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Traditional hand embroidery in Quat Dong village in Hanoi's Thuong Tin district. (Photo: CPV)
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Some craft villages have invested to welcome tourists, such as Bat Trang ceramics village, Van Phuc silk weaving village, Ha Thai lacquer village, and Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan village, visitors to the craft village can find understanding in the culture of the village, watch artisans demonstrate their craft and experience some stages of crafting products, as well as shopping for the villages' products and gifts.
However, these craft villages have not been exploited suitable with their potentials due to unattractive product and packaging design, along with promotional activities that have not been properly invested. Today, craft villages basically offer what they have instead of what tourists need, while local artisans, although being skillful, lack experience, financial and technology know-how, so they have not accessed customers via the internet.
In addition, the connection with tourist destinations is weak, so craft traders cannot understand the needs and tastes of tourists, which is also the reason for the bad sale of souvenirs.
Products made in craft villages have tangible and intangible values. However, due to lack of sound development directions, craft villages have not promoted their advantages. Meanwhile, homestay tours in craft villages are a popular choice of international tourists. Many localities in the country have adopted this kind of tourism successfully. When taking homestay tours in craft villages, apart from sightseeing and shopping, tourists can take part in producing handicraft products. Thanks to this service, Bat Trang pottery village and Van Phuc silk village have lure a large number of tourists. Many foreign tourists want to stay overnight in the villages, however, the local authorities can not meet their demand due to lack of accommodations.
Like Bat Trang, Van Phuc silk village is an ancient village with small streets. Sometimes buses which take tourists to the villages create traffic jams. The village still lacks construction works serving tourists demand. Hence, the village has not effectively exploited its tourism potential.
Realizing about these shortcomings, some establishments have invested efforts to innovate product designs and packaging. In addition to traditional items such as rattan baskets, rattan tables and chairs, artisans from Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan craft village in Chuong My district have created new products suitable for the demand of young visitors such as bracelets, rings which are made of rattan and bamboo.
Meanwhile, many lacquer products of Ha Thai village in Thuong Tin district, after being applied changes in motif and design, have earned the preference of foreign customers. Some businesses and craft village households have set up their websites and take advantage of social networks to promote their products.
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Artisan Phan Thi Thuan produces silk in Phung Xa village in Hanoi's My Duc district.
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In order to support craft villages, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade in cooperation with the municipal Department of Tourism organized the design competitions for handicraft products in recent years, to stimulate creativity and launching new product models suitable to the demand of tourists. Besides, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has supported those villages through promoting handicrafts on its website.
Moreover, instead of mainly depending on foreign tourists, craft villages should pay more attention to domestic tourists, especially as this segment is one of the important solutions to restore and stabilize the tourism market in Hanoi in particular and in Vietnam in general.
The tourism Department will launch an application to introduce craft village products using 3D technology, allowing visitors to see details of products, information about the artisans, craft villages and the process of elaborating the item. This application is expected to be a promotion channel for more than 300 craft villages, contributing to improving the quality of tourism products and increasing the spending of local and foreign visitors to the city in the coming time.
In addition, to attract more tourists, apart from helping people in craft villages to enrich their knowledge of product marketing, professional services and comprehensive infrastructure system are an important factor.
It is necessary for travel agents, the Hanoi Travel Club and local craft village associations to work together to look for methods to attract more tourists. Local authorities and related departments should create favorable conditions for craft villages to promote infrastructure system and make a proper plan on craft village development./.