International Craft Village Festival 2025 to be held at Thang Long Imperial Citadel

The 2025 International Craft Village Conservation and Development Festival aims to preserve and promote the nation's identity and traditional cultural values. The event will honor artisans, skilled workers, and laborers in craft villages, fostering pride among them and cultivating an awareness for the preservation and development of these villages. It also seeks to promote and introduce Hanoi's craft products to an international audience.

Additionally, the festival will provide a platform for exchange and learning among domestic and international artisans, aiming to build long-term cooperation in the fine arts and handicrafts sector, expand markets, and enhance the commercial value and competitiveness of products.

With over 1,350 craft villages (including villages with traditional crafts), Hanoi has the highest concentration of craft villages in Vietnam. These villages are not only heritage sites but also a crucial socio-economic pillar for the city. Their total annual production value is estimated at over 20 trillion VND, creating livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people and contributing to the development of new-style rural areas and civilized urban areas.

The 2025 International Craft Village Conservation and Development Festival will convene representatives from over 30 countries and territories, alongside thousands of domestic and international artisans, experts, and creators. Over its five-day run, the Festival will transform into an international cultural forum, a venue for borderless connection, inspiration, and creativity. It will bring together master artisans, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers specializing in the conservation, development, and economics of craft villages. The event is expected to draw significant attention from international organizations, diplomatic missions, embassies, as well as a large number of entrepreneurs, scholars, collectors, art enthusiasts, and the global public.

The festival will span over 4,000 square meters, divided into several functional areas: an Honoring Space, a Heritage & Conservation Space, a Thematic Exhibition Space, and an International Artisan and Artist Exchange Space.

Concurrently, a series of academic and investment promotion activities will take place. These include the international conference "Conserving and Developing Craft Villages in the Green and Digital Era," the Trade Promotion & Craft Village Investment Conference, the Vietnam Handicraft Product Competition, and the Hanoi Craft Village and Safe Agri-Food Fair.

The festival transcends a mere cultural event; it is a large-scale opportunity for trade promotion and international cooperation, specifically designed to market Vietnam's signature craft village products to the global market. The gathering is set to create an effective networking environment, successfully linking artisans, businesses, investors, design experts, and international clients, thereby contributing to the formation of a comprehensive craft village creative ecosystem. As part of the program, the World Crafts Council (WCC) will conduct an assessment and consider recognizing two of Hanoi's exemplary craft villages - Son Dong (lacquer art sculpture) and Chuyen My (mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer). as official WCC members. This achievement will follow in the footsteps of Bat Trang ceramics and Van Phuc silk, two villages already listed in the World's Creative Craft Cities Network. This step is a significant advancement that affirms Hanoi's position as a leading creative craft center in the Asia-Pacific region.

The festival's experience zone covers an area of over 4,000 square meters and is organized into several functional spaces. This includes a Honoring Zone dedicated to showcasing craft villages that have achieved international and regional standards, and a Heritage & Preservation Zone where unique craft villages such as Yen Thai do paper, La Khe the weaving, Kim Hoang painting, Dinh Cong silver inlay, and Duong Noi kites will be displayed, alongside other representative craft villages from across Vietnam. Additionally, there is a Thematic Exhibition Zone that will focus on craft village tourism, green economy, Net-Zero, and digital transformation. An International Artisan-Artist Exchange Zone will also be featured, providing a space where folk arts blend with music, performances, and unique OCOP culinary experiences from various regions.

A robust schedule of academic and investment promotion activities will run throughout the event. Key events include the international workshop "Preservation and Development of Craft Villages in the Green and Digital Era," a conference on trade and investment promotion for craft villages, the Vietnam Fine Crafts Product Competition, and a trade fair for Hanoi's craft villages and safe food products. Ultimately, the 2025 International Craft Village Preservation and Development Festival stands as a powerful symbol of identity, creativity, and integration, affirming Vietnam's pioneering role in preserving and promoting the value of global human craft heritage. The event will help establish Hanoi as a hub for connecting the world's craft excellence, successfully spreading the core message: "From Heritage to Creativity - From the Artisan's Hand to Humanity's Future."