On July 13, Summer Camp RE:CRAFT 2026 – Reviving Craft Villages officially concluded at Hanoi Architectural University with an awards ceremony, bringing to a close more than a week of intensive creative collaboration involving over 100 students, lecturers, experts, and master artisans from a wide range of disciplines.
As part of the Hanoi Festival of Creative Design 2026, the program was organized under the Contemporary Craft Development from Traditional Craft Village Heritage Program, jointly implemented by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and Architecture Magazine under the Vietnam Association of Architects. The initiative was supported by UNESCO, UN-Habitat, Sovico Group, An Cuong Wood Corporation, Viglacera Corporation, and a network of artisans from traditional craft villages. Bringing together students from 11 universities, the Summer Camp created an interdisciplinary learning and practice platform spanning architecture, fine arts, culture, communications, and the creative economy.
Throughout the program, student teams conducted field research in five of Hanoi’s most representative craft villages: Ha Thai lacquerware, Kim Lan ceramics, Dao Thuc water puppetry, Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan weaving, and Quat Dong embroidery. Through direct engagement with artisans, observation of production processes, and immersion in local cultural contexts, participants identified the distinctive characteristics of each craft village and transformed them into contemporary design concepts under the theme of reimagining traditional craft products through a modern lens.
Beyond product design, the teams also developed branding strategies, explored practical applications and commercialization opportunities, and produced digital communication content to retell the stories of these craft villages in ways that resonate with younger audiences.
One of the program’s highlights was a series of short films documenting students’ journeys through the craft villages. Stories from Kim Lan ceramics, Ha Thai lacquerware, Quat Dong embroidery, Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan weaving, and Dao Thuc water puppetry were presented through contemporary visual storytelling, helping bring traditional heritage closer to online communities. By the conclusion of the program, the ten videos had attracted more than 310,000 views and 10,000 engagements, demonstrating the strong public response to new approaches to communicating traditional craft heritage.
The projects were evaluated by a multidisciplinary jury comprising experts in architecture, fine arts, culture, communications, the creative economy, and cultural management. Entries were assessed based on design innovation, cultural value, practical applicability, and communication effectiveness.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Bui Thi Thanh Huong, Editor-in-Chief of Architecture Journal under the Vietnam Association of Architects, emphasized that the students’ work should not be viewed merely as workshop assignments, but rather as early-stage proposals with the potential to evolve into real-world projects.
According to her, Summer Camp RE:CRAFT 2026 – Reviving Craft Villages functioned as an open creative laboratory where artisans, designers, lecturers, and students collaborated through research, dialogue, and co-creation to develop solutions with cultural, social, and economic value. She also described the program as a model of experiential education that contributes to fulfilling Hanoi’s commitments as a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, while supporting the city’s transition from organizing standalone festivals toward building a sustainable creative ecosystem rooted in heritage and indigenous knowledge.
Representing the host institution, Nguyen Tri Dung, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts Design and Head of the Fashion Design Department at Hanoi Architectural University, described the Summer Camp as a meaningful practice-based educational model that enabled students from multiple universities to learn, collaborate, and create within an interdisciplinary environment. He noted that the program’s greatest strength lay in bringing students directly into traditional craft villages, where they could engage with artisans, experience local cultural environments, and better understand the challenges facing traditional crafts. Despite its relatively short duration, the program generated numerous innovative ideas through the combination of students’ creativity and the guidance of lecturers and industry experts. He expressed hope that these concepts would continue to be refined, contributing to the success of the Hanoi Festival of Creative Design 2026 and supporting the broader development of the city’s cultural industries.
Speaking on behalf of the participating artisans, Nguyen Van Tinh, a master artisan from Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan weaving village, praised the significance of the theme Reviving Craft Villages and expressed his hope that its spirit would continue to inspire stronger collaboration between universities, artisans, and younger generations.
During the closing ceremony, the Organizing Committee presented awards to the teams with the most outstanding proposals, recognizing creative ideas capable of connecting traditional cultural values with the needs of contemporary society.
Summer Camp RE:CRAFT 2026 Awards:
- First Prize: Quat Dong 1 Team
- Second Prize: Dao Thuc 1 Team; Kim Lan 1 Team
- Third Prize: Dao Thuc 2 Team, Ha Thai 2 Team, Quat Dong 2 Team, Phu Vinh 2 Team
- Encouragement Awards: Ha Thai 1 Team, Phu Vinh 1 Team, Kim Lan 2 Team
- Best Outreach Video Award: Ha Thai 1 Team
Following the Summer Camp, selected projects and prototypes will be further refined for presentation at the Hanoi Festival of Creative Design 2026, providing opportunities to engage the public, businesses, investment funds, and both domestic and international cultural organizations.
The success of Summer Camp RE:CRAFT 2026 – Reviving Craft Villages demonstrates that when the creativity of young people is connected with indigenous knowledge and guided by experienced professionals, traditional craft heritage can become a powerful driver for the development of cultural industries and the creative economy. The program also represents a concrete step toward promoting creative practices rooted in local values, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, and expanding opportunities for young people to actively participate in preserving, reinterpreting, and revitalizing cultural heritage in a contemporary context.
Thu Vân – TCKT.VN
Photo credit: Organizing Committee
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