The Son Dong craft village in Hoai Duc district, Hanoi has existed for more than a millennium. Nowadays, many young villagers work to preserve and develop their time-honoured craft of making wooden statues.

After 15 years of expanding the administrative boundary of the capital Hanoi (August 1, 2008 - August 1, 2023), urban infrastructure in western districts such as Hoai Duc and Dan Phuong has changed for the better. Many new industrial parks and high-rise apartments have been built, while the appearance of rural areas is increasingly modern.