Festival for the Preservation and Advancement of Vietnamese Craft Villages 2023 aims to preserve, conserve, revive, and promote the distinctive cultural values of traditional ethnic cultures, shaping the contemporary cultural aspects of Vietnamese craft villages. It focuses on using craft villages in Hanoi as the center to spread these values to other regions nationwide.

The festival creates an environment for cultural exchange, sharing experiences, and knowledge in the production and business of craft village products. It honors artisans, skilled workers, and laborers in craft villages while promoting and introducing traditional craft villages and streets in the city of Hanoi and across the country.

Additionally, the festival seeks to promote the image and brand of Vietnamese craft villages internationally, stimulate consumption, enhance the value of products, and develop tourism. It aims to showcase the cultural flow of Vietnam through the development of craft villages.

During the opening speech at the Preservation and Development Festival of Vietnamese Craft Villages, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan stated that traditional Vietnamese handicraft villages have a history of a thousand years. The skilled hands and creative minds of generations of artisans and skilled workers have diligently infused unique and exquisite qualities into each distinctive and artistic piece, conveying the cultural heritage and traditional beauty of the community and ethnic groups, combining practicality and aesthetic artistry.

Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized that while urban areas represent the economic and social development of each country, rural areas preserve the complete spiritual life, cultural identity, and core values deeply rooted in the land and people. Handicrafts and artistic products from craft villages crystallize local resources into cultural and social values, embodying the unique essence of each nation and ethnic group.

Thousands of rural craft villages and traditional craft villages across the country, classified as intangible cultural heritage, have contributed significantly to the economy, culture, and society. Each craft village is intertwined with the material and spiritual life stories, passed down through generations, carefully nurtured in each product.

In the future, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to collaborate closely with other ministries, sectors, and localities, creating favorable conditions for artisans, skilled workers, and handicraft designers to connect with their crafts and villages. This aims to spread the beauty and positive values to the community, contribute to preserving and promoting the values of traditional craft villages, and support the program of building a new rural area, developing the rural economy, and improving the quality of life for rural communities.

Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hanoi, highlighted the profound understanding of the traditional craft village values. The Hanoi Municipal Party Committee issued Resolution No. 9 on the development of cultural industries in the capital, emphasizing the priority development of traditional handicrafts and craft products. The city also issued a plan for the development of crafts and craft villages until 2025 with a vision until 2030, along with mechanisms to conserve and develop craft villages in the capital.

Hanoi is currently the locality with the highest concentration of craft villages and artisans in the country, with 1,350 villages accounting for 56% of the total nationwide. Each craft village in Hanoi has its own unique characteristics, producing distinctive products reflecting the local cultural style, with high competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

The city aims to become the center for the development of design and promotion of national OCOP (One Commune, One Product) products by 2025, linking with cultural tourism and the development of cultural industries. Simultaneously, Hanoi plans to develop nine creative design centers to promote and advertise OCOP products in districts and towns.

According to Chairman Tran Sy Thanh, at the Preservation and Development Festival of Vietnamese Craft Villages 2023, Hanoi will participate in six sideline events, collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement various official activities. The goal is to promote craft village products, boost trade connections, stimulate product consumption, and develop craft village tourism in the capital and nationwide.