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The current situation of The current situation of

craft village based tourism craft village based tourism

development in Vietnamdevelopment in Vietnam

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The current situation of craft village based tourism The current situation of craft village based tourism developmentdevelopment

Although development of craft village based tourism model has been set high on the agenda of tourism development strategy in Viet Nam, it is a rather new approach to pertaining tourism development toconservation of traditional craft village value and local communities that Viet Nam has been inexperienced

In the last years, with the support of international organizations, some initial achievements in craft village tourism have been obtained

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The current situation of craft village based tourism The current situation of craft village based tourism developmentdevelopment

Project “Feasibility study on Development of Tourism related Handicraft industries along of the West - East Corridor”

- At the 10th meeting of WEC working group f rom 31/5-1/6/2004, VNAT proposed Project “Feasibility study on Development of Touris m related Handicraft industries along of the West - East Corridor” The objectiv e of project aimed at successf ully blending the tourism industry and the handicraf t industry.

- ASIA SEED Institute carried out 2 study missions in Vietnam. The f irst mission f rom 1-7/4/2005 and the second f rom 26-29/4/2005

- Af ter f inishing two study missions, ASIA SEED coordinated with VNAT to hold the workshop “Promotion of Craft village based tourism” in Ha Noi to prov ide inf ormation and result of two study missions and propose recommendations of selected two v illages (Phu Vinh bamboo v illage and Ninh Hai embroidery v illage).

- The f inal report of the project is v aluable ref erence document f or other countries in the region to establish or improv e their strategies, policies, programs in term of craft v illage - based tourism.

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The current situation of craft village based tourism The current situation of craft village based tourism developmentdevelopment

Project on “Poverty Reduction Through Community-based Tourism in Vietnam”

In 2002, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) initiated the idea of developing a project on community-based tourism in Viet Nam together with the Export-led Poverty Reduction Program (EPRP) of the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC). It was agreed that underlying methodology should follow the CBT approach successfully tested by EPRP in other countries.

Being close to Hoi An, a popular tourism destination, Kim Bong Village with its traditional carpentry workshops and a scenic riverside landscape has been selected for the study.

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The current situation of craft village based tourism The current situation of craft village based tourism developmentdevelopment

Project implementation followed roughly four phases:

In the first phase, an opportunity study was carried out including three different sites in Vietnam as suggested by VNAT. Kim Bong has been selected

The second phase focused on the fundamentals of project planning: a socio-economic diagnosis, a survey of the structure and demands of tourists coming to Kim Bong /Hoi An and an analysis of the carpentry product portfolio and producers were conducted.

The third phase was targeting at the development and promotion of an interesting village trail for visitors and of the carpentry craft tradition as the two main pillars of the tourism product in Kim Bong. Main milestones were the formation of a tourism service cooperative, the development of the tourism offer, skills training for the cooperative members and marketing w ith local tour operators and hotels.

The final phase of the project now focuses on building capacity for the promotion of sustainable tourism and laying the foundations for spreading the Kim Bong experience as a model to other sites around Hoi An and Viet Nam

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The current situation of craft village based tourism The current situation of craft village based tourism developmentdevelopment

Project results:

As the result of the Project, the tourism product has been upgraded by new attractions such as a village walk and bicycle trail. The visitor centre now serves as a focal point for incoming tours. Supported by ITC’s on-the-job training, more than 30 villagers have joined the local tourism cooperative and are actively participating in the project.

Market linkages have been established with five tour operators and two hotels in Hoi An. In addition, Kim Bong Village has been included into festivals and promotional campaigns by local and provincial tourism authorities. a model to other sites around Hoi An and Viet Nam