Artisans and experts discuss ways to promote Hà Nội’s traditional craft villages at a dialogue conference on Monday. — VNS Photo Hải Anh

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội is seeking to connect traditional craft heritage with investment, tourism and the creative industries to increase the value of handicrafts, create sustainable livelihoods and promote economic growth in its craft villages.

The issue was discussed at a dialogue conference titled “Connecting heritage – Creating value from Hà Nội’s craft village heritage”, organised by the Hanoi Support Centre for Enterprise and Investment Promotion (SCE) in coordination with the Hanoi Handicraft and Craft Village Association.

Speaking at the conference on Monday, Nghiêm Thị Hoàng Anh, deputy director of SCE, said the capital was home to more than 1,350 villages with traditional crafts, including 337 officially recognised craft villages, traditional craft villages and traditional trades as of March 2026.

These communities preserve a rich body of cultural heritage, craftsmanship and production knowledge passed down through generations, she said.

Craft villages are not only repositories of cultural heritage but also important resources for developing cultural industries, cultural tourism, creative design and higher-value products, Anh said.

Amid deeper international integration and digital transformation craft villages needed to modernise their development models, from product design and branding to market access and the creation of immersive visitor experiences.

Anh said that the challenge was to safeguard the core values of traditional crafts while turning their cultural assets into economic opportunities, generating jobs and raising local incomes.

Từ Thị Loan, a cultural expert and chairwoman of the Vietnam Association for Community Cultural Development, said craft heritage should be treated as a living legacy, sustained through the transfer of knowledge and skills between generations. She called for stronger links between artisans, businesses, designers and tourism operators, alongside greater investment in digital transformation, branding and market access.

Delegate at the event. — VNS Photo Minh Hằng

She also stressed the need to address policy, infrastructure and workforce constraints to ensure local communities benefit from the economic value generated by their heritage.

Artisan Hà Thị Vinh from Bát Tràng pottery village and chairwoman of the Hanoi Handicraft and Craft Village Association, said the association was promoting a living museum model to preserve the village’s history, architecture and pottery-making traditions. Local residents would introduce visitors to their heritage through stories about their families and craft-making practices.

The proposal had received in-principle approval from Hà Nội authorities and was awaiting further approval procedures, she said.

According to preliminary figures cited by Vinh, Bát Tràng pottery village receives more than 20,000 visitor arrivals a month. She also proposed linking craft villages through tourism itineraries built around traditional crafts, festivals and cultural events.

From the tourism industry’s perspective, Lê Hồng Thái, head of investment and development at Hanoi Tourism Corporation, Hanoitourist, called for more market-oriented experiences, particularly night-time tours connecting Hà Nội’s Old Quarter with four craft villages of Bát Tràng, Vạn Phúc, Chuyên Mỹ and Sơn Đồng.

He said improving service quality, digital promotion and transport, while allowing visitors to engage directly with artisans, could extend stays and increase tourist spending.

Vũ Văn Đình, chairman of the board and director of Phú Chuyên Cooperative in Chuyên Mỹ mother-of-pearl inlay village, said the nearly 1,000-year-old craft required sustained efforts to preserve its quality and cultural identity.

He called for closer cooperation among artisans, producers and designers, alongside practical government support for digital technology, marketing and sales, to help craft villages adapt to changing markets.

Participants agreed that closer links between heritage preservation, investment, tourism and innovation were essential to improving the competitiveness of Hà Nội’s handicrafts, supporting local livelihoods and promoting the capital’s traditional crafts to domestic and international visitors. — VNS