President Vo Van Thuong receives skilled craft artisans in Hanoi on November 9, 2023 (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at a meeting with 100 outstanding artisans in Hanoi on Thursday, the President said handicraft is one of the cultural industries that needs to be prioritized for further development.

President Thuong said: “The cultural and artistic content and unique identity are the decisive factors for handicraft products which need to be beautiful, sophisticated, durable, usable and valuable. Each product tells an emotional story about life. We need to brand products with beautiful stories. I hope that the artisans will make culture the core, the soul of their products.”

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam has more than 2,000 traditional craft villages with more than 2,100 skilled artisans. Last year Vietnam earned more than 3.3 billion USD from the export of handicrafts.