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My hometown is a small village in Gia Lam district, on the outskirts of Hanoi. For generations, people have only grown rice, so they are basically poor. But just one field away are two villages famous for their wealth. The fundamental difference is that they are two famous craft villages: Kieu Ky gold and silver plating village and Bat Trang pottery village.
I have passed through Kieu Ky village many times and have understood why, through so many ups and downs, Kieu Ky villagers still keep their profession: It is a history - culture that is passed down from generation to generation. According to the stories of the elders in the village, in the past, the elders did not pass on the profession to their daughters, only to their daughters-in-law and only each family knew about it. Each family has its own secret technique, which they keep secret. In Kieu Ky, the next generations who want to pass on the profession must perform a ceremony to pray to the ancestors and make an oath "no one is allowed to pass it on to the outside". That is the unique feature that helps Kieu Ky craft village preserve and maintain the quintessence of the unique gold leaf craft in Vietnam.
That is not enough, to follow the profession, one must have patience, love for the profession and skillful hands to be raised to the level of an artisan. I have witnessed workers sitting under a mosquito net in the hot and humid noon to do the work of stamping gold. They have to sit under a net to avoid the wind, the stamped gold leaf is so thin that just a light breeze can make it fly away. Goldsmiths in Kieu Ky village can stamp a thin tael of gold into nearly 1,000 gold leaves, equivalent to an area of more than 1 square meter. Not everyone can do this, they must be strong, healthy men with a lot of experience to stamp gold continuously for about an hour with high concentration, otherwise the gold leaf will be uneven, crushed or may hit the hand. Nowadays, even with advanced machinery, the hands of the workers still cannot be replaced.
In 2021, the gold and silver plating profession of Kieu Ky village was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, which brought pride to the villagers but did not mean that the profession was honored, making the rich people without pressure. The first pressure is to compete with imported goods due to the use of modern technology and equipment, so the cost is reduced. But the greater pressure is that a part of the young workforce no longer wants to follow the profession. The artisans in the village have tried very hard to pass on the quintessence of the profession, but modern life with new professions is more attractive to the younger generation.
That is not the story of Kieu Ky alone. Hanoi is one of the localities with the most craft villages and villages with the most crafts in the country. According to a statistic a few years ago, Hanoi had 1,350 craft villages, 544 of which have fallen into decline and 806 are still in operation. Last year, Hanoi released a list of 29 craft villages that had fallen into decline and needed to be reviewed and proposed to be removed from the list of recognized titles of "craft villages, traditional craft villages". Among these are also some famous craft villages in the past such as: Cotton raking village in Xuan La hammock village, Phuong Duc commune; hammock weaving village in Thao Noi hammock village, Son Ha commune; Kim Long Thuong carpentry and mechanics village, Hoang Long commune in Phu Xuyen district; Nhue ancient sewing village in Bac Tu Liem; Me Tri traditional green rice village in Nam Tu Liem... The removal of these craft villages from the list of titles of "craft villages, traditional craft villages" is largely due to the failure to solve the problem of environmental pollution during the production process. The remaining reason is that the proportion of people and households in the craft village still following the profession is too small.
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In early October this year, at the launching ceremony of the 2024 Vietnam Handicraft Product Competition, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development - Le Duc Thinh informed: Vietnam is one of the few countries with a large number of craft villages, especially traditional craft villages. Rural areas across the country have 5,400 craft villages; about 2,212 villages are recognized as craft villages; nearly 400 traditional craft villages. Of the total of nearly 60% of the population living in rural areas, we have 3 million workers in craft villages, generating a total revenue of about 400,000 billion VND per year. Handicraft products and craft villages alone also generate an export value of about 3 - 4 billion USD per year.
The value of craft villages is not only an economic story but also contains many cultural, material and spiritual values.
In July 2022, the Prime Minister approved the "Program for preserving and developing Vietnamese craft villages for the period 2021 - 2030", which affirmed the viewpoint: Preserving and developing craft villages plays an important role in promoting economic restructuring, rural labor, creating jobs and improving people's lives; protecting and preserving the landscape and space of craft villages, accelerating the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, and building new rural areas.
Preserving the cultural values of craft villages in association with developing the tourism economy to preserve and promote the traditional cultural identity of different ethnic groups, regions, and localities. Arousing the potential, advantages, and traditional values bearing the imprint and brand of the locality and the nation through developing products of craft villages, especially products of traditional craft villages and sophisticated handicrafts associated with conferring, honoring, and developing a team of artisans, skilled workers, and laborers in localities, craft villages, and traditional craft villages.
Developing craft villages in association with the market and international economic integration, promoting exports, in line with the strategy and orientation of sustainable socio-economic development, green growth, developing a closed-loop production model to save raw materials, protect the environment and adapt to climate change; applying digital technology in managing, promoting and promoting trade of craft village products.
The goal is to restore and preserve at least 56 traditional occupations and 85 traditional craft villages at risk of being lost by 2025; Recognizing 116 new occupations and 40 traditional craft villages; Developing 181 craft villages associated with tourism; Over 70% of craft villages and traditional craft villages operating effectively; 80% of workers in craft villages are trained, retrained, and trained to improve their vocational skills, occupational safety and hygiene skills, and basic information technology knowledge; The average income of workers increases at least 1.5 times compared to 2020.
By 2030, at least 129 traditional occupations and 208 traditional craft villages at risk of being lost will be restored and preserved; 213 new occupations and 96 traditional craft villages will be recognized; about 301 craft villages will be developed in association with tourism; Over 80% of craft villages and traditional craft villages will operate effectively; 100% of workers in craft villages will be trained, retrained, and trained to improve their vocational skills, occupational safety and hygiene skills, and basic information technology knowledge.
This is not an easy goal because one of the most serious problems facing craft villages today is the shortage of young workers. In the past, craft villages were often places where many generations of craftsmen gathered, passing on skills from father to son. However, with the development of society and job opportunities in urban areas, many young people today do not want to continue to stick with traditional crafts. They tend to migrate to big cities to find more stable jobs and higher incomes, leading to a "labor drain" in many craft villages. Workers in craft villages still largely rely on traditional skills and there is little improvement in technology or new techniques. The lack of access to vocational education and specialized training has reduced the productivity and competitiveness of craft village products in the market. Many traditional products have difficulty competing in quality and design compared to industrially produced goods, leading to a decline in revenue.
Workers in craft villages often have to work in difficult conditions, without adequate labor protection or social insurance policies. Workers often have to work in polluted environments, with dusty, toxic air (such as in craft villages producing pottery, rattan and bamboo). This seriously affects the health of workers, reducing their life expectancy and work efficiency.
Although jobs in craft villages have high cultural value, workers’ incomes are often unstable and quite low. Many craft villages have difficulty finding outlets for their products, especially in the context of fierce competition with cheap industrial products. Finally, a major challenge facing craft villages is the change in market approach and digital transformation. With the development of e-commerce and technology, many industries need to apply new marketing, sales and production management methods. However, many craft villages still do not have enough capacity to transform and apply technology to production and business.
The solution to the problem of ensuring the workforce in craft villages needs to be: The Government and organizations need to support vocational training for craft village workers, providing new skills and improving techniques to improve productivity and product quality.
Policies to support social insurance, labor protection and improve working conditions need to be implemented more strongly to protect the health and rights of workers.
In particular, creating more attractive job opportunities and better treatment to attract young workers to return to work in craft villages. At the same time, there should be policies to encourage young people to inherit and develop their family's traditional occupations. At the same time, promoting craft village products through e-commerce channels and international fairs, helping craft village products reach a wider market.
That is the way for the village to keep the profession - the people have the profession.
