Ban Viet Studio

Behind every coconut candy, handcrafted souvenir, or traditional specialty in Bến Tre are generations of knowledge, craftsmanship, and pride. Yet I began to notice a disconnect: while local artisans devoted years to perfecting their products, many struggled to communicate their value in an increasingly visual digital marketplace.

This inspired me to found Ban Viet Studio, a student-led initiative using photography, branding, and visual storytelling to help preserve the identities of local products while expanding their opportunities to reach new customers.

I began by interviewing 30 local households about their sales challenges, listening to the difficulties they faced in product presentation, digital marketing, and reaching customers beyond their communities. These conversations shaped our approach: rather than simply creating advertisements, we wanted to make the people and traditions behind each product visible.

Drawing on these stories, I developed a visual catalog featuring 20 local handmade products, combining product photography with narratives of their origins, craftsmanship, and cultural significance.

But I realized that meaningful impact required more than creating beautiful images for producers. It meant giving them the skills to tell their own stories.

I organized three hands-on workshops on smartphone product photography and social media marketing, alongside a practical handbook titled “Building Brands for Coconut-Land Specialties.” Designed around accessible tools and everyday resources, the guide showed producers how to transform natural lighting, local materials, and a smartphone into compelling product photographs and digital storefront content.

Partnering with two local cooperatives, we extended photography training to nearly 160 craft households, helping bring practical visual communication skills closer to the communities whose livelihoods depend on these products.

Through Ban Viet Studio, I discovered that visual storytelling could do more than document cultural identity. It could help local producers communicate the value of their work and participate more confidently in the digital marketplace.