3:26:37 PM | 7/8/2005
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Ministry of Industry have mapped out programs on further developing and tapping craft villages, especially traditional ones. More craft village complexes will be established to offer greater sites for production and business, and better deal with environmental issues.
Under a scheme recently worked out by MARD, each village is to receive state assistance to beef up a specific industry so that it will make the greatest contribution to the village’s annual GDP. Besides, villages which have already seen steady development of an industry will enjoy concrete assistance to turn out products with sharper competitive edges in both local and foreign markets. Specifically, the State will assist them in terms of capital, production technologies and scientific advancements. Every village is allowed to set up a fund to receive assistance from local and international organizations.
In addition to the scheme, MARD will embark on a five-year program starting next year with main targets of increasing income per capita of a village to a level which is 1.5 times higher than that of the province, raising the percentage of households accessing safe water to 85 per cent, providing electricity to all households, and lowering the malnutrition rate to below 20 per cent. The program will be implemented with the participation of both the state and local residents with the state offering technical assistance and part of investment capital. However, it is the local residents, not the state, that are the key stakeholder in the process of comprehensively developing its infrastructure, goods production, job creation and environmental sustainability. Initially, 400 villages nationwide will benefit from the program entitled “New Villages”.
Like MARD, the Ministry of Industry has worked out concrete programs to boost craft villages, especially those with famous industrial products, with a focus on connecting them with markets and enterprises. Small- and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives and business households will act as satellites of bigger firms and then becoming major suppliers of materials as well as finished products to specific regions. The ministry will also develop auxiliary industries, and pay greater attention to environmental issues in craft villages.
The Red River Delta, the central coastal region, the Southeast region and the Mekong Delta are to not only maintain and promote traditional craft villages, but also create new craft ones which will churn out products which have satisfied taste of both local and foreign consumers. The Central Highlands region is to focus on developing traditional industries such as farm produce processing and brocade weaving. The Northwest and Southwest regions are to revive and enhance traditional occupations, including production of hand tools, processing agro products, making articles from bamboo and weaving brocade to serve local residents, tourists and foreign markets.
Since the Vietnamese Government issued Decision No. 132/200/QD-TTg dated 24 December 2000 on encouraging the development of industries and occupations in rural areas, many craft complexes and companies have been established in villages. Such provinces as Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Quang Nam and Bac Lieu have paid due attention to fostering businesses, including cooperatives, joint stock firms and limited liability companies in craft villages, which are pioneers in applying scientific and technical advancements, and seeking material sources and markets. Many localities have also carried out projects on promoting craft villages in combination with tourism, especially eco-tourism.
Hanoi has just approved a scheme on restoring and developing craft villages in the city, home to 83 such villages, to the year 2010, under which five craft complexes in the districts of Gia Lam, Dong Anh, Thanh Tri and Tu Liem are to become operational in 2006. Specifically, nearly 106,000 square metres of land has been designated for Thanh Tri’s Tan Trieu commune to house both traditional and new industries, including textile, silkworm, scrap recycling and footwear production. The commune annually exports large volumes of sewing threads, elastic bands, shoes, wooden sandals, poultry feather and waste plastic to Germany, China, Taiwan and the United States.
According to surveys by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, Vietnam has over 2,000 craft villages, 50 per cent of which are in the Red River Delta. Of the total villages, 713 are involved in producing articles from bamboo, rattan and sedge, 432 in weaving, 342 in woodwork and 341 in embroidering with a total labor force of some 1.4 million.
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