DEVELOPING SOUVENIRS FROM CRAFT VILLAGES IN HOI AN CITY

By Tran Cam Thi
DOI: 10.37550/tdmu.EJS/2024.02.554

Hoi An is a well-known travel destination for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors, not only because it has a cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO but also because of its other cultural resources, including craft villages. Serving as both attractions and experiences for tourists, craft villages give them the opportunity to create unique mementos of their vacation while also boosting household income and elevating the status of craft villages. How is Hoi An's tourism industry exploiting this resource in tourism? The article conducts a scientific investigation of the role and current state of crafts in the production of souvenirs for tourism in general, particularly in Hoi An's craft villages such as Thanh Ha pottery and Kim Bong carpentry village, using research on souvenirs, observation techniques, and field excursions. The findings demonstrate that handicraft souvenirs are few, have less appealing designs, and have to compete hard with souvenirs from other localities. These results will facilitate the collaborative efforts of Hoi An's tourism stakeholders to identify strategies that guarantee the advantages that tourism brings to craft villages and vice versa.