Hanoi officially welcomed the Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquerware craft village and the Son Dong lacquer sculpture craft village into the World Crafts Cities network at a ceremony held at the Thang Long imperial citadel on the evening of May 8.
The event, organised by the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment, was accompanied by exhibitions, demonstrations and live crafting activities showcasing traditional handicrafts from May 8–10 at the heritage site.
Addressing the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Xuan Luu stressed that each craft village serves as a “living museum”, preserving folk knowledge, master craftsmanship and the creative spirit of the Vietnamese people.
The recognition of Chuyen My and Son Dong craft villages as members of the World Crafts Cities network represents international acknowledgement of the cultural value, artisanal techniques, creativity and sustainable vitality of Vietnam’s traditional craft villages, he said.
The recognition also opens up opportunities to promote the image of Vietnam, its people and culture to the international community, while fostering cultural exchange, developing craft village tourism, expanding export markets and enhancing the global brand value of Hanoi’s handicrafts.
Luu noted that Hanoi remains committed to strengthening international cooperation, preserving and promoting traditional crafts, supporting innovation and design, developing brands, training human resources and improving the competitiveness of the capital’s handicraft products.
Congratulating the event, Dr Darlie Oommen Koshy, Vice President of the World Crafts Council AISBL, said Chuyen My and Son Dong craft villages have demonstrated that handicrafts belong not only to the past, but remain an active part of contemporary life, continuing to create livelihoods and drive economic growth.
Therefore, he stressed, handicrafts should be recognised as an essential component of the global creative economy.
On this occasion, a delegation from the council will visit Hanoi’s craft villages, historical sites and cultural heritage locations to exchange experiences in handicraft development, while organising trade networking and commercial promotion activities.
Hanoi currently has 337 officially recognised traditional craft villages. The city has worked on the promotion of craft village heritage in connection with tourism development, ecological agriculture and sustainable rural economic growth.
In 2024, Bat Trang ceramic village and Van Phuc silk village were admitted to the same network. With the addition of Chuyen My and Son Dong villages, Hanoi now has four craft villages recognised by the World Crafts Cities, making Vietnam the country with the second-highest number of recognised members worldwide after Iran.
The World Crafts Council, established in 1964 and headquartered in Kuwait, is a non-profit international organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional handicrafts worldwide. Over the past six decades, it has recognised 83 world craft villages across 34 countries. Hanoi is the first locality in Vietnam to receive its recognition.
