Vietnam has more than 2,000 craft villages and hundreds of kinds of crafts that have great potential for development for craft village tourism.
Workers at Phu Nghia Rattan and Bamboo Village at Phu Vinh Commune in Chuong My District of Hanoi.(Photo:SGGP)
However, until now only a few craft villages have been successful in luring domestic and foreign visitors.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Da Nang, Thua Thien-Hue and Ho Chi Minh City are the provinces and cities that have given the highest boost to craft villages in their areas.
Hanoi alone has over 1,300 craft villages, of which 200 are genuine traditional villages dating back to thousands of years. Craft villages are steeped in the traditional cultures of the land.
Van Phuc Silk Village, Chuyen My Village for pearl inlay work and the Bat Trang Ceramic Village in Hanoi are already well known and have great potential for tourism development. In Bac Ninh Province, Dong Ho Village is famous for paintings, Dong Ky for wood furniture and Phu Lang for Ceramics.
Craft village potential needs boost
Many craft villages in the country have attempted to attract tourists but have not achieved great success. Some craft villages have affirmed their status in craft village tourism. However, the number of craft villages that have developed tourism and are reaping benefits for the local people are still low.
The country’s craft villages have been perennial places of interest for both domestic and foreign visitors. They highlight an indigenous way of life and leave a very good impression on foreigners that visit Vietnam.
As a result, a huge amount of investments flowed into these craft villages in the past but the traditional products made for tourists have not really brought in the desired results.
One of the reasons is that many tourists do not understand the value of the crafted products. A similar situation occurred in the central region where only a few shops are selling souvenirs or consumer products that can captivate visitors.
Hanoi is working on developing a model for craft village tourism such as the Van Phuc Silk Village and the Bat Trang Ceramic Village for the past few years. Relevant departments have approved projects to promote craft villages such as Phu Nghia Rattan and Bamboo Village, Quat Dong Lace Embroidery Village and Son Dong Sculpture Village.
Many craft villages complain of their poor proximity to city centres and poor infrastructure, which makes it difficult to attract visitors. Many provinces are therefore investing in improving road infrastructure to make the villages more accessible.
Since 2001, the Peoples’ Committee and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tay Province have invested VND1 billion to build a road to Phu Nghia Rattan and Bamboo Village but not many visitors come to the village.
Many projects still to take off
Bui Thuy Vinh, owner of Rattan and Bamboo Company in the Phu Nghi Village said she and other companies understood that craft village tourism was not meant to develop brands but to create motivation for the rural people and bring economic benefits to individuals and organizations operating in villages. However, she said that they were perplexed as to where to begin.
Mai Tien Dung, deputy director of Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said many craft villages have unique products but the villages have not been fully exploited nor have they attracted customers. He added that coordination between trade companies, agriculture sector and relevant departments must be improved.
According to Ho Xuan Hung, deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to develop craft village tourism, government and local authorities should work with the people in craft villages.
He also said that they also should encourage organizations to invest in craft village tourism and construct more showrooms to introduce the village history. There is also need to improve human resources and language skills in craft villages in which travel agents can play a vital part. Hence, careful planning is very important to help craft villages grow and flourish in the end to attract more tourists coming into the country.
