Vietnam is affected by one of the most intensive urbanization processes in the world, which is directly linked to socio-economic reforms launched in the mid-1980s (known as Doi Moi) (World Bank, 2011). As the nation’s capital city and second largest metropolitan area, Hanoi is a critical site of this urban transition. Here, since the Eighties, urban megaprojects and luxury residential developments were undertaken in the peri-urban area, as well as spontaneous settlement took place. In the context of this peri-urbanisation process, traditional crafts villages surrounding Hanoi, whose existence embodies the cultural heritage and establishes a distinct feature in the urban structure of Vietnam’s capital, are enmeshed into the urban fabric.