Son Dong craft village on the journey of integration into the World Network of Creative Craft Cities

(Chinhphu.vn) - Hanoi has long been known as the "cradle" of traditional Vietnamese craft villages, in which Son Dong sculpture and fine arts village has emerged as a special highlight. After more than a thousand years of formation and development, Son Dong is known as the top sculpture and gilding village in Vietnam, preserving the cultural quintessence and talented hands of the Imperial clay workers.

Son Dong is known as the "cradle" of the art of sculpture and gilding in Vietnam. Photo: VGP/Thien Tam

Hanoi has 1,350 craft villages and villages with crafts in operation. Of which, by the end of 2023, 327 craft villages and traditional craft villages have been recognized by the City People's Committee, converging 47 out of 52 traditional crafts nationwide. These craft villages not only contribute to preserving the quintessence of national culture but also play an important role in developing the rural economy , shifting the labor structure and building new rural areas.

The annual revenue of 327 recognized craft villages is estimated at over 24,000 billion VND, of which many craft villages have high revenue such as: La Phu (confectionery, knitting) over 1,300 billion VND; Phung Xa (mechanical agricultural tools) about 1,200 billion VND; Thiet Ung (fine arts) 1,100 billion VND; and Son Dong (sculpture, gilding) over 1,000 billion VND... The products of Hanoi craft villages are diverse, with sophisticated designs and increasingly improved quality, some of which have become firmly competitive in domestic and foreign markets.

The profession of carving statues and making worship objects in Son Dong has been passed down through generations, becoming a source of pride and the main livelihood of thousands of local people.

Mr. Cao Van Tam, Vice Chairman of Son Dong Commune People's Committee, said that Son Dong craftsmen always keep in mind that each product is not only a commodity but also a work of art with spiritual value, containing the cultural quintessence of the nation. The secret of Son Dong's craft lies in the traditional lacquer technique - a type of lacquer with high durability, able to retain its color and gloss for hundreds of years. From Buddha statues, Saint statues, Mother Goddess statues to horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, altars, votive doors, Arhat statues, Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Bodhisattva statues... all exude a sophistication, liveliness and charisma that is difficult to match anywhere else.

Son Dong products are present in a series of famous cultural and spiritual works such as: Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Ngoc Son Temple, Quan Thanh Temple, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Bai Dinh Pagoda, Ba Vang Pagoda, Phat Tich Pagoda... These works are living proof of the enduring vitality and unique artistic value of Son Dong handicraft.

In 2007, the Vietnam Book of Records recognized Son Dong as "The largest Buddhist statue and worshiping object craft village in Vietnam". Currently, the village has nearly 700 households and 10 handicraft production enterprises, creating jobs for thousands of workers. The average income is about 140 million VND/person/year, an impressive figure for a rural area. Not only serving the domestic market, Son Dong products are also exported to many countries such as Russia, France, the US, Thailand, Laos... contributing to spreading the quintessence of Vietnamese crafts to the world .

Towards the title of world creative craft village

Mr. Cao Van Tam, Vice Chairman of Son Dong Commune People's Committee (wearing glasses) introduces products of Son Dong craft village. Photo: VGP/Thien Tam

Not only stopping at preserving the craft, Son Dong people are stepping strongly on the journey of integration. Currently, Son Dong commune is completing the dossier, striving to be recognized by the World Craft Council as a member of the World Network of Creative Craft Cities by 2025. This is a prestigious title, opening up a great opportunity for Son Dong to affirm its position on the international map of traditional crafts.

Implementing Decree No. 54/2018/ND-CP of the Government on rural industry development and the direction of the Hanoi People's Committee, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated with the People's Committee of Son Dong commune to deploy many specific contents to meet the criteria of WCC.

The commune has built a creative design center, introducing and promoting OCOP products and local handicrafts, and established a vocational training room with an area of ​​over 90m², including a theory classroom and a practice room fully equipped with tools. Currently, there are more than 20 young students studying lacquer, carving, and calligraphy techniques - green shoots for the future of the craft village.

In addition, Son Dong also built a website to promote the image, history and products of the craft village in many languages. At the Creative Design Center, hundreds of drawings, patterns, royal decrees, and ancient artifacts are collected and vividly displayed, clearly recreating the development process of the craft. This space is both a place to preserve cultural memories and a place to attract tourists, artisans, and art students to visit and learn.

Developing craft villages associated with tourism and creativity

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa, Head of the Rural Development Department (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), in the period of 2025-2030, Hanoi aims to restore at least 5 traditional craft villages at risk of disappearing, recognize 10 new occupations and 25 craft villages, develop 10 craft villages to the level of traditional craft villages, and at the same time invest in synchronous infrastructure and restore the cultural space of craft villages associated with tourism. At the same time, Hanoi will form at least 10 tours and tourism routes for craft villages, in which Son Dong is one of the key destinations, due to its cultural and artistic values ​​and great potential for experiences.

Ms. Hoa also emphasized that the recognition of Bat Trang craft village and Van Phuc silk village by the World Craft Council as members of the World Craft Cities Network in 2024 is an important premise for Hanoi to replicate this model. The city hopes that Son Dong will soon complete its dossier to become a member of the World Craft Cities Network.

According to the leader of Son Dong commune, becoming a member of the World Network of Creative Craft Cities is not only an honor for Son Dong, but also an opportunity to affirm the brand of Vietnamese craft villages in the international arena. We hope to receive attention and specific guidance from the City and departments and branches to complete the dossier and meet the criteria. When achieving this title, Son Dong will have more favorable conditions in attracting investment, developing products, expanding markets and international cooperation, while creating more jobs and increasing income for local people.

From a thousand-year-old traditional craft village, Son Dong today is transforming strongly to integrate globally. While preserving the national soul, applying modern technology and creativity, Son Dong craftsmen are continuing to write the story of Vietnamese craft villages in the new era - where traditional quintessence blends with modern life, bringing the brand "Son Dong Worship Items" to the world.

Kindness

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/lang-nghe-son-dong-tren-hanh-trinh-hoi-nhap-mang-luoi-cac-thanh-pho-thu-cong-sang-tao-the-gioi-10225110717220443.htm