Viet Nam on Tuesday officially announced the national brand for the handicraft sector – Vietcraft Excellence – aiming to enhance the competitiveness.

Tuesday's ceremony was co-organised by the Secretariat of the National Brand Programme, the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency and the Viet Nam Handicraft Exporters Association.

Do Nhu Dinh, president of the Viet Nam Handicraft Exporters Association, said at the launch that sustainability was the core value of the country's handicraft sector with Vietcraft Excellence based on sustainable ecological, economic, social and cultural values.

The brand, developed with the support of the European Union, was the reflection of the handicraft sector's social responsibility and made a difference to the competitive strategy amid global economic integration.

In order to be labelled Vietcraft Excellence which covered a total of 46 criteria, enterprises in this sector were urged to renovate production methods towards sustainability.

Enterprises were expected to see great opportunities to expand their exports with the Vietcraft Excellence brand.

Nguyen Huy Thong, deputy director of a rattan and bamboo company in Ha Nam Province said that the national brand would make it easier to penetrate the foreign markets, expand and promote locally produced handicraft items.

Tuesday's ceremony was co-organised by the Secretariat of the National Brand Programme, the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency and the Viet Nam Handicraft Exporters Association.

The largely export-oriented handicraft sector of Viet Nam has created jobs for around 1.5 million people and generated an annual export revenue of US$1.7 billion.

VNS