Hanoi (VNA) –๊ The Vietnam Craft Villages Festival 2023 opened in Hanoi on November 9, with the participation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and more than 300 delegates.

The 4-day event aims at preserving and promoting values of traditional craft villages, and boosting consumption, improving handicraft product values and developing tourism in craft villages.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan stressed that while urban areas illustrate the nation’s vibrant socio-economic development, rural areas are places where cultural identity and values are the mainstay.

♕ Traditional handicraft products have made significant contributions to the national economy and society, he said, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will continue working closely with competent ministries, sectors and localities to create favourable conditions for handicraft artisans to preserve the traditional values, build new-style rural areas, and improve livelihoods of rural people.  

He expressed his confidence in the craftsmen and artisans, especially the young who have tirelessly promoted the traditional values by capitalising on diverse local resources and unique social-cultural traits.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee of Hanoi Tran Sy Thanh said the capital has been prioritising the development of craft villages and carrying out a wide range of mechanisms and policies to preserve them. The idea is to form an innovative centre for the introduction of OCOP products and develop nine centres for design and introduction of OCOP products in districts and townships by 2025, he said.

Hanoi is home to 1,350 craft villages, or 56% of the country’s total number. It will coordinate with the MARD to effectively carry out the preservation work for traditional craft villages, Thanh said.

At the event, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan presented gifts to excellent artisans at the Vietnam handicraft contest 2023.

ꩵ NA Chairman Hue visited booths displaying OCOP products and handicraft products from Laos, Indonesia, and Thailand.

As many as 300 booths are displaying traditional creations at the festival, including Bat Trang ceramic, My Duc silk, Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan, Ha Thai lacquer, Chuon Ngo mother-of-pearl inlaid, Chu Dau pottery and many more.

Alongside handicraft products, it also introduces high-quality OCOP agricultural specialties such as Dien Bien rice, Tu Le sticky rice, and Vi Thuy organic rice.

The festival has been divided into different zones, aiming to honour creativity and craftsmanship.

🔥 There is an area dedicated to craft villages in Hanoi, alongside a zone devoted to international handicraft products designed to present the cultural characteristics of those countries.

Visitors can learn about the traditional trades of 25 villages across the country that have been recognised as ‘National Intangible Cultural Heritage’ through a space dedicated to these villages. During the festival, artisans and craftsmen from these villages will also demonstrate how they create delicate embroidery pieces, weave silk, make conical hats, pottery objects or copper bas-relief. The event not only offers opportunities for craft villages to exchange experiences and learn from each other, but also to honour artisans and skilled craftsmen. Aiming to further promote the craft jobs and craft villages across the nation, the festival will also boost consumption, improving handicraft product values and developing tourism in craft villages./.