Experience tourism of craft villages needs good orientation, investment for further development

 Binh Duong is a province with many famous traditional handicrafts, such as wood, ceramics, lacquer painting, bamboo and rattan... Traditional craft products contain not only economic value but also cultural and artistic values that can be exploited and combined to develop interesting experience tourism activities.

Visitors experience making lacquer paintings at Dinh Hoa Lacquerware Company.

 Interesting experience for travelers

Visitors coming to Binh Duong will be amazed at the simple, rustic but unique and skillful household products made from bamboo and rattan. Thanh Loc Bamboo and Rattan Company in Khanh Hoi quarter, Tan Phuoc Khanh ward, Tan Uyen town has most of their products to be handcrafted made by local craftsmen. Products are also quite diverse in types, from vases, fruit trays, baskets, tables, chairs, decorative lights, bags, purses, hats etc.

For many years, Thanh Loc's products have not only met the needs of local people, other provinces and cities in the country but also been exported abroad. Coming here, visitors may only hand-choose, buy the products they like, but also learn, have more interesting experience of rattan production stages at this facility.

One of the professions with a long tradition and is thriving in Binh Duong today is ceramics. If visitors have an opportunity to come to Binh Duong, along Binh Duong Boulevard through Thuan An City, they may see many shops, showrooms of ceramic products. Famous ceramics companies in Binh Duong, such as Cuong Phat, Minh Long etc. have showrooms of their products to introduce and sell products. Besides, in Thu Dau Mot City still preserves an ancient kiln that is about 180 years old and was recognized as a historical and cultural monument, which is Dai Hung "lò lu" in Tuong binh Hiep ward. It also maintains production of essential living items, such as: jars, pots... by traditional craft methods. Bui Van Giang, owner of Dai Hung kiln, said that the kiln had welcomed many people, students and delegations of tourists coming here to visit, learn and experience. The most interesting thing here is that visitors may look by their own eyes an ancient pottery kiln that retains old features, and experience making products.

Truong Hoan Nguyen, Director of Dinh Hoa Lacquer Company, said that in recent years, Dinh Hoa lacquer has had promotion activities to combine lacquer painting with travel. Visitors may participate in making lacquer products according to their preferences and bring home their products. "Initially, this activity attracted many visitors, especially young people. They enjoyed making their own lacquer products to bring home as souvenirs. We are also connecting with tour operators to have more tourists. We also introduce more models and designs to customers", Mr. Truong said.

More attention is needed

One good news to traditional craft villages in Binh Duong is that Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village has received more attention by Thu Dau Mot City People's Committee through the project "Preservation and development of Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village in combination with tourism in Thu Dau Mot City". With a land fund of nearly 6 hectares to build a craft village, lacquer craftsmen of Tuong Binh Hiep will then have a spacious production and business place, ensuring environmental sanitation and remedying collapsed factories, fragmented production. Nguyen Van Quy, Vice Chairman of Provincial Lacquer and Sculpture Association, said that the craft village zone was built would not only created opportunities to connect businesses to develop together, but also created a new breakthrough, a new look for the village. Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer village will definitely rise up, contribute to enriching local cultural identity, and encourage economic development and tourism.

In addition to Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer, Binh Duong also has some other traditional crafts that have good potential for developing tourism and also need to good attention and orientation. Pham Hong Thi, Deputy Director of Provincial Tourism Promotion Center, said that in recent years, the center has implemented a number of activities to develop craft village tourism in the province. The center cooperated with mass media to promote and introduce local traditional crafts, such as ceramics, bamboo and rattan, wooden clogs, lacquer... The center also compiled a separate publication on craft village tourism.

Although there are activities to introduce handicraft products to tourists, in order for craft village tourism in the province to further develop, traditional crafts need projects similar to project of Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer. Mr. Pham said, by doing this, production facilities would be more concentrated, businesses in the development process would also have connection and mutual support, and the tourism development would become more favorable.

 Referring to the traditional craft village on ancient Binh Duong, everyone knows about Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer craft village with an age of hundreds of years. Although there were many ups and downs, with its own unique features and specialties, products of this craft village have had a certain firm position so far. Recently, some lacquer production establishments in Tuong Binh Hiep have also started to cooperate with tourism to introduce products to more people.

 Reported by Hong Thuan - Translated by Ngoc Huynh