Pioneering technology innovation

Located in Khuc Toai, a long-standing woodcraft village in Kinh Bac ward, Khuc Xuyen Fine Woodwork Cooperative has 15 member households and serves as a distribution hub for many producers of wooden paintings, staircase railings, tables, cabinets and traditional wooden beds in the area.

Phu Lang Ceramic Service and Tourism Cooperative links households to jointly develop village tourism.

With a desire to both preserve craftsmanship essence and diversify wood products to meet market demand, the cooperative actively seeks and applies new technologies to improve productivity and product quality.

Nguyen Van Hung, an artisan and one of the cooperative’s founders, renowned as the “father” of the unique wood mosaic painting line, shared: “As the economy develops and trade demand grows, all production facilities, whether specialising in fine woodwork or household wood furniture, need machinery to replace manual labour. We encourage households to use machinery suited to each production stage such as saws, planers, milling machines, sanders, drills, hydraulic presses, and high-tech computer-controlled wood cutting machines. This helps better meet market demand and increase revenue.”

Nguyen Thanh Trung, a cooperative member, said joining the cooperative has enabled him to learn from other wood producers inside and outside the province.

“We installed a computer-controlled wood cutting system with high precision, significantly reducing production time. For instance, investing in a wood engraving machine with 4-6 heads allows engraving of 4-6 identical paintings simultaneously at continuous speeds, facilitating consistent carving of surfaces, letters, details and decorative patterns across various wood materials,” he explained.

Besides supporting and orienting members and craft households in choosing appropriate technologies and equipment, Khuc Xuyen Fine Woodwork Cooperative also acts as a focal point to build collective branding to enhance the reputation and expand the recognition of traditional products.

In 2024, the “Khuc Xuyen Fine Woodwork” collective trademark was granted to the cooperative. Twenty outstanding production households were awarded certificates for the right to use this trademark, facilitating product promotion.

Diversifying services to boost tourism

Phu Lang ceramic village in Phu Lang commune has around 250 ceramic-producing households, creating jobs for 500-600 workers. Despite growing renown, most households still operate manually and have not integrated tourism into their craft, lacking infrastructure for visitor experiences. Some workshops only operate on weekends or holidays, without regular activity.

In early 2024, Phu Lang Ceramic Service and Tourism Cooperative was established with 15 members, opening opportunities to develop tourism, promote ceramic products, and increase economic efficiency.

Nguyen Minh Ngoc, Director of the cooperative, said: “We realise developing craft village tourism not only brings profits and increases incomes for locals but also preserves and protects Phu Lang’s traditional cultural values. Therefore, our action plan is to gather households, develop production and service options based on voluntary cooperation aligned with market needs.”

Expressing her aspirations, Dang Thi Tam, owner of Minh Tam Ceramic, affirmed: “Participating in the cooperative gives our facilities clearer direction for developing service segments. Currently, my family and several households are contributing capital to build the Vietnam Cultural Preservation Centre – Phu Lang Traditional Ceramic Village. This is the village’s first model combining with businesses and travel agencies to organise experiential tourism tours. The centre will feature product exhibitions and pottery-making experiences to attract visitors.”

It is evident that most cooperatives and businesses born from craft villages are playing a crucial role in expanding production links, promoting the beauty of traditional crafts, and transferring technical knowledge and skills to future generations. Many cooperatives act as focal points for science and technology transfer and vocational training, ensuring traditional crafts are preserved and innovated.

These cooperatives seek supportive policies to facilitate investment in technology, access to capital, workforce training, production premises, and trade promotion. This will strengthen cooperative capacity and create favourable conditions towards sustainable development for craft villages.

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