Ceramic artisans work on products. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - With 1,350 craft villages, including over 300 traditional handicraft villages, Hanoi capital city has abundant resources for the development of cultural industries throughout its metropolitan area.
After being restored, the Nam Huong temple in Hoan Kiem district, with its traditional architecture as the backdrop for a common gathering place, has become a creative hub for young artists to contemplate Hang Trong folk paintings. At present, 11 outstanding works of this art are displayed here. Through the introduction and guidance of artisan Le Dinh Nghien, young artists could learn and experience painting techniques. Many of them have held exhibitions of their works that attract public attention, such as those themed "From Tradition to Tradition", "Tigers Strolling the Streets", and "Fairy Realm".
Chairman of Hang Trong ward People's Committee Dang Minh Tuan said the authorities are building a project to conserve Hang Trong folk paintings in combination with popularising Nam Huong Temple relic site to serve local tourism development for the 2021-2026 period and beyond. This will enable artists to create folk paintings based on traditional values.
The cultural industry development project of Hanoi has set the development of traditional handicrafts and craft villages as a "creative industry" with an important role in local socio-economic development. Experts believed that it is completely justifiable that traditional handicraft industry is a spearhead economic sector that drives the development of other cultural industries.
With a history spanning thousands of years, Hanoi's Old Quarter is a gathering place for talented artisans from all over the country. To promote urban economic development, restore the activities of craft and specialised trade streets in the Old Quarter, and unlock the potential of traditional craft villages in and around Hanoi, Chairman of Hoan Kiem district's People's Committee Pham Tuan Long stressed that the district will leverage the inherent value of traditional products and creative designs for innovation and development.
A worker decorates a ceramic product at Bat Trang pottery village in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA) Traditional handicrafts require the collaboration and support of designers, investors, and entrepreneurs so that each handmade product carries the heritage message and represents the unique characteristics of each locality and region. To turn traditional handicrafts into popular souvenirs for tourists, it is necessary to promote trade, design packaging, labels that ensure technical and artistic standards meet the needs of customers.
Recently, traditional handicrafts have been facing many challenges, including limited marketing and consumption markets. Many localities have assisted Hanoi’s craft villages in building introduction and display spaces for their handicraft products, souvenirs and gifts, in order to popularise the quintessence of craft villages and improve tourist experience when visiting the city.
A leader of outlying Phu Xuyen district said since 2011, the locality has successfully organised seven festivals to honour craft villages, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to visit and shop, thereby popularising the images of local people and culture to domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to the conservation and development of local traditional crafts. The district already built a website to introduce craft villages and their products while embarking on building a collective brand for them. At present, there are three venues for the display of One Commune, One Product products in the communes of Van Tu, Tan Dan, and Son Ha.
Over the past years, Hoan Kiem district has pooled resources for the conservation and promotion of heritage values in some streets, such as: Kim Ngan temple on 42 Hang Bac street, the traditional house No. 51 on Hang Bac street, Tu Thi temple on 2A Yen Thai street. It also built a coordination mechanism to preserve historical and cultural relic sites for traditional education, cultural and tourism promotion./.
