes, and we complete the paperwork for each piece ourselves, including the certificate of origin that some countries ask for.
03 — Returns
30 days to live with it
A work photographed in a courtyard in Hạ Thái may read differently on your wall. If it does not belong, tell us within 30 days of delivery. We arrange collection in the same crate, refund the price in full once it is back with us, and the work returns to the collection.
Commissions and works altered to a request are made for you and cannot be returned, which is why each stage is approved before the next. Damage in transit is never your problem: write to us within 48 hours with photographs and we will make it right.
04 — Care
How the villages would keep them
Natural materials age; that is the point. A few habits keep the ageing kind. A printed care sheet for each craft is inside every crate.
Rattan, bamboo & sedge · mây tre cói
Wipe with a barely damp cloth and let dry in air. A light mist of water once a season in dry climates keeps the fibres supple. Keep off wet floors; sedge mats roll, never fold.
Fine ceramics · gốm sứ
Tableware is glazed to be used: hand-wash, no dishwasher, and let a crackle glaze take on tea as it will. Avoid sudden heat — warm a cold bowl before pouring boiling water. Unglazed terracotta drinks oil and wine; that is its patina.
Decorative bronze · đồng
Leave the patina alone; it is the work. Dust with a soft brush. Do not polish with metal cleaners — if you want a brighter surface, ask us and we will tell you what the foundry uses. Keep incense burners on a tile.
Hand-wrought jewellery · kim hoàn
Filigree is fine wire: put it on last and take it off first. Silver tarnishes with air; store in the pouch provided and rub gently with the cloth inside it. Never an ultrasonic cleaner.
Lacquer · sơn mài
Keep out of direct sun; it fades and dries the resin. Dust with a soft dry cloth, never wet. A touch of camellia oil on a cloth once a year restores the depth. Lacquer dislikes very dry heated rooms: a bowl of water nearby in winter is what the workshops do.
Fine woodwork · gỗ
Ironwood and rosewood move with the seasons; a hairline at a joint in a dry winter will close in spring. Wax lightly twice a year with a natural wax. Keep away from radiators and out of direct sun; use coasters as you would on any table you love.
Silk & hand embroidery · lụa, thêu
Frame embroidery behind UV glass, away from radiators. Scarves: hand-wash cold with a drop of mild soap, roll in a towel, dry flat in shade. Never wring. Store folded in tissue, not hanging.
05 — Repairs
We repair what we sell, for as long as the workshop stands
A chipped glaze, a frayed weave, a lacquer surface gone dull after twenty years. Send us a photograph. Small repairs we guide you through; larger ones go back to the village that made the work, which is the only place they can be done properly. You pay the shipping; the artisan's time is on us for the first five years.
Write to [email protected]