New features of OVOP exhibition and Vietnam Local Specialities Fair

Introducing essence of craft villages

HPA Deputy Director, Nguyen Mai Anh, said that it is the first time that the HPA and the Vietcraft have worked together to organise the two events, which will take place at the same time in the same place, in order to promote specialties from across Vietnam’s regions and foster trade links between providers and distributors.

More importantly, the two events also seek to highlight the rich potential of traditional craft villages in Vietnam and in Hanoi in particular.

According to Deputy Director Mai Anh, Hanoi’s craft villages have strong potential, which can be seen through the qualified skills of the craftsmen and the number of craft villages. There is no other locality in Vietnam that has more than 1,300 craft villages but Hanoi. Many of Hanoi’s craft villages have even received orders from globally acclaimed brands such as Hermes and Bvlgari, among others.

Combs made from buffalo horns, a typical product of Thuy Ung village

The fair will feature around 300 booths by 200 Vietnamese firms and businesses from six foreign countries. Meanwhile, the exhibition will draw the participation of approximately 100 booths by over 20 selected craft villages from Hanoi.

The installation of booths at the events received much attention from the craft villagers. Craftsmen in Phu Vinh village, Chuong My district, set up a “Cloud’ house, which has been created from thousands of bamboo and rattan baskets.

In the booths of such villages as Ninh So, Phu Tuc, and Chuong, which are famous for the craft of knitting, there will be rattan products in the shapes of shrimps, crabs, fish, and mushrooms, as well as 600 conical hats.

The pottery villages of Bat Trang and Kim Lan will also display 100 ceramic lamps at their booths, while the Thuy Ung villagers will showcase their products made from bamboo horns, on a five-metre tall bamboo house.

Not only introducing their villages’ signature products, the craftsmen will also demonstrate some of the products’ manufacturing process to visitors at the events.

Apart from the host Hanoi, many localities have also made sound investment in the installation of their booths, such as Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Ha Giang province.

Vice Chairman of Vietcraft, Le Ba Ngoc, said that Hanoi is striving to become the leading locality nationwide in the ‘One Village One Product’ movement.

Multicolour lacquer vases made by craftsmen from Ha Thai village

Promoting trade links between Hanoi and other localities

In addition to the two events, the HPA and Vietcraft will co-host the 2018 conference on connecting the supply and demand between Hanoi and other cities and provinces nationwide on November 21.

The conference aims to create a platform for producers, businesses and distributors from Hanoi and other cities and provinces nationwide to meet, share experience, and update market information, while discussing ways to foster production and develop distribution systems in order to meet the increasing demand of domestic customers and expand export activities.

In addition, the event is designed to realise the cooperative agreements between Hanoi and other cities and provinces nationwide in such fields as trade and agriculture, and collect data on the cooperation situation between the capital city and other localities.

The conference is also among a series of activities in response to the ‘Vietnamese people give priority to using Vietnamese goods’ campaign.

The event will be arranged into different areas for conferences, exhibitions of products, and a meeting venue for businesses, providers, and distributors to seek trade deals and sign agreements.

According to HPA Deputy Director, Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, after six editions of the OVOP exhibition, the HPA has received requests from many big distribution systems, such as Big C and Aeon, to work with them in promotional events which have contributed to improving people’s consumption habits, supporting producers, and facilitating the exports of Vietnam’s specialties and clean agricultural products.

(http://en.nhandan.com.vn/)