Many traditional craft villages in Hanoi's rural areas, previously little-known, now have products sold in many localities throughout the country, and even reaching international markets. Digital transformation not only helps bridge the gap in consumer markets but also changes business methods, enabling people to better understand market demands, promoting innovation in product functionality, materials, and designs, thereby enhancing the value of these craft villages.
Change your way of working by digitizing.
A typical workday for Ms. Dinh Thi Tuyen (Phuong Duc commune, Hanoi) doesn't begin in the workshop, but rather with... filming TikTok videos. “My incense-making village is over 100 years old, and I'm the fifth generation. Today, I'll show you the incense-making process…” Ms. Tuyen begins her “live stream.” She takes ingredients like cinnamon, bời lời resin, and sandalwood, puts them into the mixer, and talks about the steps involved in making incense sticks. Ms. Tuyen's witty introductions have resulted in many of her videos garnering tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of views. Ms. Dinh Thi Tuyen is the head of Thuong village. Her job isn't just about promoting and selling her own workshop; it's also about promoting the brand of the incense-making craft in Thuong village in general.
Phuong Duc commune is located in a region known for its many traditional crafts, but its distance from the central hub has resulted in slower development compared to other communes. However, in recent years, the craft villages of Phuong Duc have become famous. This began when digitalization arrived in the village. Initially, many thought TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, etc., were only for young people. But the local government made efforts to implement digital transformation by guiding residents to master smart devices and, especially, online sales skills. People gradually realized the value, and now "every household is going online."
For example, in early May 2026, residents of Phuong Vu carpentry village received training on how to sell online. During the training, expert Do Viet compared the villagers' online sales pages with others, explaining why some channels attract hundreds of thousands of views. Participants were instructed on how to take photos, shoot videos , and narrate and introduce products. These trainees could very well become online sales experts in the future, just like the village head, Dinh Thi Tuyen. Ms. Tuyen shared that when she first started, she felt a bit awkward in front of the camera. Now, she is a "specialist" in online sales.
Similar to Phuong Duc commune, Chuyen My commune does not have the advantages of being a suburban area, but Chuyen My's products have reached the global market. After implementing the two-tiered local government model, Chuyen My is implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation, promoting e-commerce. By 2026, the commune aims to achieve revenue from e-commerce activities exceeding 650 billion VND.
Chairman of the People's Committee of Chuyen My commune, Vu Van Huu, said: “The commune continues to implement basic, advanced, and in-depth training courses on e-commerce application skills in online business, livestreaming to promote and introduce products for about 250-300 households, organizations, and businesses. When the Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquerware craft village was recognized by the World Craft Council as a member of the World Creative Craft Villages Network, we must take advantage of the opportunity to promote and sell our products.” Currently, Chuyen My continuously organizes livestreaming events to promote and introduce products, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, expanding the market for products such as leather shoes, mother-of-pearl inlay, lacquerware, fine art wood products, and many other OCOP products.
Hanoi has 1,350 craft villages. Previously, digitalization was often associated with suburban craft villages such as Bat Trang pottery, Van Phuc silk, and Son Dong sculpture. Now, along with the process of building a "digital life," especially thanks to the impetus of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, digitalization is developing strongly in craft villages far from the city center such as the communes of Phuong Duc, Chuyen My, Thach That, Thu Lam... and even in the mountainous areas of Ba Vi and Bat Bat... Many artisans and craftsmen have become owners of sales channels with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Step-by-step in-depth exploitation
Starting with online sales, many manufacturers have realized other enormous potentials from social media. For example, many mother-of-pearl inlay artisans in Chuyen My previously produced large, expensive products. The drawback of these products was that they appealed to a very niche market.
Mr. Vu Duc Quan (representative of Hung Hong establishment, Chuyen My commune) shared: “When using online sales channels, we received a lot of feedback from customers. Based on this feedback, we adjusted our product range to include affordable mother-of-pearl inlaid products with compact sizes, suitable for a wider range of consumers. As a result, sales increased.”
Digitalization serves as both a sales channel and a tool for manufacturers to understand the market, thereby adjusting product design, materials, and styles – a lesson many manufacturers have learned from digital transformation.
Along with that, the application of digitalization has been intensified in product design. Many products that craftsmen could previously only imagine in their minds are now being created using 3D technology and AI, allowing them to "know in advance" the shape and design of the product and make adjustments before mass production.
According to Tran Thi Ngoc Lan, Vice President of the Van Phuc Silk Weaving Village Association, previously, the manual process of carving patterns in Van Phuc silk village was very time-consuming, but with digitization, this step has shortened the production process and created more sophisticated patterns.
Similarly, artisan Vu Nhu Quynh (Bat Trang pottery village) said that technologies such as 3D scanning, 3D printing, and computer-aided design have helped shorten the time for prototyping and developing new products by half. Previously, this process took an average of four to six weeks, but now it only takes one to two weeks. Notably, in just a few hours, the technology helps artisans find a glaze color that is 99% identical to the customer's requested color – a very complex task in the past.
In Chang Son fan-making village and some other fine woodworking villages in Thu Lam, Thach Xa, Son Dong, etc., the application of technology has helped to diversify product designs. Many products would be difficult to design and manufacture using only traditional methods.
Digitalization in general, and e-commerce in particular, are becoming an indispensable part of the development of Hanoi's craft villages. This is even more significant now that four of Hanoi's craft villages have joined the Global Network of Innovative Craft Villages.
Many communes aim to achieve e-commerce sales of hundreds, even thousands of billions of dong. However, alongside the positive aspects, the digital transformation process in craft villages still faces difficulties regarding technological infrastructure, advertising costs, logistics, etc.; and a segment of the population has not yet kept pace with the changes of the times.
Authorities at all levels need to strengthen in-depth training in e-commerce, photography skills, livestreaming, customer service, etc., for the people, as well as build a stronger shared digital platform to support the sustainable digitalization of craft villages.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/nang-tam-gia-tri-lang-nghe-tu-chuyen-doi-so-post962522.html
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