At the opening ceremony of the Vietnamese Handicraft Village Festival 2023 on November 9, some 45 award-winning works were honored out of 500 entries submitted by artisans and craftsmen nationwide.

During the event, Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan praised the artisans whose products won the A prize in the Vietnam Traditional Handicraft Product Competition 2023.

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan presented certificates to the artisans.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan emphasized the long history of rural handicrafts.

Crafts villages not only preserve cultural and historical values, but also contribute to people's material and spiritual well-being by serving as a resource for local socio-economic development, Hoan said.

Minister Hoan encourages Vietnamese artisans, craftsmen and designers, as well as every citizen, especially the younger generation, to confidently and proudly create value from the diverse local resources and unique cultural identity.

Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said that the Hanoi government is well aware of the value of artisan villages and traditional crafts. The city has issued Resolution No. 9 on the development of cultural industries in the capital, which prioritizes the development of handicrafts and craft villages by 2025 with a vision to 2030. There are also numerous mechanisms and policies for the preservation and development of handicraft villages in the capital.

Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, speaks at the opening ceremony.

He added that Hanoi is home to 1,350 craft villages, accounting for 56% of the country's total. Each of these villages in Hanoi has its own unique characteristics, yielding distinctive and exquisite products that have been exported to more than 40 countries and regions.

By 2025, Hanoi aims to launch a national center for creative design and One Commune One Product (OCOP) exhibition in the capital, integrating cultural tourism and cultural industry development.

The city also plans to develop nine design, creative and promotion centers for OCOP products across the city, he said.

As part of the festival, Hanoi will host six side events and together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will promote handicraft villages, strengthen trade links, promote sales and develop handicraft village tourism in the capital and nationwide.

A traditional handicraft village cultural performance evening, an international workshop on the development of handicraft villages, a workshop on the construction of silk cocoon raw material zones, and the Vietnam Traditional Handicraft Product Competition 2023 will also be held.

Vuong Dinh Hue visits booths at the festival.