Indigo Cat
Indigo Cat
5
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 9:00 PM
About
At Indigo Cat shop, we carefully choose our fabrics directly by visiting local families from all over the northern part of Vietnam. Those families and Indigo Cat agree on a fair price that covers the cost of labor and materials and enables artisans to earn a fair compensation for their work. All these artisans can plan for the future with constant orders from month to month. We are now working with more than 50 different families and we are employing 3 women in our workshop located in Ta Van village. By purchasing items from us, our customers are directly impacting the local minority communities to create a better life for them and their families.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Popular mentions
5.0
70 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
6
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Andrew K
Sueydongkorn, Cambodia42 contributions
Jul 2013 • Solo
Pan made me a bag for my partner that I took home as a gift. An amazing bag. And she made me a bag for my iPad - that too is amazing, and I use it every day. The sewing kits with the traditional patterns and the bracelets are a treat. Embroidery is such a feature of life in this area I found it delightful to know the meaning of some of the patterns. The stock in the shop is lovely - so tastefully chosen. Pan is warm and knowledgeable and the shop is a little haven - come in and browse. This is a must-visit when you come to Sapa.
Written September 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your great review about us. It was a real pleasure to meet you and we really appreciate your interest about embroideries. Many people how come to visit our small shop are just seeing colors on the different products but we really want that people understand the meaning of the different patterns and we will continue to work on that way.
Written October 17, 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hubiba
Sapa, Vietnam36 contributions
Jan 2014 • Friends
I went there to find a local product, a souvenir for my family. They have a lot of different products which is great. Nicely presented and for once, prices are written down! So you have no surprise or bargain, this is good idea. I liked the cardamon with the recipee, which can make a good present back home.
Written March 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for taking time writing a review about us. We really appreciate that and hopefully making future guests knowing more about us.
Written March 14, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Flore N
Dieppe, France237 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
A lovely little shop filled with beautiful things, all handmade- whether embroided or batik.
I especially loved the fact that it is all local things and benefitting locals, and that all the things are really handmade.
A lot of the stuff in the market is now machine made or made cheaply and fast.
This is the real thing.
And the prices are really good for what you get.
You will find little souvenirs as low as 5000 VND for a small cloth bracelet, or 20,000 VND for a metal one, and up to more than 2million for a massive, stunning handmade blanket, which is really incredibly good price for the work put in it.
highly recommended!
Go to the market for the fun of it, go here to actually shop...
I especially loved the fact that it is all local things and benefitting locals, and that all the things are really handmade.
A lot of the stuff in the market is now machine made or made cheaply and fast.
This is the real thing.
And the prices are really good for what you get.
You will find little souvenirs as low as 5000 VND for a small cloth bracelet, or 20,000 VND for a metal one, and up to more than 2million for a massive, stunning handmade blanket, which is really incredibly good price for the work put in it.
highly recommended!
Go to the market for the fun of it, go here to actually shop...
Written June 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pkinbne2016
Brisbane, Australia46 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
When we arrived at the venue in the village for our batik class with Me, we were not greeted. However, there were three women there, and one was so drunk she could barely stand up. She turned out to be the designated teacher for our class! But she was far too drunk to teach, she nearly fell in the fire but I saved her.
A second woman pointed us to chairs and gave us each a piece of cotton on a block of wood. She spoke no English at all, so we had no verbal instruction. It was all done with pointing and nudging. Every so often Me would appear and sit down at the fire and want to take over, but she made a mess of whatever she did. She wouldn’t stay long - just long enough to be disruptive.
She was sobering up a little towards the time when we said we didn’t want to put any more designs on our fabric, and she came and offered us each a small purse to apologise and she said, so that we would say we were happy with the workshop and so we would say she taught us.
She asked us if we were happy and we said no, that we were not happy with being bribed to lie about who taught us and that we were happy. She was not happy with this once she understood it and then offered us a full refund, “because she didn’t need the money” and we were to leave behind the work we had done. This suited us because we weren’t willing to lie, we had not had any instruction, had not learned anything, and it was improper to be asked to lie.
Me pulled out 300,000 vnd to pay back our fee but I produced a receipt for the 700,000vnd we had paid. So she then phoned her daughter at the shop where we had paid to instruct her to refund us, but her daughter refused to do so.
It turned out I was using the tool incorrectly the whole time. I’m sure Me would have picked that up if she’d been teaching us. Also other reviews said she’s entertaining, we missed that.
We also had no water or toilet offered- hospitality was absent.
In short, we would certainly not recommend this workshop to anyone. Not sure how frequently Me is drunk so you’d never know until you turned up.
A second woman pointed us to chairs and gave us each a piece of cotton on a block of wood. She spoke no English at all, so we had no verbal instruction. It was all done with pointing and nudging. Every so often Me would appear and sit down at the fire and want to take over, but she made a mess of whatever she did. She wouldn’t stay long - just long enough to be disruptive.
She was sobering up a little towards the time when we said we didn’t want to put any more designs on our fabric, and she came and offered us each a small purse to apologise and she said, so that we would say we were happy with the workshop and so we would say she taught us.
She asked us if we were happy and we said no, that we were not happy with being bribed to lie about who taught us and that we were happy. She was not happy with this once she understood it and then offered us a full refund, “because she didn’t need the money” and we were to leave behind the work we had done. This suited us because we weren’t willing to lie, we had not had any instruction, had not learned anything, and it was improper to be asked to lie.
Me pulled out 300,000 vnd to pay back our fee but I produced a receipt for the 700,000vnd we had paid. So she then phoned her daughter at the shop where we had paid to instruct her to refund us, but her daughter refused to do so.
It turned out I was using the tool incorrectly the whole time. I’m sure Me would have picked that up if she’d been teaching us. Also other reviews said she’s entertaining, we missed that.
We also had no water or toilet offered- hospitality was absent.
In short, we would certainly not recommend this workshop to anyone. Not sure how frequently Me is drunk so you’d never know until you turned up.
Written January 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
While I shouldn't spend more time for you, I think I have to clarify some points for our future guests.
When I saw you I had directly a bad feeling. I knew that whatever we could do for you, you would complain anyway. Your teacher was a skilled batik teacher with more than 40 years of practice. At 60 years old, yes she is not fluent on English but she is teaching our guests for 4 years now and nobody ever complain about her.
It appear that only one lady was a annoying around you because she was drunk. I don't deny this but she has no relation with our business. It was difficult to told her to go away as she is living in the village where you been. It is things that we can't control.
Every five minutes you two were complaining about the batik experience. Our teacher have a lot of patience but at one point it is difficult to teach anything in these conditions. You know, if you go to see a movie and you don't like it, are gonna ask for a refund when you go out of the cinema? You are clearly a lady who love complaining about anything. I invite our guests to check your profile and see by themselves how many 1-2 stars you gave on this website.
A last point. No, our price for the class does not include transportation and entrance fees for the village. We clearly mention it both on our website and the leaflet we gave to you. So no hidden prices like you said before your departure of Sapa.
I could report your review to TripAdvisor but I won't. First reason because it part of the game and second I feel funny to got a 1 star review based on not real experience of your afternoon.
I believe and invite our future guests to check the other reviews to have a idea of the unique opportunity to discover the ancestral batik technique.
Written January 18, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
shine47
Burlington, VT38 contributions
Dec 2015 • Solo
Hard to describe how much fun I had in the batik class. My My, Pang's mother and co-owner of this lovely enterprise (if I have the technicalities of ownership sorted out) is a master batik-er. She is also calm, funny, patient and encouraging. I just loved being in the village with her and so far, at least, in my 5 weeks here, this tops the cake.
I waxed and dyed my batik square yesterday and will pick it up today, one day later. If you want, they will make it into a wallet for you. Me, I'm going to frame it, so as to remember this wonderful business and these people.
Please note: this was the first, and might be still the only, handicraft shop in Sapa that is owned by Hmong people. And, women to boot. And the work they produce in their atelier is just the nicest I've seen anywhere in Vietnam.
I waxed and dyed my batik square yesterday and will pick it up today, one day later. If you want, they will make it into a wallet for you. Me, I'm going to frame it, so as to remember this wonderful business and these people.
Please note: this was the first, and might be still the only, handicraft shop in Sapa that is owned by Hmong people. And, women to boot. And the work they produce in their atelier is just the nicest I've seen anywhere in Vietnam.
Written December 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kezya N
Launceston, Australia2 contributions
Sep 2014 • Family
Before arriving in Sapa I had read many great reviews for Indigo Cat and promised myself to find it and lucky for me that was a very easy task as my Sapa Sister guide Mao was able to take us directly after our trek as it's her sister, Pan who owes and runs Indigo Cat! I was not disappointed, the shop stocks a beautiful range of Hmong textile and I was able to buy something I will treasure forever. I will be sure to visit again when I am next in Sapa.
Written September 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for taking a bit of your time to post a nice review about our little shop. For next time and for our future visitors I want to let you know that is also possible to directly go trekking through us. More information available here at our shop.
Written September 24, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Wilfood
Oxford, UK82 contributions
May 2014 • Business
A really lovely, authentic Hmong shop just below the Cat Cat View hotel. Really stunning fabrics, bags and clothes for sale, all made in the surrounding villages.
Written May 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very for taking a few minutes to post a review about us. We continue everyday to propose the best quality products from the area.
Written May 14, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nejolla
Edmonton, Canada42 contributions
Oct 2019
If you want to find some great souvenirs from Sapa but don't want to haggle like crazy at the market this is your store!. Indigo Cat has the same beautiful souvenirs at great prices that you can find in the market.
Written November 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bec F
19 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
Doing batik with Mimi was so incredible, it took me 3 and a half hours because I was slow (usually it should take about 2 I think) but Mimi was so patient and a great teacher. I loved the end result and Mimi was so sweet, my boyfriend and I were really glad to have met her and to be able to support her business. The class started at around 1pm. She didn’t speak fluent English but enough for us to understand each other! :) She even finished my batik off for me while I scoffed down some take away dinner from a nearby restaurant she recommended. We tried to give her 100,00VND for a personal tip but she kindly gave us 2 batik purses in return.
Written January 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan L
Hobart, Australia15 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
Great shop where I could buy hemp fabric and embroidery scraps to make my own work. Also had a great selection of embroidered works at very reasonable prices. They even emailed me the book of explanations of the embroidery symbols. Wonderful shop
Written June 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hi, i will arrive in Sapa tuesdey 28 and i want to ask you if it s possible to made a reservation for a batik class and i want to know the price and the duration of the course.thanks.elisa.
Written February 25, 2017
I will be in Sapa for a few days towards the end of December. I am very interested in doing any of your craft workshops - is weaving available?
Thanks, Gina
Written October 31, 2015
Weaving is currently not available but I highly recommend you our batik classes which are a great success. You can get more information at our shop in Sapa. Please book one day in advance. Cheers.
Written November 2, 2015
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