Binh Duong currently has over 30 traditional craft villages, including many occupational groups. This is an advantage for the province in the direction of economic development in general and tourism in particular.
Business ways need changing
The survey on "Development of ecotourism and traditional craft villages in Binh Duong Province" conducted by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City showed that Binh Duong has many changes. Specifically, the number of small business owners increased from 25% to 60.9%, business owners decreased from 25% to 16.7%. According to Master Nguyen Thi Thanh Tung, the craft village in Binh Duong is being produced in many different directions, most of which are by order (33.3%), followed by propagation (25%), according to the tastes of customers (25%), and the few according to the creative workmanship (8.3%). This shows that most handicraft products of the craft villages in Binh Duong have not followed the tastes and real needs of customers. The production bases mainly follow the "know what to do, what to sell" approach that can not overcome the appearance of traditional handicrafts.
Craftmen believe that tourism development is necessary for preservation of traditional craft villages. In this photo: Visitors have a look on lacquer production process of an establishment at Dinh Hoa Ward in Thu Dau Mot City. Photo: Hoang Pham
Meanwhile, Vuong Sieu Tin, Director of Phuoc Du Long Company in Tan Uyen Town, said that the distribution of traditional villages is happening very fast. The good news is that more than 50% of traditional manufacturing establishments in Binh Duong have bravely applied science and technology, using machinery and equipment in some production and business stages while increasing labor productivity and product quality. Establishments and enterprises that have boldly changed have sought stable export market.
At present, the market of traditional craft villages of Binh Duong is quite diversified without concentration and orientation; of which, most of the products are consumed locally with 25% in other provinces and 12.2% for exportation. Explaining the fluctuation of the market of traditional crafts, many artisans in the province said that the cause was consumer tastes dramatically changed along with the severe competition with the product. Therefore, in order to stand on the market, there must be a big change before traditional villages join hands with the tourism industry to develop together.
Integration into tourism activities
Tu Bon, a lacquer artisan, shared his opinion that the golden age of Binh Duong lacquer industry has been over for decades. Previously, Thanh Le Company concentrated many skilled artisans, assigning each stage of lacquer production to families, establishments. The company plays the role of "leader" in market researches, production planning (quantity) and distribution of orders to small establishments. Tu Bon said that the matter of gathering villages to mobilize all potential and development orientation was very necessary. The main concern is to learn and explore new trends and consumer tastes that have changed over the past decade. Besides, in order to revive traditional trade villages, the tourism industry should play a bigger role.
Provincial People's Committee has orientated the development of 9 rural occupations, divided into traditional craft groups which need preserving and developing to prevent lost. The provincial People's Committee has also approved 12 programs and projects to prioritize the development of a number of craft villages in the coming time including the project to build a center for the preservation and development of rural trades in Binh Duong. The program links rural trades with the tourism industry and builds tours associated with traditional craft village attractions along with project on building a village of rattan and bamboo villages in Phu An - An Dien (Ben Cat town), project to preserve traditional ceramics production in Hung Dinh (Thuan An town), and the project of preserving the development of traditional sculpture carving in Phu Tho - Chanh Nghia (Thu Dau Mot City).
According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, associated development of craft villages with tourism is considered one of the major advantages of Binh Duong. Accordingly, products of handicraft villages will have access to many domestic and foreign tourists, solving employment and increasing incomes for local laborers, thereby contributing to stable development of craft villages.
Tourism of craft villages in Binh Duong has great potentials for development and plays an important role in the tourism development strategy of Binh Duong province to 2020 with a vision to 2030. Therefore, the investment, exploitation and distribution of specific tourism products of Binh Duong should be deployed in the earliest time. Currently, in addition to the traditional villages, which are typical of ceramic village in Lai Thieu (Tan Thuan Town), Tan Phuoc Khanh (Tan Uyen), lacquer, sculpture in Thu Dau Mot; the development of ecotourism, weekend resort tours, cultural and historical relics in the province should be boosted.
Reported by Xuan Vi – Translated by Vi Bao
