A 2023 rural industrial product exhibition - photo: Van Doc

Vu Hy Thieu, a member of the national council of judges for selection of outstanding rural industrial products in 2023, who has had many years of experience in outstanding rural industrial products honoring, said the number of products participating in the selection remained modest. There are more than 2,000 craft villages throughout Vietnam with numerous handicraft production facilities, while the number of establishments sending candidates to the selection is small, he said. Although they have been developing strongly, many industries such as ceramics, lacquerware and wooden furniture have sent very few candidates to the selection, Thieu said.

Some of the product candidates do not surpass conventional goods of the same kind on the market in terms of quality, and the number of products with new designs remains limited.

To improve the situation and enhance the quality of outstanding rural industrial products honoring activities, it is necessary to strengthen the design capacity of production facilities. To achieve this, there should be sufficient support from government agencies, focusing on encouraging the formation of design groups, organizing design consultancy activities, and promoting participation in product competitions.

Furthermore, the use of alternative materials and the combination of different materials will create new forms, enhance the beauty and quality of the products, while it is necessary to facilitate collaborations with other facilities for production organization.

Thieu pointed out that a major challenge for handicraft production facilities is the lack of market information. Therefore, functional agencies need to increase market promotion activities, create opportunities for production facilities to reach customers, and provide regulations on products in the target market. In addition, production facilities need guidance on the application of new technologies to production, and there should be opportunities for exchanging experience among different facilities.