The Hanoi Great Souvenir Fair 2023 featured a wide variety of handicrafts and fine art souvenirs. Photo: Hanoi Great Souvenir Fair.

The fair, which runs until 28 April, hosts 100 stalls from businesses, rural industrial units and artisans, as well as an exhibition area where pottery, lacquerware, mother-of-pearl inlays, embroidery, silk, bamboo wickerwork, wooden items, some of capital's One Commune One Product (OCOP) products, and a wide range of handicrafts and arts and crafts souvenirs are on display and for sale.

Thousands of local and foreign tourists and business visitors will be in attendance.

Hanoi boasts over 1,350 craft villages, with nearly 176,000 households involved in a diverse range of trades, representing 45% of the total number of craft villages in the country, according to the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade.

These villages are engaged in a vast array of artisanal activities, including woodworking, bamboo weaving, pottery, glass, textiles, fibers, embroidery, knitting, and small-scale engineering.

The municipal department highlighted that the items produced by these craft villages are renowned for their exquisite design and superior quality. Some of them have a competitive edge in both domestic and international markets. The handicraft sector plays a key role in the economic development and export activities of the capital.

Last year's Hanoi Great Souvenirs Fair was held at the Ho Van Historic Site in Hanoi as part of a series of events to welcome the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.