Sustainable Development of Craft Villages in Hanoi

 

With the history of "A Thousand years of culture", Hanoi is the centre of a large number of traditional craft villages. The majority are mainly located in Chuong My district (174 villages), Phu Xuyen (124 villages), Thuong Tin (125 villages), Ung Hoa (113 villages), Thanh Oai (101 villages), Ba Vi (91 villages), etc. and other areas with less craft villages are Thanh Tri, Gia Lam, Tu Liem, etc.

 

In general, handicraft products of Hanoi have high aesthetic and traditional value and meet the criteria of "one village one product." Some villages have initially combined traditional techniques with modern technology making village products more sophisticated, modern and in higher demand, therefore increasing productivity. However, there exist limitations on product models, uniformity of product quality and trade promotion activities. This has posed a barrier, which limits the potential for development of the capital’s handicraft. To boost exports and promote all their strengths, the villages must focus more on investment to improve the quality of the product.

 

According to Ms Dao Thu Vinh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, for such a long time, the design of products in the villages has been relying on a team of artisans. However, they are high-skilled workers, not designers. Therefore, the quality of the product is not varied and not yet able to meet the increasingly diverse demands of the market. The manufacturers in the villages must take the initiative to produce products based on market demand and focus on developing new products with innovative but traditional identities to bring about the highest return. Representatives of the International Exchange Association and promoters of the "One Village One Product" movement from Oita prefecture of Japan, stressed that it’s necessary for each village to affirm the inherent quality of its products as well as professional skill of its people, which will create direct trade promotion widely. Besides, it is necessary to apply modern technology to improve production and product quality and reduce environmental pollution. In addition, those villages will have to exchange experience with international organizations in the development of OVOP movement.

 

Currently, direct export has opened a promising new direction for many of the capital’s villages. Many localities have focused on promoting market expansion and export via this method to reduce the medial cost and increase the value of products.

 

Hanoi Department of Trade and Industry is implementing OVOP program in the period of 2012 - 2015. This is a practical action to boost exports and help craft villages in Hanoi to find the output of handicraft products. At the conference, Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, Mr Le Hong Thang stated that on OVOP trade promotion programme in the 2012 – 2015 period, there are four groups of product. The first group is typical villages, which currently have high value annual production and export products with high sales potential. The second group includes villages producing items, which can be re-designed in accordance with modern demands of both domestic and foreign markets, enhancing the production value. The third group includes villages having potential to develop the production value through the tourism. The last group includes new products that meet high demand of the market and need to be developed in craft villages.

 

According to Ms Dao Thu Vinh, to promote export and development OVOP in the period 2012 - 2015 of craft villages in Hanoi, it’s necessary to have the support of the government through mechanism and policies, which create a favourable legal environment focusing on the trade promotion policy for OVOP products.

In addition, attention should be paid to the development of infrastructure, especially tourist reception services. It’s crucial to increase the attractiveness of the villages to promote the image of the village as well as typical products to domestic and foreign business communities.

 

Also at the conference, experts from Thailand, Taiwan (China), Cambodia, the Philippines and International Promotion Association of the OVOP movement of Oita Prefecture, Japan, home of the movement, shared experiences in the development process of the OVOP and provided direction for development cooperation and movement between Hanoi and other provinces having potential do develop in compliance with the movement. This is a favourable start for the villages of the capital to expand access to domestic and export markets, creating sustainable development.

 

According to the report by JICA, Hanoi currently has 47 handicrafts out of 52 handicrafts of the country, with dozens of developing groups such as ceramics, leather, sculpture, mosaic, embroidery, lacquer, rattan, processing aquaculture food and agricultural products, etc., basically meeting the needs of the market and playing an important role in the development of the capital.

 

The development of the craft villages does not only serve to improve standards of living but also puts a mark of national cultural and traditions of each period. Statistics in 2011 showed that in Hanoi, nearly 100 villages reached an annual revenue of between VND10-20 billion, and 70 villages reaching between VND20 - 50 billion per year. There are some villages reaching particularly high revenues including Bat Trang pottery village (VND350 billion per year), Van Diem carpentry village (over VND240 billion per year), Chang Son carpentry village (Thach That district) (VND 282 billion per year), La Phu village (Hoai Duc district) (VND800 billion per year) with the average income of a person participating in the production of the village is VND24 million a year.