More than 200 local businesses from across the country are showcasing traditional and modern handicraft products at the 19th Lao Handicraft Festival.

The nine-day festival was officially opened yesterday at the Lao-ITECC (old classrooms – which are their homes! The unique tradition of grandparents’ passing on their skills to the future generations continue to this day, President of LHA, Ms Souvita Phaseuth said, at the opening ceremony. The festival has been annually providing a venue building) in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, Mr Sonexay Siphandone; Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ms Khemmani Pholsena; President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), Mr Oudet Souvannavong, and Honourable President of Lao Handicraft Association (LHA), Ms Chanthao Pathammavong.

The traditional Lao handicraft festival is held every year to show gratitude to grandparents, who since ancient times have preserved and ably handed down the art of making handicraft in to the artisans to sell their products and meet buyers since 2001. The principal aim of the event is to support Lao handicraft producers to supply the domestic market and explore export opportunities.

At the same time, it is to encourage people to appreciate Lao products, handicrafts made by their own, and help protect our national culture, she said.

More than 200 businesses are taking part in the festival this year to showcase and sell their handicraft, such as native silk and fabrics, silver, and precious items, pottery, brassware, bamboo, and rattan-weaving, and ethnic clothes. Other high lights of the festival, include demonstrations of Lao handicraft production and training (free of charge), beauty booth decoration contests, new product design competitions to extend the skills of grandparents, and promotion of Lao-Thai-Lao products. A seminar on several topics such as Lao dressing style, creating sustainability for Lao artisans, accessing SME funding source, protecting traditional designs from copyright infringement in Laos, building capacity of online marketing for SMEs operators, promoting handicraft during the Covid-19 crisis, turning the crisis into an opportunity for Lao handicrafts (Made in-Lao) and e-Commerce marketing, product and packaging standards, and motivating young people to see the importance of using Lao handicrafts.