Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will link craft villages, handicrafts, and rural tourism to promote local products, expand market access, and drive sustainable rural economic development through a series of events in Hanoi from October 8 to 12.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment announced on September 30 that the 22nd Vietnam Craft Village Fair, the 2026 Week for Promoting and Connecting Agricultural and Rural Tourism, and the 2026 Vietnam Handicraft Competition will be held at the Agricultural Exhibition Centre, No. 489 Hoang Quoc Viet street in Nghia Do ward.
Nguyen Minh Tien, Director of the Trade Promotion Centre for Agriculture, said the three events will form a connected chain spanning traditional craft preservation, product development and promotion, tourism experiences, market access and sales.
The Vietnam Craft Village Fair will feature nearly 100 booths and a joint exhibition area showcasing products from more than 50 units in 19 provinces and cities.
It will also advertise OCOP products and facilitate links between craft producers, distributors, supermarkets and e-commerce platforms.
This year's fair will place greater emphasis on digital transformation, with livestream sales on TikTok Shop and QR codes allowing visitors to trace product origins and access product information.
Meanwhile, the rural tourism week will showcase outstanding agricultural and rural tourism models, including five-star OCOP-certified destinations, craft village tourism, ecotourism, circular tourism, medicinal herb-based tourism and forest tourism.
The programme aims to connect rural tourism providers with travel businesses, organisations and schools while creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
The handicraft competition has drawn 453 entries from 256 individual and group producers nationwide, spanning five categories, namely ceramics and glass; textiles and embroidery; bamboo, rattan, and leaves; wood, stone, lacquer, and mother-of-pearl; and other materials.
It is meant to honour and encourage the creativity of artisans, skilled craftspeople, and designers, thus contributing to the preservation and promotion of craft villages' cultural values, and connecting handicraft products with markets, tourism, and export opportunities.
The events are expected to create a stronger link between craft villages, handicrafts, rural tourism and markets, helping preserve cultural heritage while promoting sustainable rural economic development./.
Tourism breathes new life into craft villages
More than 5,400 craft villages and villages with craft activities provide a rich and distinctive resource for Vietnam’s tourism sector, especially as interests are shifting from sightseeing and shopping to exploring local lifestyles.However, simply attracting visitors or adding destinations to tours is only a first step. Craft village tourism is sustainable only when local artisans and residents benefit from it, and it breathes new life into the places where the crafts originated.
