Delegates press the button to officially open the 2025 International Festival for the Conservation and Development of Craft Villages. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

Thousands of years ago, the Ke Cho area - the center of Thang Long - was already a gathering place for skilled craftsmen from all regions. This tradition has shaped today’s Hanoi, nicknamed the "land of a hundred trades," boasting over 1,350 craft villages and villages specializing in trades, with 337 of them officially recognized. Each craft village has its own identity, from Bat Trang ceramics and Van Phuc silk to Phu Vinh rattan and bamboo, Quat Dong embroidery, or Ngu Xa bronze casting. These handcrafted products are not just merchandise; they embody the spirit, soul, and sophistication of Hanoi's artisans, helping Vietnamese culture spread worldwide.

In this context, the 2025 International Festival for Craft Village Conservation and Development, held from November 14 to 18 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Center, became a crucial highlight in the journey of connecting tradition with modernity, and the local with the international. The event, organized by the Hanoi People's Committee in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, spanned over 4,000m2 with 350 booths divided into five spaces: preservation heritage; creativity-development; OCOP and cuisine; the international space; and the “Vibrant Flower Festival of Hanoi”.

Nguyen Duc Trung, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, delivers a speech. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

With the theme “Preservation - Development - International Integration,” the festival conveys a vision for sustainable development through four strategic orientations: Environmentally Friendly Green Craft Villages; Ecological Craft Villages; Digital Transformation Craft Villages; and Moving Towards Net-Zero. This also served as an academic forum for artisans, researchers, businesses, and experts to discuss the future of the handicraft industry in the green and digital era.

This year, Hanoi welcomed over 50 international organizations, including 20 leaders of the World Crafts Council (WCC) and representatives from 30 countries and territories. A prominent milestone was the WCC’s assessment and recognition of two craft villages - Son Dong (fine art sculpture) and Chuyen My (mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer) - as official members, following the success of Bat Trang and Van Phuc. This recognition is regarded as a “passport” that elevates the status of Hanoi's products in the global handicraft industry.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung speaks at the ceremony. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

During the opening ceremony, Nguyen Duc Trung, former Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, emphasized, “The festival is a large-scale cultural, economic, and social event - a bridge connecting the excellence of the past with the aspirations of the present, transforming culture into an endogenous resource for sustainable development. The blending of the Flower Festival and the Craft Village Festival creates an artistic message about beauty, creativity, and the enduring value of heritage”.

The festival space became a venue for international exchange, where thousands of artisans demonstrated their techniques, told their professional stories through their products, and simultaneously opened opportunities for cooperation in design, production, and trade. OCOP cuisine also contributed to a distinctive cultural experience, as every dish tells a story connecting people, nature, and tradition.

Representatives from the Hanoi People's Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment present awards to outstanding artisans at the 2025 Traditional Craft Festival. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

 

Parallel with the exhibitions, the festival organized a series of specialized activities, including the International Workshop “Preservation and Development of Craft Villages in the Green and Digital Era,” a Trade and Investment Promotion Conference for Craft Villages, and the Vietnam Handicraft Products Competition. All these activities aim to guide traditional trades into an era of creativity, integration, and responsible development.

 

Held from November 14 to 18, 2025, at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Center, Festival 2025 featured 350 booths for the display, demonstration, and crafting of signature products from Hanoi, various Vietnamese provinces, and international partners. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

 

The 2025 International Festival for the Preservation and Development of Craft Villages sent a clear message: Preserving heritage means preserving identity; developing craft villages is also about developing the people of Hanoi in the future. As traditional excellence blends with contemporary creativity, Hanoi is not just the "land of a hundred trades," but the capital of Vietnamese handicraft quintessence, a place that spreads value, connects cultures, and inspires friends around the world./.

 

Festival 2025 welcomed a diverse array of long-standing craft cultures, including Japanese ceramics, Thai silk, Lao silver engraving, Indonesian brocade, Indian wood carving, French hand embroidery, and traditional African weaving. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

 

At Festival 2025, the World Crafts Council continued its evaluation of the Son Dong sculpture and art lacquer village, as well as the Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, for membership in the World Creative Craft Cities Network.

At Festival 2025, the World Crafts Council continued its evaluation of the Son Dong sculpture and art lacquer village, as well as the Chuyen My mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer village, for membership in the World Creative Craft Cities Network.

 

 

The insight of the Bat Trang feast preparation, listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, is introduced at the 2025 International Festival for the preservation and Development of Craft Villages. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

Each product acts as a "cultural ambassador," carrying the history, lifestyle, and creative spirit of its nation. Photo: Thanh Giang/VNP

 

 

By Thanh Giang & Hoang Ha/VNP    Translated by Hong Hanh