Nhu Xuan is one of 11 western mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa Province. After 22 years since the establishment of the district, Nhu Xuan has become the first mountainous district of the North Central region, one of the eight mountainous districts of the country, to exit out of the list of poor districts. In the economic sectors of Nhu Xuan, industry and handicrafts have made great progress, making important contributions to the economic and social development of the district. In this article, we focus on presenting some main features as well as to provide feedbacks on the development of Nhu Xuan industrial and handicraft economy in the period 1997-2018.