Hanoi Boosts Development and Marketing of OCOP in Craft Villages

Hanoi is home to over 1,350 craft villages and 47 out of 52 craft industries, contributing to rural economic development and supporting the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program and new countryside development.

Craft village products feature diverse designs, high quality, and strong competitiveness in both domestic and international markets

Hanoi currently has 2,711 OCOP products, including 745 products made from craft villages, many 5-star and 4-star products from well-known craft villages like Bat Trang pottery village, Phu Vinh rattan and bamboo village, Van Phuc silk village, Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlaying village, Ha Thai lacquerware village, Phung Xa lotus silk making village and Tay Ho lotus tea village. Products of craft villages have diverse types, beautiful designs, good quality and competitive strengths in domestic and foreign markets.

OCOP products of craft villages account for over 27%

Craft villages provide a broad space for Hanoi to develop the OCOP Program. According to the Coordination Office for Hanoi New Rural Development Program, Hanoi has evaluated and classified 2,711 products since 2019, including six 5-star products, 12 5-star likely products, 1,473 4-star products and 1,220 3-star products. Particularly, craft villages make 745 out of 2,711 products or 27.48%.

Nguyen Dinh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said craft villages have increasingly asserted their position as they have actively contributed to rural economic restructuring and development, and laying the groundwork for successful OCOP Program in the locality. Hanoi currently has 2,711 OCOP products, including 745 products made from craft villages, many 5-star and 4-star products from well-known craft villages like Bat Trang pottery village, Phu Vinh rattan and bamboo village, Van Phuc silk village, Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlaying village, Ha Thai lacquerware village, Phung Xa lotus silk village and Tay Ho lotus tea village. Products of craft villages have diverse types, beautiful designs, good quality and competitive strengths in the market.

In fact, preserving and developing craft villages plays an important role in rural economic restructuring, especially in localities with craft villages. The total annual revenue of 334 craft villages exceeded VND24 trillion (over US$1 billion). Craft villages have seen growth in revenue, production value and export value over the years, with some with very high revenue like Son Dong artistic sculpturing village, La Phu confectionery and knitting village, Minh Khai agricultural and food processing village, Phung Xa mechanical village, Huu Bang carpentry and sewing village, and Thiet Ung traditional fine art handcraft village.

Pham Huy Khoi, Chairman of Bat Trang Commune People's Committee (Gia Lam district), said: The commune has more than 100 artisans, nearly 200 companies and about 1,000 households producing and trading ceramicwares. They provide jobs and ensure stable incomes for local residents and 4,000 - 5,000 migrant workers, thus helping foster local growth and socioeconomic development. Bat Trang ceramic products are imbued with traditional features and Vietnamese cultural identity. For many years, artisans and ceramicists in Bat Trang have focused on converting, researching and making a variety of ceramic products.

Currently, Bat Trang commune has more than 50 ceramic products certified to meet 3- to 5-star OCOP products. While strongly dominating the domestic market, Bat Trang pottery is also exported to many countries in Asia, Europe and America. Many typical Bat Trang ceramic products such as tableware, teapots, flower vases and lucky pots have been chosen as gifts for conferences, major holidays and important anniversaries.

“Products of craft villages have diverse types, beautiful designs, good quality and competitive strengths in domestic and foreign markets, featured by apparels, ceramics, traditional weavings and embroidery, wooden products, mechanical products and processed agricultural and food products,” said Nguyen Van Chi, Standing Deputy Chief of the Hanoi Coordination Office for New Rural Development.

Increasing OCOP value in craft villages

In recent years, the city has implemented various policies and strategies to develop craft villages, enhancing the preservation and growth of cottage industries. Participation in the OCOP Program has led to the creation of high-quality products with attractive designs and certifications, boosting consumer confidence in the market.

According to the Coordination Office, the OCOP Program has helped craft villages focus more on innovation and designing to both preserve the cultural identity and soul of the homeland and the nation, and at the same time, have appropriate improvements in line with modern trends, integration, hence affirming the position of Hanoi handicrafts in domestic and international markets. The OCOP Program helps preserve and develop craft villages, motivate artisans and skilled workers to pass on their expertise to the next generations while conserving and fostering the cultural and historical beauty of the millenary capital.

In the coming time, the city will continue to support craft villages in training and passing on craft professions, cultivating professions, building mechanisms and policies to encourage artisans and skilled workers to participate in vocational training, passage of traditional occupations, international cooperation in product design and export market expansion to develop more OCOP products and further improve their quality, Chi said.

Indeed, the OCOP Program helps preserve and develop craft villages, inspire artisans and skilled workers to pass on their expertise to the next generations while conserving and fostering the cultural and historical beauty of the capital.

By Bao Ngoc, Vietnam Business Forum

The page is coordinated by the Hanoi Office of the Coordination of the New Rural Development Program