Lacquerware box with mother-of-pearl inlay (son mai)

A thousand-year-old Vietnamese craft — museum-grade inlay work at a fraction of gallery prices abroad.

Price: 750000 VND (Entry-level Hanoia lacquer accessory/trinket box; artisan-market equivalents 200,000-400,000 VND, large statement pieces 2-5M VND)

Where to buy: Hanoia boutiques (Hanoi Old Quarter, HCMC), Ha Thai lacquer village, or curated craft shops

Price checked 2026-07-03

• Real son mai takes 15-20 layers of lacquer over months; suspiciously cheap pieces are sprayed resin
• Check inlay edges — real mother-of-pearl is cool to touch and iridescent at angles
• Hanoia issues proper invoices; a 2M+ VND haul at one boutique can qualify for the VAT refund