At the Han market located in the Da Nang centre, there are stalls that specialise in selling products taken from many famous traditional craft villages. With the advantage of beautiful designs, sophisticated shapes and long durability, those products have become agents that create more effective advertising channels to contribute to bringing ‘made in Viet Nam’ products closer to international tourists.

Products and souvenirs sourced from long-standing, famous traditional craft villages across Viet Nam are very popular with tourists. South Korean tourists are seen shopping at the Han Market. Photo: KHANH HOA

Enduring vitality

At 9:00 a.m. every day, the number of customers coming in and out at the Ngoc Lien souvenir shop in front of the downtown Han Market, stirs up an bustling trading vibe at the site. Most of them are South Korean and Japanese tourists who come to visit and shop for souvenirs such as hats, hats, bags, key chains and sandals. Occasionally, a few Indian guests, visitors from European countries, also visit the store to attentively admire the products.

In another corner of the stall, two South Korean girls couldn't take their eyes off the rows of handbags of all eye-catching colours and designs. Gently lifting a wide-brimmed hat and trying it on, seemingly satisfied, a South Korean girl named Park Ga Yeon, 22, decided to buy it. It is known that the hat is made of natural sedge, originating from Phu Vinh traditional craft village of more than 400 years in Chuong My District, nearly 40km from the Ha Noi centre. Choosing the right souvenir, foreign shoppers continued their journey to explore at the market with excitement.

Do Huy Hung, 26,  the owner of Ngoc Lien souvenir shop said that to meet the increasing tastes of tourists, he and his family members had visited many famous traditional craft villages across the country to seek after good-quality products.

Most of the products being sold at his shop originate from Phu Vinh rattan and bamboo craft village. In addition, there are also products made by the Kim Son sedge and bamboo and rattan craft village in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Since the city's tourism activities have been restored and gradually improved again from the beginning of 2022, the shop’s trade performance has been more stable with good sales. 

After four years of operating the shop, Hung now partly understands the shopping habits and psychology of various groups of customers. “These craft products are very attractive in many tourists from such Asian countries as South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and India because it is both convenient and fashionable. Young South Korean customers often like beanies and bags made from sedge with an average price of VND 50,000 - VND 300,000/product whilst Japanese ones prefer high-end products with slightly higher prices, from VND 150,000 - VND 450,000/product. Prior to buying a product, Japanese customers often carefully observe it and especially pay attention to the label and the origin. On the contrary, with their curiosity, European shoppers often ask about the characteristics of the product”,said Hung.

With nearly 40 years of experience doing business at the market, Ms. Tran Thi Kieu Tien, 60, the owner of a namesake speciality and souvenir stall located near the entrance gate to the market, said that products with high sophistication, artistry and a very long durability are often crafted by skilled artisans with careful and thorough treatment right from the selection of raw materials.

She only chooses products produced at famous traditional craft villages across the country for the reason that due to peace of mind about quality, design and stable supply.

Another traditional souvenir item that is also popular at the Han Market is Hue artistic hats. Among many handmade hat making villages in neighbouring Hue City, the Tay Ho hat craft village in Phu Ho Commune, Phu Vang District that has existed for hundreds of years has won high trust of small traders in the Han Market because of its outstanding in design, quality as well as sophistication in processing seams, shaping, and colour mixing with high artistic characteristics.

Currently, the Han Market houses nearly 20 stalls selling all kinds of products and souvenirs such as bags, bags, hats, hats, brocades, ceramics and fine art items. Over the years, stalls specialising in souvenir products originating from many famous traditional craft villages across the country have become invigorating agents contributing to promoting ‘made-in-Viet Nam’ products further.

With the advantage of Da Nang, one of the leading attractive destinations in the country, is a favourable environment to contribute to bringing handicraft products closer to domestic and foreign consumers.

Raising the bar

According to traders doing business at the Han Market, in recent years, thanks to the transformation of business lines and the careful selection of products from famous traditional craft villages across Viet Nam for sale, their stalls have witnessed a sharp hike in the purchasing power of souvenirs, so their income also jumped up accordingly.

Besides, with a clear guarantee of origin, such craft products are bought by tourists as attractive gifts for their beloved ones after Da Nang trips.

In fact, the quality and design of handicraft souvenirs on sale at the Han Market are now much improved compared to before. Many products are as competitive as those in some countries in Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia. Almost every year there are new product samples released to the market.

Besides, a fact that handicraft products are made form pure Vietnamese raw materials such as rattan, bamboo and sedge is also a plus point attractive to tourists as it has a value reminiscent of the destination. Not only that, traders also turned more aware of learning more about he Vietnamese historical values and then are always enthusiastic to introduce them to tourists near and far.

For many years, traditional handicrafts have always been listed in the group of key export products of Viet Nam and Da Nang in particular, and they have been exported to many countries and territories worldwide. Many fashion items and gifts have created a foothold in the market, successfully won the trust of both domestic and foreign tourists.

From the social aspect, sustainable development of the handicraft industry has contributed to creating jobs, developing human resources, improving artisans' living standards, building new-style rural areas, creating linkages to improve the product value chain. The enduring vitality of traditional handicraft products at the Han Market is also a clear proof of the above-mentioned statement, and at the same time, the success of a reasonable change in trading strategies here to turn this market into a ideal place for tourists.

Reporting by KHANH HOA- Translating by ANH THU