These days, Van Phuc Craft Village is a hive of activity in preparation for the upcoming cultural tourism and trade week to be held here.

Visitors are shopping at a retail store in Van Phuc Village. Photos: Hanoimoi newspaper

The program with the theme "Van Phuc - Colors of Integration" is part of the activities to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Van Phuc Ward and the recognition of Van Phuc silk craft as a national intangible cultural heritage.

The Van Phuc Cultural Tourism and Trade Week 2023 will run from October 26 to November 2 in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, with the aim of promoting traditional silk weaving and boosting tourism activities in the conventional trading village.

Visitors can enjoy various activities on Silk Street, Food Street, Ornamental Flower Street, Antique Street, and stalls selling handicraft products from Bat Trang Ceramic Village, Kim Lan Ceramic Village (Gia Lam District), Quat Dong Embroidery Village (Thuong Tin District), and Phu Vinh Bamboo and Rattan Weaving Village (Chuong My District).

There are also experiential tours and visits to historical and cultural sites, such as the Ho Chi Minh Memorial House, communal houses, pagodas, and ancestral temples. Visitors can learn about traditional silk weaving and experience weaving at Van Phuc Silk JSC, Nguyet Nam Silk, Mao Silk, Lan Son Silk, or Vun (Scrap) Art Cooperative.

According to Nguyen Van Du, Chairman of the Van Phuc Ward People's Committee and head of the organizing committee, preparations for the event are now complete.

He added that the entrance of Van Phuc Silk Street is splendidly and impressively decorated with the traditional colors of the "Silk Village" land.

The street features a vibrant and colorful array of silk lanterns stretching hundreds of meters, beautifully arranged spinning wheels, and paintings depicting the village's silk production process. In particular, a glass bridge is currently being installed to enhance the tourist experience.

The painting team works on a large painting in the flower garden.

Bui Manh Hiep, the leader of the Moc painting team in Van Phuc Ward, along with the young members, is currently completing a large painting in the flower garden in front of the village temple. "The 100m2 painting depicts the process of silk farming, from raising silkworms to producing silk in Van Phuc Village," he said.

"We have been working on this painting for four days, with contributions from teachers of Van Phuc Kindergarten and Quang Trung Kindergarten and residents," he added.

In addition to the activities of Culture and Tourism Week, the authorities and people of Van Phuc are persistently promoting the village's handicrafts and local tourism products, thus contributing to improving the livelihoods of local people.

Chairman Nguyen Van Du of the Van Phuc Ward People's Committee noted that since 2022, Van Phuc Silk Village has been incorporated into two tour itineraries. Notably, in 2023, the influx of tourists visiting Van Phuc has shown a substantial increase compared to the previous year.

Nguyen Thi Nguyet, owner of Minh Ngoc Silk Shop in Van Phuc Village, remarked, "The Silk Road draws a substantial number of tourists due to its exquisite decoration, providing great photo opportunities. Furthermore, tourists visit not only for exploration but also for shopping, more so than on regular days. As a result, my family is ramping up production to diversify our offerings and fulfill the heightened demand from tourists."

The residents of Van Phuc craft approximately 70 different varieties of silk, satin, brocade, and linen, each boasting a unique array of patterns. The village annually supplies the market with one million meters of these diverse silk products, which generates revenues exceeding VND100 billion (US$4 million).