Currently, Vietnam has more than 1,000 bamboo and rattan craft villages, accounting for 24% of the total number of craft villages in the country. In which, the North and Central regions focus a lot on bamboo, rattan and sedge products. In the meanwhile, the Southwest provinces focus on handicraft products of water hyacinth.
There are several famous craft villages of Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products, as follows:
√ Phu Vinh rattan and bamboo craft village
This village is located in Phu Nghia commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi. The craft village is famous for its household crafts such as baskets, plates, tables and chairs.
√ Tang Tien rattan and bamboo craft village
Belonging to Tang Tien commune, Bac Giang province, the craft village has experienced more than 300 years of establishment and development. The craft village is famous for its high quality products such as cushions, pillows, bags, blinds, etc. The products of the craft village are carefully kept by artisans and do not have termites or fading.
√ Ninh So bamboo and rattan craft village
The village was also formed a long time ago and can be considered as the earliest in Hanoi today. Ninh So craft village is a famous for items associated with farmers in a sunny day, such as baskets to catch fish and shrimp.
√ Thach Cau rattan and bamboo craft village
Located in Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh province, this craft village has existed and developed since ancient times. This is a craft village with artisans from 12 years old to over 70 years old. With their skillful hands, bamboo and rattan workers have produced products that serve the working life of people associated with the field including a wide range of baskets.
√ Ngoc Dong rattan craft village
As a commune in Ha Nam province, Ngoc Dong village is also one of the famous rattan craft village in Vietnam. This is a long-standing craft village with products that are made from rattan and jasmine trees. Derived from these two trees, skillful artisans have produced products such as rattan chairs, jars, plates, bowls,… with many different designs and types.
√ Bao La bamboo and rattan craft village
This village is located in a middle province of Thua Thien Hue. Thi is the place that produces the most durable and quality baskets of Vietnam.
Nowadays, Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products are made for both domestics and global consumption. However, but exports are long-term direction for local businesses. Besides, local market has grown rapidly in the past ten years, more than 15%, mainly serving the home furniture industry, hotels and resorts, and international tourists.
The consumption potential in the domestic market for Vietnam bamboo and rattan products is very large. Actually, the local market share for these products is small. The reason is because local businesses in the industry mainly focus on producing handicraft products for export. In addition, the distribution system in the domestic market is unprofessional that has not met the value chain.
In previous years, bamboo product exports accounted for the highest value of the total. However, export value of these bamboo products has been decreasing since 2017. In the first 11 months of 2018, the export value of Vietnam bamboo products reached $45 million, down 5.1% over the same period in 2017.
The EU and the US are the two main export markets for Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products. Particularly, export value to these two markets accounted for nearly 70% of the total export value of these rattan and bamboo products.
In the first 11 months of 2018, export value of Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products to these two markets. Namely, exports to the US market increased sharply, reaching $61 million, up 26.7%. In the same period, export value of these products to European zone reached $94.62 million, up 6.2%. Among Eu markets, Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain… are the markets that import the most bamboo and rattan products from Vietnam.
In addition to the two main markets above, rattan and bamboo products from Vietnam were exported to Japan, Australia, Korea, China, Canada…
Besides the positive exporting data, Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products has faced a lot of difficulties. Most of local factories are craft villages with small scale and outdated facilities, so they cannot take large orders from importers. Moreover, Vietnamese craft villages do not have their own designs. Most of designs come from importers, which is not active for Vietnamese exporting suppliers of handicrafts.
To expand, local export enterprises always have to change models, diversify products and have strategies to choose appropriate market penetration methods. In addition, they should consider the following factors: market size, consumer styles, distribution channels, and price competitors.
Besides, Vietnamese export businesses of handicrafts need to build their own brands for these products. This is a must-do when they want to penetrate into the Japanese and American markets. When the product is registered with the “Made in Vietnam” label, it will enhance the product’s position. Also, it is a good way to more widely promote Vietnamese rattan and bamboo products in the international market.
Regardless of the size of the business, it is necessary to see that the brand is the vital issue of the businesses, the brand is an invaluable asset. The value that it brings does not stop at the enterprise level, the establishments production but also affects workers, they will receive the remuneration they create the product they deserve and higher value than products without their own brands.
Vietnamese sources: https://sanphamvungmien.vn/san-xuat-tieu-thu/2019/1/nganh-may-tre-dan-viet-nam-tiem-nang-phat-trien-con-rat-lon