(HBO) – Local residents in Doan Ket hamlet (Lam Son commune, Luong Son district, Hoa Binh province) are excited to know that their commune has been recognised as a craft village of "go lua” (a kind of wood which is taken from the firmest core at the root of dead ancient trees) and "da canh” (ornamental stones).
Doan Ket hamlet is now home to 53 wood and stone crafting households. Their incomes are more stable than the nearly 100 other families who mainly earn their living by farming. According to locals, the trades were formed in the early 1990s, and at the starting point only 5-6 households pursued them. Now they have been developing strongly with key products such as ornamental stones, bonsais, timber statues, decorations, and furniture. At present, the commune has six artisans and 60 skilled technicians. Additionally, there are more than 300 manufacturers who create high-quality products to serve the market’s demand. The per capita average monthly income is estimated at 7 million VND – higher than that of workers in Lam Son commune (about 26 million VND per person per year in late 2016).
Thanks to the skillful hands and creative minds, people in Doan Ket hamlet, Lam Son commune, Luong Son district, have created artworks made from natural stones, which are popular in the market.
To be recognised as a craft village, people in Doan Ket hamlet had exerted every effort to achieve this title and satisfy some criteria such as 34 percent of the total households in the hamlet engage in the trades; incomes from the trades account for 78.9 percent and 74.4 percent respectively of the hamlet’s total incomes; occupational activities are carried out in accordance with legal regulations.
Apart from being recognised as a craft village, the Doan Ket hamlet has also benefited from support policies to develop craft villages according to Decision 12/2015/QD-UBND issued on April 27, 2015 by the provincial People’s Committee. Doan Ket is the latest hamlet to receive the recognition. So far, the province has two craft villages and four traditional ones. Some industries and manufacturing facilities have been defined as nucleus to expand and develop craft villages and traditional ones in the coming years. Notable activities are brocade weaving in Mai Chau and Tan Lac, wine producing in Hoa Binh city and Lac Son district, bamboo and rattan manufacturing in Go Me hamlet, and the making of ornamental stones in Lac Thuy district.
Generally, the manufacturing facilities and craft villages are developing in both quantity and quality with diverse products to better serve the market’s demand. The craft villages are gradually shifting from traditional small scale to the model with high connectivity and higher added values.
After more than four years of implementing a project launched by the Hoa Binh Party Committee’s Standing Board on developing agriculture and promoting product consumption linked with building new-style rural areas for the 2021-2025 period, the province’s industry and trade sector has made significant strides, greatly contributing to local socio-economic development.
Luong Son district has identified 2025 as the year for the accelerated breakthrough to successfully implement the socio-economic development plan for the 5-year period from 2021 to 2025. The district has been focusing on executing the plans and trying to achieve a GRDP growth rate of approximately 15%.
Since the beginning of this year, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery Product Quality Management has strengthened the integration of the professional activities to promote and guide the organizations and individuals in the production and trading of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products to comply with the legal regulations regarding the use of chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. They also provide guidance to processing and manufacturing establishments on keeping the records to trace the product origins and using food additives from the approved list according to the regulations.
Hoa Binh province saw a significant rise in state budget revenue in the first two months of 2025, heard a meeting chaired by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Quach Tat Liem.
Ha Thi Ha Chi, a 26-year-old graduate in law, has taken an unconventional path by returning to her hometown in Mai Chau district to establish the Tong Dau Cooperative, creating stable jobs for local women and bringing Thai ethnic brocade weaving to the global market.
As the Lunar New Year 2025 approached, pork prices surged, creating a profitable season for farmers in Tan Vinh commune, Luong Son district. Taking advantage of the rising demand, Can Minh Son, a farmer from Coi hamlet, sold over 30 pigs at 69,000 VND/kg, each weighing more than 100 kg. After deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND.
