Craft village fair links traditional products with rural tourism

Craft village fair links traditional products with rural tourism

The events seek to link traditional craft preservation with product innovation, tourism and market development, while helping craft villages and rural tourism destinations reach domestic and international markets.

Foreign tourists experience rural tourism at Ecohost Hải Hậu, a five-star OCOP rural tourism product. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Lành

A national craft village fair and a series of events promoting rural tourism and handicrafts will take place in Hà Nội from October 8-12, bringing together producers, artisans, cooperatives and tourism businesses to expand market access for traditional products.

The events, organised by the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, aim to link traditional craft preservation with product innovation, tourism and market development, while connecting craft villages and OCOP producers with domestic and international markets, the organiser said on Wednesday.

The 22nd Vietnam Craft Village Fair will feature nearly 100 stalls and a 120 sq.m-exhibition area, with more than 50 organisations from 18 provinces and cities.

Products on display will include bamboo and rattan handicrafts, ceramics, silk, brocade, metal and wood products, lacquerware, as well as products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, those protected by geographical indications and outstanding rural industrial products.

The craft fair will provide a platform for localities, businesses, cooperatives, artisans and OCOP producers to showcase products, seek partners and expand distribution networks, said Nguyễn Minh Tiến, director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre.

Digital tools will be promoted to help traditional producers reach consumers beyond physical exhibitions. Livestreaming sessions to promote and sell handicrafts and OCOP products will be conducted on TikTok Shop, while QR codes will provide information on product origins and improve transparency.

Alongside the fair, the rural tourism promotion week will showcase distinctive agricultural and rural tourism experiences from across the country, including Việt Bắc mountain culture, cultural features associated with Huế and Hội An and the Mekong Delta.

Tourism models on display will include Tày ethnic cultural tourism at Thái Hải Village, Ecohost Hải Hậu, Nam Cao silk village, Kim Bồng carpentry village and a range of ecological, circular and forest-based tourism models.

A conference on rural tourism promotion, connectivity and trade is scheduled for October 9, which will bring together destinations and businesses to strengthen links between tour operators and rural tourism providers.

The organiser said combining craft products with tourism experiences will help villages with reach markets.

The 2026 Vietnam Handicraft Products Competition will also form part of the programme, under the theme “Vietnamese Craftsmanship: Creativity, Value Enhancement and Integration”.

The sixth nationwide edition of the competition has received 453 entries from 256 individual and group authors across five categories, including ceramics and glass; textiles, embroidery, knitting and crochet; bamboo, rattan and leaves; stone, fine-art wood, lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay; and other products. 

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