Laos Textile Art Retreat: Embroidery, Silk Weaving & Cyanotype Craft in Luang Prabang

Days 3, 4 and 9 are full workshop days with Han Cao. On the first, she walks through her own path to becoming an embroidery artist and then moves through stitches from simple to complex, working on fabric. You practice on vintage fabrics in the afternoon and add embellishments. On Day 4 she explains how she chooses vintage postcards and photographs, shows her sketching and planning process, and demonstrates working on paper versus fabric — you then start your own pieces on vintage postcards or photos. Day 5 is cyanotype day: you coat paper with UV-sensitive iron salt solution (done on the first evening in low light), expose prints in the sun using foraged plants, found objects and digital negatives, then tone them with coffee and tea. Day 9 is your own project day, with Han working one-to-one and a mini exhibition at the end.

The artisan sessions are separate and hands-on. At Ock Pop Tok on Day 7 you spend a full day at a floor loom, choosing your own colors and weaving a piece you finish by hand-stitching. On Day 6 you visit the weaving village where Ock Pop Tok's artisans work, meet weavers, dye a small silk piece, eat a farm-style lunch at a family restaurant, and make a sheet of saa paper in the nearby paper-making village. Day 8 takes you to the rural Passa Paa studio for a batik wax-resist session on locally made hemp fabric using beeswax, then an appliqué embroidery workshop in the afternoon.

Beyond the workshops: Day 2 is a guided tour of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center with its Director of Programming, followed by a town walk with TAEC Co-Director Khoun Soutthivilay, who identifies the origin and quality of local textiles and explains what the motifs mean. Day 4 evening is the Fire-Boat Festival — an early dinner at the hotel, then into town for the parade and river rituals. Evenings on Days 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are free, with the night market (about a mile of stalls selling textiles, ceramics, paintings, coffee and tea) recommended.

Han Cao is a self-taught fiber artist based in Dallas, Texas, who embroiders onto vintage photographs and postcards sourced from flea markets. Her work is held in private collections internationally, and she shows at hanwriting.com and @hanwriting on Instagram. She's the draw here as much as the location is — you're learning her specific approach to layering thread onto old images rather than a general embroidery syllabus.

The hotel is 100% locally owned, in the heart of Luang Prabang, with Lao design elements and a spa on site. Airport pickup on arrival is included (about 15 minutes from Luang Prabang International Airport), and lunches or dinners are provided on most days. The trip is capped at 12 guests and sold out, with a waitlist open.

What's included

- Multi-day contemporary embroidery workshop with Han Cao (stitches on fabric and paper, embellishments, texture and depth) - Cyanotype printing sessions, including coating, sun exposure, and toning with natural materials - Full-day large loom silk weaving workshop with Ock Pop Tok artisans - Guided Textile + Handicraft Shopping Experience with a Lao crafts expert - Batik printing and appliqué embroidery workshops with Passa Paa - Guided rural weaving village walking tour with Ock Pop Tok - Saa paper-making visit in the paper-making village - Guided tour of the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC) - Fire-Boat Festival (Boun Lai Heua Fai) experience - 9 nights boutique hotel accommodation - Transport during included meals and activities - 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 3 dinners - Dedicated travel host with the group throughout the trip - Trip prep call with fellow travellers before departure - Workshop supplies (essential items)

What's not included

- International roundtrip airfare - Required travel insurance - Alcoholic drinks - Activities, food and beverages not listed in the itinerary - Hotel incidentals (room service, laundry, bar tabs) - All expenses during free time - Airport transfers on departure day (hotel can help arrange) - Personal spending money