Vietnam is home to 5,407 operating craft villages nationwide, according to the Vietnam Craft Village Association. 

Vietnam is home to 5,407 operating craft villages nationwide, according to the Vietnam Craft Village Association

The information was revealed at a seminar on applied art and design of craft products recently held by the association and the University of Industrial Fine Art.

Of the figure, there are 1,748 villages recognised by the Government’s criteria, generating jobs for 10 million labourers and raking in about 1.7 billion USD. 

However, many of handicrafts have simple designs, so they have lower competitiveness in the international markets.

At the event, participants proposed linking traditional craft villages with art schools, as the schools could provide on-site human resource training and new designs for the villages.-VNA