Upgrading Hanoi's craft villages to join the global creative network

During the Conference on dialogue to address challenges and promote business activities for businesses, cooperatives, and production households operating in craft villages across the city on the morning of July 5, Nguyen Xuan Dai, General Director of the Hanoi city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, responded to inquiries regarding the enhancement of international cooperation to promote trade in specialty products.

Within the framework of the 2023 Festival for the Preservation and Development of Vietnamese Craft Villages, which was co-organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Hanoi People's Committee, Hanoi city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development signed two memoranda of understanding with the World Crafts Council and Lund University School of Industrial Design.

A representative from the Hanoi Ornamental Creatures Association, located in Cu Khe commune, Thanh Oai district, raised a question regarding the opportunities that these agreements provide for craft villages, businesses, and artisans when implementing coordinated initiatives.

General Director Nguyen Xuan Dai emphasized that following the signing of the memoranda, Hanoi city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has collaborated with the World Crafts Council to implement several initiatives; including: developing a plan to upgrade craft villages with the aim of joining the global Creative Cities Network in the fields of crafts and promoting the image of Hanoi's craft villages globally.

Both parties also collaborated to pilot a minimum of one model for preserving craft villages, focusing on green, sustainable development in association with tourism development.

In cooperation with Lund University School of Industrial Design, the Department is currently developing a proposal for a Hanoi Craft Village Design and Innovation Center; and a plan to develop "creative craft villages" where design, creativity, traditional culture, and sustainable development are core values to enhance the value of craft villages.

Additionally, the Department is formulating plans to organize trade promotion activities in the Scandinavian and European markets; and upgrade and enhance the value of Hanoi's craft village products by developing environmentally friendly product designs and packaging.

Hanoi city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to cooperate with the World Crafts Council in 2024 to acquire membership within the global Creative Cities Network in the fields of crafts for at least two of Hanoi's craft villages.

This level of recognition will help elevate the status, brand, and value of Vietnamese craft villages, thereby enabling comprehensive and sustainable development. It will also boost the economy, raise incomes, improve the quality of life for the local community, and create opportunities for exchange and integration with craft villages within the global Creative Cities Network in the fields of crafts.

With these opportunities, the local community will gain enhanced knowledge regarding the creation and trading of craft village products with other countries; and establish tourism hubs that preserve the full beauty of Vietnam's cultural heritage.

The Department plans to assign a delegation to participate in the Formex Handicraft Fair in Sweden in August 2024. Accordingly, the Department's participation in the Fair will create opportunities for Hanoi's businesses and craft villages to promote and introduce their handicraft products, craft village products, and notable OCOP products to distributors and consumers in Sweden and other European countries.

Hanoi People's Committee organized a conference on July 5, 2024, to address challenges and promote business activities for businesses, cooperatives, and production households operating in craft villages across the city.

The conference was chaired by Tran Sy Thanh, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee. The event saw the participation of representatives from various associations and 136 businesses, cooperatives, production households from the city's craft villages.

Hanoi, known as the "Land of a Hundred Crafts," accounts for 56% of the country's total number of craft villages. The city currently houses 1,350 craft villages, including 331 recognized traditional craft villages, which represent 47 out of the 52 traditional crafts nationwide. These villages are distributed across 25 districts, towns, and communes within Hanoi city.

Consequently, the conservation and development of craft villages in association with cultural, agricultural, and rural tourism offer multi-valued economic benefits to the local community. The conservation and development of craft villages involve preserving cultural spaces as well as flexibly integrating these villages into new rural development policies.