Preserving and developing Hanoi's traditional craft villages in conjunction with tourism and digital transformation.

On the morning of December 16th, in Bat Trang commune, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the Bat Trang Commune People's Committee and the Hanoi Handicraft and Traditional Village Association, organized a workshop titled "Solutions for preserving and developing traditional villages associated with tourism and digital transformation when recognized by the World Craft Council as a member of the world's creative cities in Bat Trang commune".

Hà Nội Mới•16/12/2025

Delegates attending the workshop. Photo: Minh Phu

Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa, Head of the Rural Development Department (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), said that Hanoi currently has about 1,350 craft villages and villages with traditional crafts, of which 337 craft villages, traditional crafts, and traditional craft villages have been recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee. These craft villages play an important role in shifting the rural economic structure, creating jobs, increasing people's income, and contributing to the effective implementation of the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program and the construction of new rural areas.

To date, approximately 100 craft villages and villages with traditional crafts in Hanoi have participated in the OCOP program, with 929 out of 3,463 products achieving 3 stars or higher. The city has recognized 10 model centers for creative design, introduction, promotion, and sales of OCOP products and craft villages linked with tourism at the commune level; and has formed 70 industrial clusters, including 25 craft village industrial clusters, attracting more than 4,000 production facilities and creating jobs for nearly 80,000 workers.

Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa, Head of the Rural Development Department (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), speaks at the workshop. Photo: Minh Phu

In the tourism sector, Hanoi has recognized 55 tourist destinations and tourist areas at the city level, including 26 associated with traditional craft villages, and 7 craft villages recognized as craft village tourism destinations. Notably, handicraft products from Hanoi's craft villages are currently exported to 89 countries and territories. The entire city has 351 artisans along with a network of actively operating craft village associations, societies, and clubs.

Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa emphasized that the Bat Trang pottery village and the Van Phuc silk weaving village have officially been recognized by the World Craft Council as members of the Global Creative Craft Cities Network, opening up many opportunities for promotion, trade facilitation, and tourism development. The city has also successfully organized delegations to participate in international trade fairs and the 2025 International Craft Village Preservation and Development Festival, with the participation of 30 countries, contributing to enhancing the position of Hanoi's craft villages on the international stage.

Ms. Ha Thi Vinh, President of the Hanoi Handicraft and Traditional Village Association, delivered a presentation. Photo: Minh Phu

At the workshop, delegates focused on analyzing the difficulties in developing tourism in craft villages, such as inconsistent infrastructure, lack of value chain linkages, small-scale production, and limited awareness of tourism among the people. Meanwhile, only a few craft villages such as Bat Trang, Van Phuc, and Hong Van have initially invested systematically and achieved positive results. Ms. Ha Thi Vinh, President of the Hanoi Handicraft and Craft Village Association and also a craftswoman from Bat Trang, expressed pride in her hometown's pottery craft and stated that innovation is always present in every craftswoman in the village. Currently, Bat Trang is building a model of an ecological craft village museum; Bat Trang is not only a cradle of production but also a cultural and tourism destination that attracts visitors…

Sharing from a local perspective, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bat Trang commune, said that after the administrative reorganization into a two-tiered local government model, Bat Trang commune has had the opportunity to expand the development space of its craft villages, linking preservation with planning and tourism development. However, the commune still faces many challenges such as a lack of production-consumption linkages and tourism not yet commensurate with its potential. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Thuan suggested the need to improve product recognition, refine the method of attaching QR codes, and develop "limited edition" product lines to enhance the value of ceramics.

Mr. Le Ba Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Handicraft Export Association, presented his remarks. Photo: Minh Phu

Many opinions at the workshop also emphasized the role of digital transformation in preserving and developing traditional craft villages. According to business representatives and experts, digitizing products, building a database of craft villages, and personalizing products according to market needs will help craft villages adapt better to new trends, while also telling the "story of the craft village" vividly to domestic and international tourists. Mr. Le Ba Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Handicraft Export Association, said that the title of the World Craft Council will be re-evaluated every four years, so craft villages need to maintain the title based on the organization's evaluation criteria. Mr. Le Ba Ngoc suggested that Bat Trang village should preserve ceramic patterns through a pattern museum, encourage the younger generation to create new patterns, and organize a ceramic product competition within the village.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Cooperative Economics and Rural Development, speaks at the workshop. Photo: Minh Phu

Concluding the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Cooperative Economics and Rural Development, stated that the title of member of the Creative Craft Cities is an opportunity, but also places higher demands on Bat Trang in particular and Hanoi's craft villages in general. Preserving traditional values, developing sustainable tourism, and promoting digital transformation need to be implemented synchronously, with the joint efforts of the government, businesses, artisans, and the community, so that the capital's craft villages truly become economic and cultural highlights in the new era.

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