Amidst modern life, the combination of safeguarding traditional values and being creative in production and promoting tourism is the key for local craft villages to continue developing sustainably.
Ban Thach water puppetry village in Hong Quang ward is regarded as the cradle of Vietnamese water puppetry. Through historical ups and downs and social changes, there was time when puppets sat motionless in dark rooms, covered by the dust of time. However, in recent years, Ban Thach village has become a destination attracting a growing number of visitors. Many mini water-puppet stages are ready to perform when tourists arrive, while puppet-making workshops bustle with laughter as visitors take part in decorating puppets.
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Visitors experience the production process at the Ninh Hai embroidery and lace village. |
Delighted at their visit to the village, the family of Hong Mai Thanh from Thai Nguyen province shared that water puppetry is not only entertaining and enjoyable through hands-on painting experiences, but also educates about moral values, conveys experience from labor, and reflects farmers’ dreams of a prosperous life. With such experiences, her family planned to stay longer in Ninh Binh to explore other well-known craft villages, such as the Kim Son sedge village famous for its durable mats and distinctive patterns. Once facing the risk of falling into oblivion due to limited markets, Kim Son sedge craft has seen breakthroughs in recent years with innovative and diverse products that meet consumer tastes, including mats, handbags, boxes, and trays, which retain traditional features while meeting modern demands.
Visiting Ninh Binh today, experiential tourism and community-based tourism models at craft villages which combine handicraft production, local culture, and tourism services are emerging as effective development pathways. These efforts show that when craft villages are properly invested in, products are elevated in brand value and linked to experiential tourism, rural livelihoods improve and local communities thrive.
After administrative unit merger, Ninh Binh province now has a large number of craft villages with strong brands and unique value, contributing to socio-economic development. According to preliminary statistics, the province currently has more than 250 craft villages, including agro-forestry-fishery processing, handicrafts, wood products, bamboo and rattan weaving, ceramics, textiles, embroidery and lace, mechanics, and ornamental plants. Many crafts have been recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, such as Doi Tam drums, Ninh Hai embroidery and lace, Ninh Van stone carving, Cat Dang lacquerware, and Nha Xa silk weaving.
Over the past time, tourism units in the province have developed various tours linked to visits and hands-on experiences at craft villages, yielding initial positive results. Typical examples include tours exploring Ninh Van stone carving village, Bo Bat pottery village, Van Lam embroidery village, or tours to Doi Tam drum village, Tam Chuc tourist area, and Nha Xa silk weaving village. These models demonstrate the strong potential of connecting tourism with craft villages. The Ninh Binh Provincial Tourism Association is actively coordinating with travel agencies, artisans, and local authorities to design more attractive experiential tours, improve service quality, train a team of guides with knowledge about craft village culture, and expand domestic and international market connections.
Tourism and craft villages share a close, mutually reinforcing relationship. Craft villages provide tourism with unique cultural values and distinctive souvenirs, while tourism creates pathways to bring craft villages closer to visitors both at home and abroad, thus supporting product consumption and creating livelihoods for local residents.
To promote a craft village economy linked with tourism development in the coming time, the province needs planning for agriculture and rural areas aligned with tourism planning to ensure sustainable development; strong coordination among residents, travel enterprises, local authorities, and state management agencies in agriculture, craft villages, and tourism to create high-quality, professional tourism products. In particular, Ninh Binh should encourage artisans to innovate designs, open advanced skills training courses for workers, attract investment for preservation and development, and build community-based and agricultural tourism models associated with environmental protection to create lasting appeal for domestic and international visitors.
Traditional craft villages in Ninh Binh province are not only cultural pride but also a solid foundation for socio-economic development, contributing to the preservation of national identity and enhancing Vietnam’s culturally rich image in the eyes of international visitors.
Translated by Mai Huong