In Phú Thọ province, northern Vietnam, blacksmiths are as likely to be watching a TikTok livestream as a forge these days. The province is pushing its 115 traditional craft villages — home to more than 41,000 workers — to mechanise production and sell through digital platforms, and the shift is already changing how these centuries-old trades reach customers.
The clearest example is Bàn Mạch, a village known for blacksmithing. Younger artisans there now promote their knives and forged goods on Facebook, Zalo and TikTok, and some have moved into livestream selling and online marketplaces like Shopee and TikTok Shop. Instead of relying on passing trade or local markets, a village smith can now take orders from shoppers hundreds of kilometres away.
The push ties into Vietnam's national digital transformation agenda — Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, issued by the Politburo in December 2024, which targets breakthroughs in science, technology and innovation. For craft villages, that translates into practical support: better production links, quality control and help getting products rated under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) scheme. So far, 442 products from 311 co-operatives and co-operative groups in the province have earned three- to five-star OCOP ratings — a label that signals quality to buyers.
Local officials are candid that going digital isn't just about posting photos. Nguyễn Thanh Hiệp, deputy head of the provincial Sub-department of Rural Development, says technology and digital tools are key to the villages' next stage of growth. But online sales only work when backed by solid product quality, accurate information, good presentation and reliable fulfilment — a lesson many small producers are still learning.
Why does this matter to travellers? Craft villages are one of the best reasons to leave Hanoi's orbit, and Phú Thọ sits barely two hours away. Watching a blacksmith work a forge, then buying directly from the artisan — or finding their TikTok Shop back home — makes for a far richer souvenir than anything from an airport shelf. As more villages professionalise their online presence, it also becomes easier for visitors to research, contact and even pre-arrange workshops or visits before they arrive. Expect more of rural Vietnam to become bookable, reviewable and discoverable over the next few years, with Phú Thọ among the provinces leading the charge.
