Many solutions to support the development of handicraft villages

 Binh Duong has many well-known handicraft villages of ceramics, lacquer, weaving, carving... Handicraft villages is an important factor, contributing to the restructuring of labor structure, agricultural and rural economic structures in localities. However, due to various causes, some handicraft villages are dying out.

Lacquer village in Tuong Binh Hiep is benefiting from conservation policies of the province.

 The real situation

These long-standing handicraft villages in the province are associated with local characteristics. However, in development trend of the market mechanism, many handicraft villages cannot keep up, are gradually losing their market share and consumers. Thus craft businesses open merely for the owner's passion and for keeping the tradition of their father, do not take account of expanding their business scale or improving products to keep pace with consumers' needs. On the other hand, the business scale shrinkage of handicraft villages is because of the low income, thus craft business is no longer the choice of majority people under working age in rural areas.

Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer village was recognized by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national cultural heritage. According to statistics, in 2001 this craft village had nearly 2,000 engaged households with nearly 4,000 laborers. Currently, there are only a few dozen business establishments of lacquer products, mainly creating jobs for underemployed workers, local elderly. Truong Quan Tinh said: "I've been doing this trade for tens of years. Lacquer has helped my family have a stable life. But now I notice that the young generation is no longer passionate about this trade. Because it requires great effort but gain low income. I myself am still trying to maintain the craft of my father".

In addition, due to market impacts, changes of consumer taste, urban planning, expansion of industrial zones, traditional craft villages in Binh Duong are downsizing. For example, a traditional bamboo rattan craft village in Lac An commune (North Tan Uyen District), during its flourishing period, had more than 50 business households, but now has only about 10 households. Thuan An City do the urban planning and development, moved polluting trades out of residential areas, thus traditional crafts, like ceramics, piggy bank production are also shrinking...

In addition, craft production is still self-sustaining, dispersing, lacks sustainability, has small production scale, mainly households. The investment, improvement and application of new technologies are also limited, product quality and aesthetics is still low, and low competitiveness compared with industrial items.

In need of preservation and development

According to Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province has 47 kinds of rural trades divided into 7 groups. Products of famous traditional craft villages, such as: Ceramic, lacquer, carving, knitting... are not only consumed domestically but also exported to many countries in the world. At the moment, some efficient traditional craft villages in Binh Duong are Tuong Binh Hiep lacquer, Tan Phuoc Khanh ceramics, wood sculpturing-carving An Thanh, Phu Tho, Lai Thieu piggy banks...

In order to preserve and develop craft villages, the province has implemented specific solutions such as building a stable raw material area. Accordingly, for raw materials which are agricultural products, because land area for raw material production is narrowing, it is necessary to enhance the application of modern technology to increase the productivity of raw material production. Craft villages need to sign contracts with partners with specific and clear binding terms to build up a stable raw material area in terms of quantity and price.

Craft villages needs to balance economic development with new rural construction on the basis of promoting, preserving national cultural identity and protecting the ecological environment; accelerate in-depth investment to increase competitiveness, diversify products and apply new technologies; combine traditional techniques with advanced technologies to create traditional, sophisticated, modern products. In addition to the preservation, it is important to concentrate on restoration, development of crafts and villages that have potential and competitive advantages of raw materials, skills, production techniques, have the ability to compete on the market, attract many workers to contribute to actively create jobs for local laborers.

The development of tourism tied to traditional craft villages contributes to the preservation and development of traditional craft villages in a sustainable manner. This is the right decision that will not only expand the market, open up many opportunities to facilitate the development of traditional craft products, but also preserve and uphold traditional cultural values in each craft village of Binh Duong.

Reported by Thoai Phuong – Translated by Ngoc Huynh