Traditional craft villages in Hanoi under the pressure of peri-urbanization. An integrated strategy for Cu Da village sustainable development. = Traditional craft villages in Hanoi under the pressure of peri-urbanization. An integrated strategy for Cu Da village sustainable development.

Vietnam is affected by one of the most intensive urbanization processes in the world, which is directly linked to socio-economic reforms launched in the mid-1980s (known as Doi Moi) (World Bank, 2011). As the nation’s capital city and second largest metropolitan area, Hanoi is a critical site of this urban transition. Here, since the Eighties, urban megaprojects and luxury residential developments were undertaken in the peri-urban area, as well as spontaneous settlement took place. In the context of this peri-urbanisation process, traditional crafts villages surrounding Hanoi, whose existence embodies the cultural heritage and establishes a distinct feature in the urban structure of Vietnam’s capital, are enmeshed into the urban fabric. In this thesis, Cự Đà village, an over 500-year-old village, is chosen as a typical example of ancient villages identified with the traditional craft of making Vietnamese soy sauce and vermicelli. The village is considered to retain a lot of indigenous cultural values. However, it is facing great challenges in terms of economy, landscape and environmental issue as a consequence of peri-urbanisation processes. The main purpose of this thesis is to understand how peri-urbanization has impacted the traditional craft villages in the peri-urban area of Hanoi, and, through a detailed analysis of Cu Da village case study, proposing an integrated strategy for the village sustainable development, aimed at promoting economic growth, as well as cultural heritage preservation and urban landscape enhancement.