Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – The central province of Thua Thien-Hue willbranch out its traditional handicrafts and craft villages in a manner thatharmonises economic development and building new-style rural areas.

Under the province’s planning to develop traditional handicrafts and craftvillages until 2020 with a vision towards 2025, due attention will be paid tothe restoration of several craft villages like Thanh Tien village that makes paperflowers and Pho Trach mattress-making village, traditional Ao Dai tailoring andlacquer, among others.

Further efforts will be made to protect Zeng weaving of Ta Oi ethnic minorityin Nam Dong and A Luoi districts, which was recognised as a national intangiblecultural heritage in 2017.

According to Vice Director of the provincial Department of Industry and TradeNguyen Luong Bay, the province will develop traditional handicrafts and craftvillages in tandem with local socio-economic development, promote rural economytowards service-industry-agriculture, preserve cultural values, and increaseproducts’ value in couple with tourism service development.

It will support the craft villages to apply advanced technology into productionto improve products’ quality, as well as develop potential villages which havecompetitive edge and are able to generate jobs for local residents.

Thua Thien-Hue is currently home to 86 craft villages that focus on 57traditional handicrafts. The villages have helped increase locals’ income whilepushing the rural economic structure shifting towards industrialisation andmodernisation. -VNA