Traditional craft village tourism: Rich in potential, poor in tourists

Within the framework of the Hanoi - Vietnam Traditional Craft Village Tourism Festival 2016, on the morning of September 30, the Vietnam Craft Village Association organized a workshop "Vietnam Craft Villages Associated with Tourism Development and International Integration".

Rich in potential but poor in tourists is the opinion of experts when talking about the current state of tourism in traditional craft villages in Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general.

Lots of potential, many limitations

Currently, the country has 5,096 craft villages and villages with crafts, of which 1,748 have been recognized, over 400 traditional craft villages with more than 53 craft groups, many of which have a history of hundreds or thousands of years of development, such as Van Phuc silk, Ngu Xa copper, Chu Dau pottery... Hanoi alone has 1,350 recognized craft villages, hundreds of traditional craft villages and craft streets. However, craft village tourism activities in our country still have many limitations that need to be overcome.

Tourists buy green rice flakes from Vong village at the Hanoi - Vietnam Traditional Craft Village Tourism Festival 2016. Photo: Internet

Mr. Nguyen Vi Khai, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Vietnam Craft Village Association, said that the biggest weakness of craft village tourism is the lack of a long-term strategy. Professional human resources for tourism in craft villages are still lacking and weak, almost not paid attention by all levels, the craft villages themselves do not have the skills to exploit the value of craft village tourism, although craft village products are many and rich, their competitiveness is poor, few products have national and international brands.

"In the past, craft village tourism has developed spontaneously, and for this reason, the effectiveness has not been high, tourists often only come once. Many localities do not have appropriate policies, mechanisms and mechanisms to develop craft village tourism, infrastructure and support services do not ensure tourism development. In many famous craft villages such as Da Sy, Phu Vinh, Son Dong, the roads are seriously degraded, the roads to the villages are still not completed," said Mr. Nguyen Vi Khai.

In reality, the environment of many craft villages is heavily polluted, the drainage system and waste treatment are very poor, waste is dumped right around the community living area. Very few places have filter tank systems and apply science and technology according to the correct process. Many places let it flow into rivers and streams. Some food processing craft villages have air pollution, foul and strong odors, flies clinging right from the village gate.

In addition, the products of craft villages are still too monotonous, not fully taking into account the needs of the market, especially the tastes of tourists. Mr. Luu Duy Dan, Chairman of the Vietnam Craft Villages Association, said that because of such limitations, although there are more than 5,000 craft villages, including 400 traditional craft villages consisting of 53 craft groups making about 200 different types of handicraft products, many of which have a history of development of hundreds of years, Vietnam's craft village tourism products have not yet created their own brand.

For example, Bat Trang pottery, Dong Ky wood, Ha Thai lacquerware... have "made a living" thanks to the export of handicrafts, but "on-site export" to tourists has not received much attention. Recently, craft village tourism has been invested in and promoted, and more shops selling handicrafts in craft villages have appeared. However, in reality, the goods on the shelves for tourists are also the goods sold to the consumer market, although the needs of these two markets are completely different.

Learn the Thai way

To develop craft village tourism, Vietnam can learn from the experiences of countries in the region, especially Thailand. Thailand has about 50,000 craft villages. Since 2001, the Thai government has implemented the OTOP project (One tampon, one product). The government supports connecting the local with the global, through supporting product standardization, packaging completion, marketing, and organizing overseas distribution channels.

Tourists visit the silkworm farming model at Van Phuc silk village. Photo: Internet

Up to now, there are about 36,000 OTOP models in Thailand, each model gathers from 30 to 3,000 members. The reorganization of traditional craft villages in Thailand has not only contributed to preserving and improving artisan skills, creating jobs in rural areas but also creating tourism products. Specifically, the Government instructed universities to open computer rooms to create software to design OTOP products and set up information pages to help foreign customers order products online. The Government also helps organize tours to craft villages so that tourists can see with their own eyes how OTOP products are produced.

According to Dr. Ton Gia Hoa, Vice President of the Vietnam Craft Village Association, for craft village tourism to develop, the participation of many parties is needed. Craft villages need to have galleries or small village museums to introduce products and the formation and development process of the community, the origin of products and changes in designs over time, and stories surrounding the products, for example, the ancient pottery museum in Kim Lan commune, the private pottery museum in Bat Trang, Hanoi....

On the part of associations, it is necessary to introduce and promote effective models of developing craft village tourism, organize exchange activities, learn experiences and discover the potential for tourism development in each craft village; carry out events such as fairs, exhibitions, skill competitions, honoring artisans, cultural activities, festivals... to create unique regional imprints to attract tourists.

Besides, the State cannot stand aside. "The State needs to invest in infrastructure serving tourism because the inter-commune, district and provincial transport systems are beyond the reach of craft village communities, but are decisive for the development of craft village tourism. In addition, to protect the environment, there needs to be a policy to limit polluting occupations in craft villages," Dr. Ton Gia Hoa emphasized.

Hopefully, the innovation in both scale and form of the Hanoi - Vietnam Traditional Craft Village Tourism Festival 2016 (taking place from September 29 - October 2, at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Center) will be a "lever" to help traditional craft village tourism take off.

According to Kinhtedothi