Under the theme “Thousand-year Quintessence,” the Hà Nội Craft and Fine Art Products Week 2010 will take place on August 4-9 to highlight traditional culture of local craft villages.

The northern province of Bac Ninh is compiling a record of the making of Dong Ho folk woodcut painting to submit it to the UNESCO for its recognition.

The Hue traditional enamelling industry has a great potential to develop. Its recovery would help restore royal relics and develop local fine arts and tourism.

Vietnam still hopes handicraft exports will pass the $1 billion mark in 2010 despite the downturn.

Vietnamese handicrafts should focus on their uniqueness to be competitive in the lucrative Japanese market since they are up against low-priced Chinese rivals with whom they cannot compete on cost, a Japanese consultant said.

With a dearth of traditional toys for children Nguyen Thi Huong, director of the Centre for Research and Support for Vietnamese Children (Cenforchil), says they play with imported alternatives. Huong and her staff at Cenforchil plan to establish Viet Nam’s first toy museum by early 2012 in Ha Noi.

The conical hat is a symbol of Vietnamese women that is worn everywhere throughout the nation.

Renowned as one of the biggest producers of traditional Vietnamese ceramics in the Mekong Delta, Vinh Long Province boasts more than 1,330 family-run pottery businesses.

Just across the river from Hoi An, a pair of dedicated carpenters are revitalising their traditional trade.