Tourism linked to traditional handicraft villages in Binh Duong Province has great development potential and holds significant role in strategic development of tourism in Binh Duong Province; however, to create high effects of traditional handicraft villages, support from all sides should be necessary. Investment to human resources and infra-construction For the time, development effectiveness of traditional handicraft villages was low, especially in the context of combining with tourism development. One of the conditions for them to show their effectiveness is to train human resources and invest into infra-construction. Tourists visit an orchard in An Son Commune of Thuan An Town. Photo by Binh Minh However, in the reality, the drawbacks remained unsolved. Majority of traditional handicraft villages in the locality, infra-construction hinged their development while unprofessional style of tourism staffs was disturbing the services. Surveys showed that ecology and traditional handicraft villages were limited to their potentials which should only be released by good supporting policies including investment into infra-constructions and environment pollution treatments. Handicraft products and traditional handicraft villages linked to tourism development have been prioritized to be offered with funding for HR training and encouragement of local craftsmen. Concurrently, investment should be made for preservation and developing traditional handicraft villages. Handicraft villages should be supported with funds and fairs to sell out their products. As those necessary steps are taken, breakthroughs of new rural area construction shall be effective. Ph.D., Dr. Phitak Siriwong said: “The products from handicraft villages shall be refined to attract more tourists which in turn helps the village to restore and develop.” To intensify broadcasting and construction of combined tours and route Aside from tourism aspects including culture, festival, site touring, handicraft villages in Binh Duong Province have gradually known by visitors. However, to promote such potentials, it is necessary that more broadcast should be expanded. For the past time, provincial tourism sector has made some active notions for simulating the growth by festival organization and documentary film making to introduce products and tourism of the province. Workshop on “Handicraft villages and development – Binh Duong experience” is considered as practical to promote tourism potentials of traditional handicraft villages in Binh Duong. Photo by B. Minh Vietnamese Pottery Festival 2010 was firstly held in Binh Duong Province. Farm trips were endorsed to collect feedbacks of visitors. Movies and films have been made to broadcast images of Binh Duong including the handicraft villages. Exhibitions and fairs have been organized to introduce products from handicraft villages. For the time to come, provincial tourism sector shall coordinate with tourist companies in the province to organize surveys and idea collection regarding tours to traditional handicraft villages. At recent workshop on “Handicraft villages and development – Binh Duong experience”, Dr. Ong Sen Huat, an expert in tourism management of Malaya University from Malaysia highly evaluated the efforts of local tourism sector in restoring traditional handicraft villages. He added that image broadcasting holds vital role in developing tourism linked to traditional handicraft villages. First thing first, he called for reasonable investment into the most trivial aspect of website, product introduction, and so on. Reported by Binh Minh – Trung Nam – Translated by Vi Bao