Hanoi’s traditional craft villages are particularly attractive for international and domestic travelers, including BatTrangCeramicVillage, Van Phuc Silk Village, Ha Thai Lacquer Village, SonDongWoodCarvingVillage, and Chuyen My Mosaic Village. Visiting these craft villages, visitors will not just be interested in shopping, but also in direct contact with artisans and participating in their work. Therefore, these villages are indispensabledestinations in the City’s tours in recent years.

However, the biggest drawback in thedevelopment of craft village tourism in Ha Noi is that the infrastructure systems in these villages do not meet requirements. In addition, tourism promotion activities and staff proved less effective and professional. As a matter of fact, the city’s tourism developmenthas still not matched with its potential despite increased number of tourists in recent years.

Taking these into account, Ha Noi’s People’s Committee issued a craft village tourism development program to improve the quality of tourism in the city’s craft villages. Accordingly, the capital will invest more than VND 8.5 trillion to support trade villages by opening tours to these villages and connecting them to supermarkets and trade centers.

Craft villages will make up 8.4% of the city’s total industry and handicraftby 2015, increasing to 8.9% by 2030. In the coming time, city authorities will restrict the unplanned expansion of trade villages. At the same time, Ha Noi will gradually move them to industrial zones to protect the environment and ensure social security. Thedevelopment of trade villages will create 200,000 new jobs, increasing the sector’s total workforce to 1 million.

Average annual income for laborers is expected to be VND 25-30 million by 2015, VND 35-40 million by 2020 and VND 50-60 million by 2030. To achieve these objectives, the program has also set out a number of tasks and key measures including picking out several trade villages with tourism potential in Ha Noi to develop traditional craft village tours; deploying tourism infrastructure construction in the selected craft villages; organizing tours to craft villages associated with visiting the historical and cultural monuments; training human resource for the city’s tourism sector; and promoting craft village tourism via inter-regional cooperation.

The selected craft villages will have traditional houses, old houses and architectural spaces preserved. In addition, craft households in these villages will be supported in terms of production and exhibition of their products.

Hanoitimes