The "Week to Promote Agricultural Products and Handicrafts Made by Cooperatives and Traditional Handicraft Villages", which is underway in Hanoi, has attracted a large number of visitors, including foreigners.

Delegates cut the ribbon to open the "Week to Promote Agricultural Products and Handicrafts Produced by Cooperatives and Traditional Handicraft Villages". Photo: VGP

The event, organized by the Hanoi Cooperative Alliance from April 9 to 15,  aims to stimulate demand, develop agricultural and rural production, promote tourism activities, and contribute to preserving the value of traditional craft villages.

This is an important event in the series of activities during the Month of Action for Cooperatives to celebrate Vietnam Cooperative Day [April 11] and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital [October 10].

Handicrafts of Phu Vinh Rattan and Bamboo Village in Hanoi. Photo: Anh Kiet/The Hanoi Times

The products on display are Cat Hai fish sauce, Thai Nguyen specialty tea, Me Tri green rice, Uoc Le sausage, and other regional specialties and agricultural products under the OCOP program, made by cooperatives in Hanoi and other provinces and cities.

With an area of more than 300 square meters and the participation of nearly 100 cooperative members of the Cooperative Alliance, the event is divided into different themes: Agricultural Products, Handicrafts, and Traditional Craft Villages.

Many foreigners are interested in products of Hanoi cooperatives. Photo: Trong Tung/The Hanoi Times

"The products of Hanoi's handicraft villages are diverse, and some products have competitive advantages in foreign markets. These include garments, ceramics, weaving, embroidery, traditional lace, rattan and bamboo weaving, wooden furniture, agricultural and food processing. Hanoi's handicrafts are currently exported to more than 40 countries and territories," he said.

"Hanoi has approved a policy to build a craft village development project for 2024-2030, with a vision to 2050, to assess the current situation and devise goals and solutions for sustainable and appropriate craft village development in line with the capital's overall socio-economic development planning," Chi told The Hanoi Times.

Hanoi currently is home to 1,350 handicraft villages, accounting for 59% of the country's total. The capital has 47 of the 52 traditional trades nationwide. These villages provide jobs for about one million workers, earn about VND22 trillion (US$936 million), and their export turnover is about US$200 million per year.