The Role of Craft Villages in Tourism Activities

1.2.2.The role of craft villages in tourism activities

Currently, our country has over 2,790 craft villages, including 400 traditional craft villages with 53 craft groups. Craft villages play an important role in developing cultural tourism, introducing to the people of the country and international friends the cultural characteristics, customs and practices of each ethnic group, each craft village, enriching tourism products.

* Traditional craft villages - a cultural tourism resource:

With the beauty of many natural tourism resources as well as historical and cultural relics, Thai Nguyen is becoming one of the attractive tourist destinations of the Northern mountainous region. Up to now, there are 157 craft villages in the whole Thai Nguyen province. The industries have been expanded and diversified much more than before (making tea, longan, lychee, banh chung, producing vermicelli, cakes, tofu, rock sugar, mulberry silk, vermicelli, wine making, growing flowers, clean vegetables, sewing, embroidery, brocade weaving, wooden furniture, rattan and bamboo weaving, palm blinds, production of construction materials...). When talking about Vietnamese tea craft villages, people immediately think of Thai Nguyen tea. If the Chinese are proud of having famous tea regions in Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, Long Tinh... then the Vietnamese are proud of having tea regions in Lam Dong, Yen Bai, Phu Tho... but the most delicious and famous is still Thai Nguyen tea. Thai Nguyen land not only has the potential for industrial economic development but also has conditions for tea trees to develop and become a typical product of the homeland with the second largest tea area and output in the country (17,660 hectares) [5, pp. 16, 17]. Since 2008, the Thai Nguyen tea brand has been certified by the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) with the name "Thai Tea". Thai tea is famous for its fragrant, delicious, clean, safe quality, with a characteristic flavor and aroma, astringent green tea water, rich sweet aftertaste... considered a convergence of "earthly scent, heavenly honey" [5, p. 15].

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Thai tea traditional craft villages are attractive to tourists because the products always contain cultural and artistic values emanating from the perception of the lifestyle and heritage of the people. All of those values are contained in the products.

Craft village products as an indispensable tourism resource have special charm, are a humanistic tourism resource.

* Traditional craft villages - Tourist destinations

Craft village tourism development is always based on exploiting traditional cultural values, vocational skills expressed in craft village products, closely linked to the lifestyle and activities of local people and typical landscapes of the countryside. Craft village tourism, although newly developed in our country, has attracted the attention and admiration of tourists, especially international tourists. Thai Nguyen is no exception to that trend, so traditional tea villages in Thai Nguyen have become tourist destinations for domestic and international tourists. Many of the communes in Thai Nguyen tea craft villages have truly met the needs of tourists for sightseeing, shopping, research, expanding awareness of life, and learning about the cultural identity of the nation through local tea festivals.

* Handicraft products of craft villages - Souvenirs for tourists

Handicraft products of craft villages are not only products with high commercial value, bringing high economic efficiency from exporting to foreign markets, but also suitable for the needs of customers in domestic markets. Handicraft products are the crystallization of the combined values of aesthetics, the art of designing and manufacturing techniques that have been passed down, created and accumulated from generation to generation. Handicraft products of craft villages - souvenirs sold at local kiosks, at stalls in hotels or booths in cities are also considered as a means of advertising and promoting tourism, creating attraction and attracting tourists to craft villages. Therefore, it has created a unique attraction for tourists, urging them to witness, learn and study the production methods in craft villages. Thereby, craft villages become potentials that tourism businesses are interested in exploiting and developing tourism. Therefore, to attract tourists to the craft village, handicraft products need to constantly improve their designs and quality according to customer tastes - especially for strategic customer markets.

Close cooperation between craft villages and tourism businesses is an essential condition for the development of both craft villages and tourism. In other words, the development of traditional craft villages is a very important foundation that not only contributes positively to the promotion and development of craft villages but also promotes the production, consumption and on-site export of handicraft products, helping to preserve the traditional cultural values of the country and develop tourism.

* Restoring, preserving and developing traditional craft villages - the basis for sustainable tourism development

Before the renovation period, many craft villages in rural areas were neglected and had no conditions to develop. Many households had to abandon traditional crafts and return to purely agricultural production or switch to new occupations. Many traditional cultural values of craft villages and many traditional craft secrets were lost with the passing of elderly artisans.

In the context of current international economic integration, the competitive requirements of the market require some traditional craft villages to apply new scientific and technological advances to production with modern equipment systems. In addition, the overwhelming market economy's commodity products, fierce competition with handicraft products, are factors leading to the risk of loss and decline of some traditional handicrafts - especially for handicraft technologies or new raw materials or modern technology and machinery such as high-quality and expensive tea products: Dinh Ngoc, Long Am, Nhat Pham, Loc Xuan tea... Tan Cuong. Some high-end boxed tea products are products that clearly demonstrate the values that Tan Cuong Hoang Binh conveys. Lan Dinh tea creates a poetic space for enjoyment. Phuc Loc tea is nutritious from its name. Truc Lam Tea, Tinh Tam Tea creates a natural and quiet space. Vu Quy Tea is a story of a hundred years of happiness, while Tri Am Tea speaks a thousand words for a soul mate… The problem is not simply the name, Tan Cuong Hoang Binh

has infused cultural values into the product, creating a lasting environment and vitality for the product.

Restoring, preserving and developing traditional craft villages not only plays an important role in developing the local socio-economy, solving employment problems and increasing incomes of people in craft villages, contributing to changing the structure of occupations towards increasing the value of occupations and services, but also is the basis for sustainable tourism development, preserving the cultural and artistic identity of traditional products of craft villages, suitable to the inherent needs and tastes of domestic people and international visitors. Traditional craft villages restored, preserved and developed stably will create a solid foundation for tourism development.

1.3. Factors affecting the development of craft village tourism

1.3.1. Historical factors and geographical location

Historical factors: Due to the seasonal nature of rice cultivation, the needs of the population as well as the inevitable laws of daily life and production are the main factors promoting the formation of craft villages.

Geographical location: Geographical location has great significance for the formation, existence and long-term development of traditional craft villages. In their development history, most craft villages are located in favorable locations for waterway and road traffic or near raw material sources, making it easy to transport raw materials, exchange and sell products.

Traditional craft elements must be preserved (people, tools, production methods, etc.): This is a factor that not only affects production and consumption activities and people's lives, but also has the effect of preserving the cultural characteristics of each craft village and each region. However, strict regulations and restrictions in craft laws and village customs also significantly hinder the expansion of production and business of craft villages. The most difficult thing now is how to bring scientific and technological advances into craft villages while still preserving the identity and quintessence of the ancient craft.

1.3.2. The village still retains technology, production techniques, lifestyle and cultural life to create attraction for tourism.

Cultural identity is a factor of special attractive value in exploiting tourism services. The diversity and difference in the technical factors of artisans have created the diversity and richness of craft village products. Villages doing the same craft often have common techniques but each village has its own secrets.

Production techniques and technologies change the structure and quality of craft village products. The application of new and modern technologies to production will create new products, contributing to increasing the value of the products.

Production technology affects the competitiveness of craft village products. Although manual production creates unique products, the uniformity and stability of product quality are difficult to ensure. Meanwhile, applying modern technology increases labor productivity, reduces production costs and lowers product prices. In addition, new technology helps modernize a stage serving the production and business of craft villages such as model design, market information exploitation, and product introduction. The application of mechanization in many stages of production has increased labor productivity, liberated unskilled labor, but also caused traditional construction techniques to fade away. Therefore, to improve production efficiency and preserve their own identity, craft villages need to combine traditional technology with modern technology in the direction of "traditionalizing modern technology and modernizing traditional technology".

1.3.3. Accessibility to craft villages

Infrastructure can be considered a driving force for the development of each craft village. Infrastructure includes: transportation, electricity, water supply and drainage, and communications. In the past, craft villages were often associated with rural areas, the commodity nature of products was not high, at that time infrastructure did not play an important role in the development of craft villages. Recently, as the scale of production has expanded, more and more industrial clusters have been formed, the role of infrastructure has been increasingly affirmed.

1.3.4. Market and image promotion of craft villages

The market is an important factor that has a decisive meaning for the existence and development of craft villages. The market is currently considered in a broad sense, including the market for raw materials, supplies, technology, capital, and labor.

In the current context of economic integration in our country, many products of our craft villages have to compete fiercely with similar products from China, Thailand, etc. in the domestic market. This requires a synchronous solution for the market for craft village products, from market research, market access, product structure development orientation to promoting the image of craft villages in newspapers, magazines, television, telecommunications, and the internet information highway.

1.3.5. Policies and guidelines with people's consensus, owned by people

The old and famous craft villages in our country all have their own regulations on handicrafts, either in writing or recorded in the village conventions. Even each craft guild in the same village has its own regulations, in the form of “oaths” or “curses”. This has a long-term effect on the existence of the craft village in keeping the secrets and professional know-how of the craftsmen in the profession.

Correct policies bring about effective activities and are factors that change the face of rural areas in craft villages. Thai Nguyen is a typical province in terms of strengths in craft villages of growing, processing and exporting tea. This reflects the positive impact of the correct policies of the State and the Provincial People's Committee in implementing policies to develop the tea village economy.

Craft villages that want to develop tourism must have the consensus of the people, mobilize people to participate in the tourism economic model right on their homeland, so that people actively participate in tourism activities.

Chapter 1 Summary

Tourism is a booming “smokeless industry” and people’s demand for craft village tourism is on the rise. Tourism activities have impacts on the craft village environment and the development of craft village tourism is a guiding principle and strategy for countries around the world.

Craft village tourism attracts tourists' attention because of the products of the craft villages, the secrets and technology to create products in the craft villages. The craft of growing and processing tea has been formed and developed over many centuries, demonstrating high specialization that has created people specializing in producing traditional products right in their homeland. Artisans are the decisive factor in the transmission of the craft and clarifying the tangible and intangible cultural values of the traditional craft and products. The heritage values associated with the village and craft, including festivals, legends, anecdotes, etc., have crystallized into the driving force to attract tourists to learn and experience in reality. Developing craft village tourism contributes to job creation, increasing income, and contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction. Restoring, preserving and developing traditional craft villages is the basis for sustainable tourism development.

Among the basic factors affecting the development of craft village tourism, the geographical location and the transportation system accessing the craft village are important to the development of tourism. The right policies bring about effective activities and are factors that change the face of rural areas in the craft village. Thai Nguyen is a typical province in terms of the strength of craft villages in growing, processing and exporting tea, which proves the right policies of the Provincial People's Committee in implementing the policies for developing the tea village economy.

In chapter 1, the thesis focused on systematizing theoretical issues on the development of craft village tourism, the concept of craft village, the role of craft village in economic and social development and tourism development, factors affecting the formation and development of craft village tourism. These are important theoretical bases for analyzing and evaluating the potential and current status of developing tea craft village tourism in specialty tea areas of Thai Nguyen province in the period of 2006 - 2014 in the following chapter.

CHAPTER 2

POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT STATUS

TRADITIONAL TEA VILLAGE TOURISM IN SPECIALTY TEA REGIONS OF THAI NGUYEN

2.1. Overview of Thai Nguyen province

2.1.1. Geographical location and socio-economic conditions

Thai Nguyen is a mountainous province, bordering Bac Can province to the North, Vinh Phuc and Tuyen Quang provinces to the West, Lang Son and Bac Giang provinces to the East, Hanoi capital to the South (80km from Hanoi) and has geographical coordinates from 20 0 20 ' - 22 0 25 ' North latitude and 105 0 25 ' - 106 0 16 ' East longitude [4]. Thai Nguyen province has an area of 3,562.82 km 2 (2013); population of 1,156,000 people (2013). With a total of 28 administrative units (19 wards, 9 communes), with 8 ethnic groups (Kinh, Tay, Nung, San Diu, Dao, Mong, Hoa, Thai) living

Thai Nguyen is the gateway for economic exchange between the mountainous and midland regions of the North and the Northern Delta. Traffic is via a fan-shaped system of roads, railways, and waterways, with the starting point being Thai Nguyen city, 80km from Hanoi along National Highway 3.

Thai Nguyen City has 98 relics, including 4 national relics and 14 provincial relics. The most prominent is the Thai Nguyen Uprising relic cluster (1917) - One of the earliest major uprisings in the country and caused a great resonance.

In 2010, Thai Nguyen city was recognized as a first-class urban area under the province and received the First-class Independence Medal. Up to now, Thai Nguyen city is one of the major industrial centers of the North, with the Gang Thep industrial park as the first child of the country's heavy industry [26, p.1]

Is the 3rd largest education and training center in the country, with over 30 universities, colleges and vocational high schools.

Regarding agriculture: Thai Nguyen city has a Tan Cuong specialty tea area located in the west of the city that has been granted a certificate of indication by the Department of Intellectual Property.

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