The northern province of Ninh Binh has for years implemented a plan to develop and expand its traditional handicraft villages, especially six famous craft villages to serve tourism needs and preserve traditional crafts.
The six well-known villages are a sedge mat weaving village in Kim Son district, Bo Bat pottery making village in Yen Mo district, Ninh Van stone carving and Van Lam embroidery villages in Hoa Lu district, peach flower planting in Tam Diep city, and Gia Thuy ceramic making village in Nho Quan district.
In the past few years, Ninh Binh has taken specific measures to preserve and develop traditional handicraft villages such as organising showrooms to introduce traditional products at festivals and important tourism events in the province.
Besides, the province has also adopted policies to help with zoning off production areas of handicraft villages, innovating technologies and expanding production scales.
Thanks to these efforts, many traditional handicraft villages have been thriving, creating brands and prestige on the market such as sedge mat making in Kim Son district, Bo Bat ceramic-making in Yen Mo district, stone carving in Hoa Lu district, embroidery making in Hoa Lu district, and peach flower planting in Tam Diep city, and Gia Thuy ceramic making in Nho Quan district.
Some of these villages have become ideal destinations for visitors to experience and explore Vietnam's traditional cultural values.
The province now has 75 craft villages, four of which specialize in processing agro-forestry-aquatic products; 59 producing handicrafts; 11 villages specialise in planting and trading bonsai trees.
These villages have created jobs for 26,732 local labourers with a per capita income of 36.4 million VND per year.
Pham Hong Son, Head of the Sub-Department of Rural Development, said though the traditional craft villages have been developing in recent years, many of them are facing difficulties in terms of expanding production scales as well as accessing loans.
Most of the craft establishments have not paid due attention to innovating technologies and failed to have stable markets.
In addition, the poor designs of products and packaging, low value of export goods, tough competition on the international market, and workforce shortage are some difficulties that most handicraft villages are still facing.
In a bid to expand traditional handicraft villages in the time to come, Ninh Binh needs to boost the implementation of projects to develop traditional craft villages in connection with tourism; adopt policies on the development of craft villages; organise vocational training, and build showrooms and introduce traditional products to tourists.
Besides, these villages should innovate and develop products to serve tourism, invest in infrastructure and connect traditional craft villages with tourist destinations in the province.
At the same time, localities where the traditional handicraft villages are located must establish suitable management models.
They are suggested to continue carrying out the "One Commune, One Product" programme to develop the rural economy, contributing to the implementation of the national target programme on building new-style rural areas.
source: baoninhbinh.org.vn