The fair is an important trade promotion event of the Vietnamese agricultural sector in 2015.
350 booths are showcasing a wide range of products from craft villages throughout the country including silk, brocade, ceramics, porcelain, laminated mother-of-pearl, bamboo, rattan, timber and many more.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre Dao Van Ho said there are currently 5,096 villages practising traditional crafts, of which roughly 1,748 have been recognised as craft villages by the government’s criteria.
These villages are currently employing approximately ten million workers, who produce a variety of attractive and cleverly crafted products to be sold around the world, partly contributing to Vietnam’s agricultural export growth in recent years.
Ho said in 2014, the export of handicrafts brought in around US$1.6 billion, out of a total of US$30.86 billion of the agricultural sector.
However trade villages are facing a number of issues such as worsening environmental pollution, lack of capital and land for production expansion and lower competitiveness than regional countries, among others.
Therefore it is necessary to carry out trade promotion activities to restructure the sector towards higher value and sustainable production, emphasised Ho.
The fair is open every day from 8:30 am to 9:30 pm until December 16.
