In the village outside of Hanoi where Lanh grew up, most families struggled to earn an income from unpredictable rice farming. But Lanh knew her village had something special to offer—the hand carved water buffalo horn crafts they had been creating for centuries. When Lanh married her husband, the couple started dreaming of harnessing this tradition to bring fair, reliable incomes to their neighbors–and to create pieces that people everywhere would love.

For ten years, they worked to grow their business, but they could never find a reliable market. Then they connected with Noonday’s Artisan Business Partner–and their business blossomed. Today, Lanh’s vision of sharing her village’s craft with the world has become a reality. “We are so thankful that we have this traditional job,” Lanh shares.“And we love teaching the young people of our village to carry this craft on too.”

Vietnam is one of the most populous countries in the world and stretches along the coast of the South China Sea. Beginning in 1954, Vietnam was partitioned into two countries, and was reunified in 1976. Vietnam places a high value on education and has a literacy rate of 96%. Handcrafts are also highly valued as cultural treasures; over 2700 villages in Vietnam are known as "craft villages" because they have specialized in a particular handcraft for hundreds of years.