Bac Ninh Province develops traditional product brands

Under a two-year brand development program, Bac Ninh has developed brands for some traditional products associated with the localities in which they are made. These include Dong Ky fine art wooden furniture, Dai Bai bronze products, Phu Lang pottery products, Xuan Lai and Xuan Hoi bamboo and rattan products. The success of these brands is expected to help the province introduce additional products, promote handicraft production and consumption and gain competitive advantages for the local craft villages.

The value and reputation of Bac Ninh’s handicraft products have been enhanced since their registration for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and brand promotion in the domestic and foreign markets. For example, the values of Dai Bai bronze products, Phu Lang pottery products, and Dong Ky fine art wooden furniture have increased on average 10-15 percent. Furthermore, due to IPR protected brands, Dai Bai bronze and Phu Lang pottery products, which already have a firm foothold in the domestic market and some foreign markets like China and Chinese Taipei, have also conquered discerning markets like Japan, European and Southeast Asian countries.

However, apart from the advantages of traditional brands, many difficulties and limitations remain. A representative of the Bac Ninh provincial Department of Science and Technology said the province has many agricultural products and traditional handicrafts, but only a few of them have been registered for trademark protection. Counterfeit trademarks and imitation products of local craft villages are still popular, greatly affecting the prestige and reputation of local craft village products.

Bac Ninh Province, to the east of the capital Hanoi, identified the strengths of its traditional crafts and took the right steps to promote the value of collective brands and strengthen links in production chains for sustainable development. It also encourages enterprises and production establishments to expand markets, promote brands to add value to craft products in order to create more jobs and increase incomes, contributing to the implementation of local socioeconomic development goals. The province has also successfully conserved and developed various types of traditional crafts to preserve the cultural quintessence of each area.