To make experiential tourism in Nghe An's traditional craft villages "take center stage".

Lack of products, few customers.

Visiting the traditional brocade weaving village of Lang Xieng, Mon Son commune (Con Cuong district), people can admire many types of products such as scarves, skirts, shirts, etc., with rich patterns and designs that possess high artistic value, reflecting the skillful craftsmanship of experienced artisans and craftsmen.

The traditional brocade weaving craft in Lang Xieng village has a long history. Previously, due to small-scale production primarily for family consumption, the products made by the villagers did not generate significant economic value. Since 2014, the brocade weaving craft here has seen new developments. Weavers have received formal training and been awarded professional certificates. In March 2017, the Provincial People's Committee officially recognized Lang Xieng village as a traditional brocade weaving village.

Based on its recognition as a traditional craft village, coupled with the landscapes of an ancient Thai village, Xieng Village has been identified as a highlight for community tourism and craft village tourism development in Con Cuong district. Following this direction, the Nghe An Tourism Department and Con Cuong district have been actively promoting the destination.

However, at this point, the brocade weaving village of Lang Xieng, like many other traditional craft villages in Nghe An, despite having many advantages for tourism development, still doesn't attract many visitors. Ms. Ha Thi Hang, Chairwoman of the Handicraft and General Service Cooperative in Mon Son commune, said: "In the past, our cooperative has collaborated with several tourism companies to bring tourists here to visit and experience the craft village, combined with introducing and selling products. However, during the peak summer season, we only have one group of visitors per week. The cooperative is happy to have tourists, but with few visitors, sales are still low."

The story of the brocade weaving craft in Lang Xieng village is also the story of the traditional pottery-making village in Tru Son commune (Do Luong district). In the 1990s, the pottery-making craft declined. However, in the last four years, the pottery-making craft in Tru Son has begun to flourish again thanks to a change in customer preferences. Traders are arriving in large numbers to place orders. Many tourist groups and student groups also visit to observe and experience the craft of "shaping clay to make pots."

Ms. Pham Thi Ngu, 53 years old, from Hamlet 11, was delighted to demonstrate the clay molding and shaping process with skillful and meticulous techniques. Ms. Ngu shared: “Every year, to welcome Christmas, the villagers often make a giant Christmas tree from clay pots, which is truly impressive and reflects the local identity. Besides showing hospitality, this is also a way to spread the word about Tru Son clay pots, attracting more tourists and buyers. This increases the villagers' income and preserves the traditional craft.”

Like many other tourists visiting Tru Son, Sara Arduino (Italy) was very interested in witnessing the traditional crafts of the local people; however, she also regretted that "she came to Tru Son but couldn't buy any souvenirs."

We need guidance and specific methods.

Low visitor numbers and a lack of diverse products are some of the limitations hindering the development of craft village tourism in Nghe An. Mr. Vo Hong Sang, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Tourism Association, stated: "The 'crafts of the village' have long only addressed the daily livelihood needs of the people. The government and people in craft villages generally lack a tourism mindset. Production methods are not truly safe, raw materials are not guaranteed, and technology is outdated."

There are some excellent craft villages, such as the dried seafood processing villages in Nghi Thuy and Nghi Tan, that don't pay attention to the performance aspect. Or, there are cases where tourists visit craft villages to learn about the customs, traditions, and cultural aspects of the people and the land where the craft is practiced, but those villages lack "artisans"—people who truly understand and can showcase these cultural values. And there are also craft villages that currently lack young people with expertise in the craft to continue the tradition.

The products have not improved in quality, design, or style, and have not catered to the tastes of tourists. Craftspeople are worried that their high-priced products will not attract buyers. Consequently, they lack attention to the tourist market and are not very interested in advertising or promoting their products to visitors. Businesses associated with the craft villages are not enthusiastic about tourism and have not yet built showrooms or reception areas for tourists.

The aforementioned limitations have led to a situation where travel companies are "thirsty" for destinations, but when organizing tours, they fail to include traditional craft villages. According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Bac, Director of a tourism company in Nghe An province: "These limitations clearly show that some local authorities have not truly paid attention to tourism development..."

Indeed, even in Mon Son commune, "tourism" is a familiar term to the people, but according to Mr. Luong Van Tuan - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son commune, the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune have not yet issued any specific resolution or plan related to craft village tourism. Tourism development here still relies on projects from international organizations, the Provincial People's Committee, the tourism industry, and the efforts of individuals and businesses...

Currently, Nghe An province has 152 craft villages, many of which are dedicated to specific crafts. These villages offer a diverse range of products, from handicrafts and clothing to consumer goods and food, attracting nearly 20,000 participants. While most villages have an understanding of tourism, they are still struggling to create products similar to traditional Hue specialties like fermented shrimp, sesame candy, and conical hats. This self-inflicted struggle reflects a lack of direction and strategic thinking!

What direction should tourism in craft villages take? Mr. Vu The Binh, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, shared valuable experience: “Vietnamese tourists are not as interested in cultural exploration as they are in the value of cuisine, unlike foreign tourists. Foreign tourists are interested in cultural heritage and products with dark tones, while Vietnamese tourists prefer bright, vibrant colors. Nghe An tourism should focus on attracting domestic tourists.”

How to develop tourism in craft villages? The success story of the cooperative producing orange products in Pha village, Yen Khe commune, Con Cuong district is a noteworthy example. Thanks to the project "Diversifying Livelihoods Based on Heritage Tourism in Agricultural and Fishing Villages" implemented and guided by JICA and Nghe An province, a cooperative of 9 orange-growing households in the village was formed. From selling only oranges, these 9 households were guided to make other products such as orange essential oil, orange wine, orange peel jam, and organized tours for tourists to pick fruit in the orange orchards for a fee of 30,000 VND per person. Since becoming operational, the products made from oranges are in high demand; every week there are 2-3 groups of tourists visiting the orchards...

To effectively promote the production of traditional craft products and link them with tourism activities, on July 13, 2018, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 2988/QD-UBND approving the detailed outline and tasks for implementing the Project on developing the production of certain souvenir products and goods to serve tourists in Nghe An province. The core spirit of the project is that craft villages must gradually change their mindset to engage in tourism.