Hanoi focuses on building collective trademarks

A conical hat market in Chuong Village

New direction

According to Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology, the capital has 286 recognized craft villages, accounting for 30 percent of all such villages nationwide. Hanoi’s craft villages have created jobs for tens of thousands of seasonal workers, as well as regular jobs and a major source of income for thousands of families.

However, craft village products are risking extinction due to rapid urbanization and the availability of industrially manufactured goods produced with support of modern technology. In the era of economic integration, many unique craft products are being imitated and losing their brand.

“Building, managing and developing collective trademarks is a solution to promoting sustainable development of craft villages and bringing into play their advantages,” Nguyen Anh Tuan said.

According to Tuan, collective trademarks not only help ensure the quality of craft village products to enable them to win consumer trust, but also contribute to the conservation and development of Vietnamese traditional crafts and particularly those of Hanoi. Collective trademarks also help craft villages create more jobs and increase worker incomes, contributing to the implementation of the capital’s socioeconomic development goals.

High effectiveness

From 2012-2017, the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology provided support for building more than 20 collective trademarks for specialties of traditional craft villages. These include embroidery paintings made in Thuong Tin District, conical hats made in Chuong Village, bamboo-made products of Thu Thuy Village, lacquer products of Ha Thai Village, and pottery products made in Kim Lan Village. Trademarks have also been developed for sculptures made in Son Dong Village, bamboo and rattan products of Phu Nghia Village, sweet gruel made from ground glutinous rice from Thach Xa Village, and steamed rice rolls made in Thanh Tri District. Also benefitting from collective branding are late-ripening longan grown in Hoai Duc District, sweet potato grown in Dong Thai Commune, and traditional medicinal herbs grown in Ninh Hiep Commune. Collective trademarks have helped win consumer trust and benefited manufacturers. For example, since the collective trademark of conical hats made in Chuong Village was recognized, the price of this product has grown 10 percent and the sales volume has also increased. The product was present at major events, such as APEC meetings and Sea Games. Similarly, the collective trademark has made embroidery paintings from Thuong Tin District known nationwide. Earnings from the sale of these products account for 50 percent of the annual revenue of this locality.

Nguyen Anh Tuan affirmed that Hanoi would continue supporting the development of intellectual property, focusing on products of traditional craft villages by assisting the building, management and development of collective and certification marks and geographical indications. These efforts will contribute to maintaining production in craft villages and positioning their products in the market so that they can compete with imported and high-tech products.