Hanoi craft villages show off their wares

Handicrafts made from bamboo and rattan, silk, and gold by artisans from dozens of craft villages in Hanoi will be on display at a festival opening Thursday.

“Thang Long - Hanoi Craft Villages and Streets” at Bach Thao Botanical Park on Hoang Hoa Tham Street will showcase five of the most renowned Hanoi craft villages -- Bat Trang ceramic village, Kieu Ky gold plating village, Van Phuc silk village, Son Dong handicraft village, and Phu Vinh rattan village.

Hanoi’s 36 old streets and wards will be recreated at the event which will also feature the traditional handicrafts sold on Hang Non, Hang Dong, Hang Ma, Lan Ong, and Hang Quat Streets.

More than 100 old photos of craft villages and streets and record works created by Hanoian artisans will be on display.

There will be nearly 200 booths showcasing wood, bamboo and rattan, silk, and gold works, cast statues, folk paintings, and traditional Vietnamese hats made in 50 cities and provinces.

The festival from September 16 to 21, organized by the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Agriculture and Rural Development, the city people’s committee, the Vietnam Association of Craft Villages, and the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters’ Association, will mark the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Thang Long – Hanoi next month.

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Festival shows off Vietnam’s ceramics tradition

Minh Long 1 Co's ceramics showcase at its showroom in southern Binh Duong Province during the event

Photo: Minh Phat

Artisans from 19 craft villages and 50 businesses are taking part in the country’s first ceramics festival being held in the southern Binh Duong Province from September 2 to 9.

Vietnam Ceramics - Tradition, Identity and Development, held to mark National Day, September 2, will honor traditional handicrafts, especially ceramics, whose history dates back thousands of years. Vietnam is considered one of the cradles of world ceramic culture.

Businesses and individuals will have a chance to showcase their products at the festival which is also expected to boost tourism in the province by highlighting its cultural aspects.

Other handicrafts like lacquer works, wood sculpture, and glass drawing done in traditional craft villages in Binh Duong and other provinces will also be on show.

Visitors can watch artisans at work and take part in workshops where they can learn to make their own handicrafts.

There will be a seminar at which authorities, craftsmen, and others will assess the global status of Vietnamese ceramics and discuss measures to promote handicrafts at home and abroad.

An international ceramics exhibition will showcase the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and other ASEAN members.

There will be impressive pieces nominated for Vietnamese records in categories like the biggest, most difficult shape to make, and the most beautiful pattern.

A food court will dish out popular dishes and specialties of Binh Duong and other southeastern provinces.

Music shows will be held every night, with a show titled Thang Long-Vietnamese Ceramics on September 4 expected to be the highlight with fireworks and other spectacles.

There will be an exhibition of ancient ceramic collections, a ceramics show, and a tour of Binh Duong’s ceramic craft villages.

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