Urgent need to standardize handicraft product brands

Conference scene. Photo: Nguyen Van

Speaking at the workshop, Chairman of the Vietnam Craft Villages Association Trinh Quoc Dat emphasized that branding not only increases value, but also opens the door for products to access supermarket systems, e-commerce, and international retail chains; thereby stabilizing output, increasing income for workers and contributing to rural economic development. In particular, with product lines rich in identity such as wooden furniture, mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquer, etc., branding also contributes to preserving traditional culture, preventing counterfeit goods and maintaining the reputation of craft villages.

Vietnam currently has more than 300 wood craft villages and nearly 1,000 handicraft establishments, attracting hundreds of thousands of workers. In 2024, the export turnover of wooden furniture and handicrafts will reach more than 15 billion USD, putting Vietnam in the group of 5 largest wood product exporting countries in the world . However, most products still carry foreign brands, repetitive designs, lack brand recognition, and do not fully meet the standards of legal wood origin and green certification - mandatory requirements of the EU, US, and Japan.

Delegates attending the workshop "Consulting on raising awareness on building internationally standardized brands for handicraft products". Photo: Nguyen Van

At the workshop, opinions were discussed, experiences were shared, and difficulties were solved in building brands for handicraft products. Artisan Nguyen Thi Hoa, President of the Bac Ninh Women Entrepreneurs Association, said that a brand is not just a logo, but a cultural story told through products. At the same time, she highly appreciated the model of linking handicraft brands with experiential tourism , a direction that Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan have been very successful in.

In Hanoi, there are more than 1,300 craft villages, of which 300 have tourism potential, creating great advantages for developing brands associated with culture and experiences. Artisan Nguyen Thi Hoi - Ha Thai lacquer craft village said that the locality is building a model of "One destination - many experiences". The craft village aims to become a unique lacquer art destination by 2030, serving tourists, students and researchers. Artisan Nguyen Thi Hoi also proposed that the State support the protection of the collective trademark "Ha Thai Lacquer", invest in an international standard experience center, provide training in marketing, design, e-commerce for craftsmen and promote links between businesses, management agencies and craft villages.

A representative of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Ninh province said that a brand in the integration period is not just a name or logo, but a commitment to quality, cultural values and competitive advantages. Therefore, the Department of Industry and Trade proposed a group of key solutions, such as standardizing the brand identity system, supporting businesses to meet international standards (ISO, FSC, CE, FDA, etc.), transparency of origin, protection of intellectual property, linking brands with tourism - culture, digital transformation and cross-border e-commerce.

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