Vietnam has more than 2,000 recognized craft villages. Dao Thuc water puppetry village, Dai Ang conical hat village, Bat Trang ceramics village, Vong village, and other well-known villages play a vital role in rural economic development, generating jobs and boosting local incomes.
These villages are also repositories of history and culture. They preserve traditional values in communal houses, pagodas, cuisine, performing arts, and festivals. Their creative spaces and village settings offer a distinct architectural charm that continues to attract visitors.
That’s why Vu Tuyet Hanh, a resident of Cua Nam ward in Hanoi, often brings her children to Bat Trang. "I love bringing my children here. It allows them to experience pottery-making firsthand. They can play freely and explore their creativity," said Hanh.
But architect Tran Huy Anh says that in the process of urbanization, craft villages must strike a careful balance between heritage preservation and economic and tourism development. "If we only preserve the countryside as a stage for people to observe a village surviving urbanization, that stage will quickly disappear. The whirlwind of urbanization leaves no space untouched. Villages that urbanize too rapidly—whether craft-based or agricultural—will inevitably lose their charm and distinct identity," according to Huy Anh.
Preserving craft village spaces involves safeguarding traditional architecture while also sustaining community life and passing down craftsmanship through generations. Key solutions include developing experiential tourism to create markets for local products; protecting architectural landmarks such as communal houses, pagodas, and ancestral shrines; supporting artisans; and training younger generations to ensure continuity.
At the same time, adopting new technologies in product design and marketing can help villages adapt to modern consumer demand. Huy Anh noted that the real draw for tourists is the ecological environment, making it essential to transform craft villages into “eco-autonomous units".
"We must preserve the ecological environment rather than the village itself. Once a village suffers ecological, cultural, or community disconnection, it loses its vitality,” said Huy Anh, adding, “In the urbanization process, the most essential core—the symbol of a sustainable countryside—is the eco-autonomous unit. This will provide resilience against new challenges."
Dr. Nguyen Tat Thang, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Architecture at the Ministry of Construction, said proper zoning and planning is needed to minimize environmental impacts and improve residents’ quality of life.
"To harmonize craft village preservation with cultural conservation, regional zoning is essential. Production activities should be relocated away from residential areas into concentrated zones with adequate technical infrastructure to support the full production chain. Meanwhile, former production spaces within residential areas can be repurposed as showrooms, trade fairs, or tourist attractions," said Dr. Thang.
As urbanization accelerates, preserving the architectural spaces of craft villages can safeguard uniqueness and support the digitalization of these heritage sites—cataloging landmarks, spaces, and signature products for both domestic and international audiences.
