The Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages solemnly held a ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ha Noi on December 2 to mark its 20th anniversary (2005–2025) and confer artisan titles and honours for Vietnamese craft villages in 2025.
In his opening remarks, Meritorious Teacher Trinh Quoc Dat, Chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages, affirmed that although 20 years is not a long period, the country has undergone significant changes and is moving towards a new era of national development. Throughout this journey, the Association has worked in close companionship with craft villages, actively contributing to the cause of preservation and development of traditional crafts.
After two decades of operation, the Association now has more than 13,000 collective and individual members, five representative offices across the northern, central, and southern regions, and more than ten affiliated institutes and centres. Its diverse activities are geared towards benefiting members, promoting production, and preserving and developing craft villages.
Over the past 20 years, the Association has placed strong emphasis on contributing opinions and policy input to Party, National Assembly, and State agencies on issues related to the preservation and development of craft villages.
The Association has also coordinated with central ministries and agencies as well as localities to organise numerous events including trade fairs, exhibitions, product showcases, cultural and tourism festivals, thematic workshops, customer conferences, and supply–demand connection activities among craft villages and handicraft production facilities, thereby fostering trust among members and partners.
Notably, the Association has participated in piloting three models of traditional craft training, contributing to an increase in the number of skilled artisans and improved production efficiency. These efforts include vocational training and skills enhancement courses, product design training for artisans and highly skilled workers, as well as training on the application of information technology and e-commerce to expand markets and strengthen the export capacity of handicraft products from craft villages.
In addition, the Association has organised and co-organised delegations to participate in exhibitions, trade fairs, surveys, working visits, and singing of memoranda of understanding in India and Europe, among other regions. It has also received and worked with numerous international delegations who visited and conducted on-site surveys in various craft villages to explore products, establish partnerships, and promote handicraft products for the Association’s members.
At the event, Senior Expert Vu Quoc Tuan, a founding member of the Association, affirmed that artisans are “living human treasures” and the very soul of craft villages. They are a key force in creating outstanding products that preserve national cultural identity, promote production, and contribute to the preservation and development of craft villages. Looking ahead, alongside the country’s dynamic transformation in the new era, Vietnamese craft villages are facing many favourable opportunities for sustainable development.
Sharing the same view, former Member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), former Deputy Head of the PCC’s Economic Commission, and former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat stressed that the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages must take a proactive approach to renewal and creativity. In particular, it should continue to accompany craft villages in all activities, while promoting digital transformation alongside technological and equipment upgrades, product design improvements, and trade promotion. These efforts aim to raise incomes for craft village workers, attract younger generations to remain engaged, and ensure the continuation, preservation, and creative development of the professional heritage passed down from previous generations.
Since 2007, the Viet Nam Association of Craft Villages has organised 11 conferment ceremonies, honouring 1,396 village craft artisans; awarding 132 “Golden Family Plaques” to families with three or more generations continuing a craft; recognising 73 exemplary craft villages, 72 exemplary craft-based economic units, 10 “Craft Village Treasures”, and 100 exemplary fine handicraft products.
The honoured units and artisans have consistently taken the lead in production and creative labour at household and enterprise levels, making active contributions to the nationwide development of craft village production. Many artisans recognised by the Association since 2007 have subsequently strived to achieve the State-conferred titles of People’s Artisan and Meritorious Artisan from the first national conferment in 2010 to the present.
