Episode 2: With generation gap, Hue’s traditional crafts struggle to survive

Gradual Decline

Returning to Phuong Duc village after connecting with Mr. Nguyen Phung Son, a 12th-generation bronze casting artisan in Hue, as mentioned in the previous part. In the casting workshop compound on Huyen Tran Cong Chua street (Thuan Hoa ward), Mr. Nguyen Phung Son shared that the entire Phuong Duc village once echoed with the sound of hammers, but now only about 10 households continue the bronze casting craft. Families that were once famous for bronze casting in the 80s and 90s have now shut down their furnaces. Most of them are masters and artisans who are now elderly, but very few of their children and grandchildren continue the profession. As for Mr. Son, there are many reasons why bronze casting is not being passed down, but it ultimately comes down to the fact that this craft requires sharp eyes and skillful hands, but the income is unstable, causing many young people no longer pursue it.

Once compared to the “metallic heart of the imperial capital,” the bronze casting craft village in Phuong Duc is no longer as bustling as before. According to statistics from the former People’s Committee of Phuong Duc ward in early 2025, the number of producing households has decreased by nearly 80% compared to the early 2000s.

At the traditional embroidery villages of Thuan Loc and Phu Hoa located in Hue city, which once flourished after the country’s reunification, now only a few cases continue the craft and trade on Phan Dang Luu Street. On this street, I was fortunate to meet Mrs. Tran Thi My Linh, formerly a Dong Khanh student who has been embroidering for over 45 years and is currently a member of the Phu Hoa traditional embroidery cooperative. Mrs. Linh shared that while the embroidery craft once brought prosperity, it has now declined, yet she continues to maintain it because the craft is part of her life. Gently stroking an embroidered painting titled “Great Fortune and Great Joy”, she said: “Hand-embroidered paintings have very few buyers. My children say that needles and thread, handwork can no longer support life now, but I’m determined to keep the craft.”

Mr. Dang Huu Phuc, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, said that the city currently has 39 recognized crafts, craft villages, and traditional craft villages, including 9 traditional crafts, 10 craft villages, and 20 traditional craft villages. Sadly, most of the recognized traditional craft villages and crafts are barely operating. The reason partly stems from changes in labor trends. Today’s youth prefer stable jobs, such as factory work, tourism services, or office work, rather than sitting by kilns, wooden molds, or embroidery frames daily.

At the eucalyptus essential oil village of Loc Thuy, Chan May-Lang Co commune, Mr. Truong Viet Dinh, who has been involved in the production of this essential oil for over 40 years, recounts: “Previously, the village had about 200 producing households. Now, only about 35 households maintain the craft. Each eucalyptus season, the scent of essential oils in the air is no longer as fragrant as it once was. Very few young people in the village are interested in the craft left by their ancestors.”

The story from Phuong Duc to Loc Thuy, from Thuan Loc and Phu Hoa embroidered paintings to Sinh village paintings, etc., is a reality: Hue’s craft villages are seriously declining in terms of successors. The generation of elderly artisans is gradually weakening, while the young generation moves away.

Similarly, Phuoc Tich pottery village now only has a few elderly people who can be called pottery artisans. Among them is Mr. Luong Thanh Hien, 54, originally a jeweler who, out of passion and appreciation for the ancient craft, established a pottery workshop. Mr. Hien confided: “In Hue city, practicing ancient crafts cannot support his current life, because a pottery batch takes nearly a week to complete all stages from shaping to firing, but each piece sells for only tens to hundreds of thousands of dong - not enough to cover costs.”

Difficult Knots to untie

Hue’s craft villages carry traditional beauty, but this very characteristic makes it difficult for them to adapt to the modern market pace. Most production facilities in craft villages operate manually, lacking technology and investment capital.

The Vuc bridge forging village in Thuy Chau, Huong Thuy ward, which originated from the Hien Luong forging village in Phong Thai ward hundreds of years ago, now also faces the risk of decline. Mr. Huynh Van Lam, who once continued his father's profession of forging Vuc bridge tools, shares that the scissors, knives, and axes still have the same shapes as before and haven't been renewed in design like imported products or those manufactured industrially, making them difficult to compete with and reducing their market appeal. For this reason, the craft’s production scale has gradually narrowed, and many families have switched to other work or professions. Mr. Lam himself has now switched to trading to make a living.

Not only lacking innovation in form and design, craft village activities also show a lack of connectivity. Currently, production households in craft villages usually work independently, making and selling on their own, lacking cooperation with businesses, distribution systems, or e-commerce platforms. Ms. Ho Thi Phu, a conical hat maker in Thanh Tan craft village of Phong Thai ward, said: “We make products by hand and sell retail at souvenir stalls. We don’t know how to build brands. Our designs aren’t eye-catching. We don't sell online. Eventually, each hat only costs tens of thousands of dong and is mainly for individual customers.”

Due to the old-fashioned thinking in craft villages, lacking technological support from production to consumption, Hue’s craft villages are gradually declining. Compared to craft villages in provinces like Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Bac Ninh, which have invested in machinery systems, built craft village clusters, combined crafts with tourism, and opened showrooms for export abroad, Hue's craft villages still show backwardness.

Mr. Nguyen The, Chairman of the Folk Arts Association of Hue City, believes: “The problem of Hue’s craft villages is not just economic, but the disconnect between tradition and modernity. Without timely and appropriate intervention, many craft villages risk becoming ‘dead heritage,’ no longer living within the community. The importance of education and communication about craft villages lies in helping the younger generation understand and take pride in ancestral crafts, not just view them as manual labor. Preserving crafts requires an entire ecosystem from education, technology, communication, to market and state policies.”

Weak Branding and Narrow Markets

One of the biggest weaknesses of Hue’s craft villages is the lack of branding. Many products are high-quality, exquisite, and rich in cultural identity, yet most have not secured trademark protection or geographical indication status, even with recent support from government departments to help craft villages register intellectual property rights and increase product value.

The story of Loc Thuy eucalyptus essential oil craft village is an example, despite being recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. Recently, Loc Thuy’s products have been counterfeited and imitated, losing customer trust. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam, who has been making eucalyptus essential oil for over 30 years in Loc Thuy, is frustrated: “Many bottles bearing the ‘Loc Thuy eucalyptus essential oil’ label don’t actually contain oil refined by Loc Thuy people using local raw materials. Instead, they contain oil from elsewhere, sold at half or one-third the price of authentic Loc Thuy eucalyptus essential oil.”

Similarly, Thanh Tan conical hats, Sinh village paintings, or Thuan Loc embroidery, once being famous products, still lack exclusive registered trademarks and professional packaging. Tourists who purchase and take home these products don't know their origin or who made them.

In the digital transformation era, very few Hue craft villages have fanpages, websites, or e-commerce stores. Livestreaming, promotion, and brand recognition online are rarely implemented.

Mr. Tran Quang Minh, a tourist from Hanoi experiencing Sinh village painting, said: “Local artisans create beautiful works but don't know how to photograph them, lack good phones, or understand how to post online. While in Hanoi and other provinces, people sell handmade paintings for hundreds of thousands to millions of dong. In Sinh village, they only sell for tens of thousands of dong.”

These limitations make it difficult for Hue craft village products to reach large consumer markets.