Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai praised the excellent work of individuals and groups in contributing to the development of Vietnam ’s gemstones, jewelry and handicraft industry at a ceremony on January 20.

He awarded a Labor Medal, third class, to Do Minh Phu, chairman of Doji Gold & Gems Group.
Deputy PM Hai emphasised that the gemstones, jewelry and handicraft industry has a lot of potential and holds a strong competitive edge that should be capitalised on during the process of global integration.

However, he called for industry craftsmen to be more creative in their designs, saying that the majority of products had been made manually on a small scale that in turn lowered the productivity and the competitiveness of the businesses.

The Vietnam Gemstones, Jewelry and Handicraft Association was founded in 1989, operating nation-wide and accommodating 12,000 companies and 33,000 individual members./.