Hanoi Times – Bat Trang pottery village-Vietnam pottery has always been an appealing destination for local and foreign visitors, but now tourists flock to the traditional craft village in Gia Lam District not only to buy pottery, but to try their hand at making and decorating their own.
New services
Walking through Bat Trang these days, you will pass a number of shops inviting visitors to shape clay into different animals or to make pottery items themselves.
“They can create what they like, from simple things such as pots or bowls, to vases of different figures or to shape clay into animals such as cats, mice, buffaloes or cartoon characters,” said Nguyen Van Che, owner of a pottery shop.
While it is one of 30 pottery shops offering this do-it-yourself service, Che’s shop was the first in the village to take advantage of this trend back in 1994. “About ten years ago, people paid little attention to this kind of entertainment. But now, it has become attractive to not only local people, but also foreign tourists, particularly the youth,” he said.
Kneading clay into animals and cartoon characters and making pottery has become a fun activity to let loose after a long week
“After a week of hard study, coming to Bat Trang to try my hands at making pottery products is effective in easing my stress. You can form what you like, from simple animals such as a mouse or a fish to complex cartoon characters. If you are skilful, trying to become a potter for a day and make various pottery items will give you a great feeling that you will hardly find during your daily work or study,” said Trinh Phuong Linh, a student from Ha Noi National University.
For many people, sculpting pottery is not only entertaining, but helps improve creativity.
“Do not think it is dirty. Your hands, or even your clothes, can be covered with clay, but you will find it exciting to become an inventor, who tried his best to create pottery products of various shapes,” said Nguyen Manh Hung, a student from Ha Noi Fine Arts University.
“Particularly, I have a feeling of coming back to my childhood when I happily played with clay. It is a means of entertainment. That is the reason why I often go to the village during the weekend and spend all day kneading clay or making pottery products in a quiet place, staying far away from pressure and the city’s noise,” Hung said.
With wet clay, a basin of water and a turn-table, you are ready to start creating. However, making pottery is not easy. Some people spend 5 hours working on a vase or a bowl, but it never seems to come out right; one small mistake, and their piece is ruined.
“I spent two hours creating a vase but it looks like a cup – no, a bowl, no-I do not know what to call it now. Maybe I will try to make a plate,” said Le Thu Hang, 20.
“Their products are not perfect, like professional potters are, but visitors still feel happy as they complete the work,” said Che.
After the pottery is finished, it will be baked for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, visitors can paint and decorate their items. They can then buy their creations at a price of VND10-40,000 (US$0.60-2.30).
Visitors who don’t want to make their own ceramics can decorate pre-made pottery, an activity especially popular among children.
“It is wonderful. I can paint these cartoon characters in different colours,” said Nguyen Thu Phuong, 7, showing off a princess in a yellow hat and red dress, which she painted.
For foreign tourists, making pottery also deepens their understanding of Vietnamese culture.
“This is the first time I visited this traditional craft village and the first time I’ve tried my hand at making pottery. It’s so great, although I cannot do it well. Just trying it makes me understand how hard the work is and how skilful local craftsmen are,” said Heidi Stegner from Germany.
The village welcomes an average of 500 visitors a day, but on weekends or holidays, the figure reaches 3,000-5,000, according to Ha Van Lam, chief executive officer of the Bat Trang Tourism Company.
“The village is focusing on diversifying its services to attract more tourists. Providing visitors a chance to try their hand at creating ceramic items themselves was developed ten years ago and proved attractive to both local and foreign holiday-makers. Each shop supplying this service welcomes around 15-20 visitors each day,” he said.
Ancient art retained
700-year-old Bat Trang Village, about 10km northeast of Ha Noi on the left bank of the Red (Hong) River, has a long history of producing traditional ceramic products.
Local people first chose Bat Trang to develop the craft of ceramic making, because of the area’s natural porcelain clay and its location on the Hong River, which made it easily accessible by water.
The craft has continued to develop through the years, and now the village has thousands of kilns firing round the clock. Bat Trang ceramics are traditionally decorated with images which reflect Vietnamese history, daily activity and spiritual life: paintings of dragons, phoenixes, inscriptions, floral designs, images of people and landscapes.
Local artisans have worked hard to diversify their products, making not only objects used for worship and household items, but also fine art and high quality porcelain.
With unique porcelain clay, a secret enamel recipe and unparalleled artistry, Bat Trang pottery has become valuable goods revered by both the domestic and international communities.
The village’s products have earned a firm foothold in foreign markets, including Japan, the US and Europe. Pieces of ancient Bat Trang ceramics can be found in major museums across the world, including the Royaux museum in Belgium and the Guimet museum in France.
Since 2002, Bat Trang artisans have been part of the Bat Trang Ceramics Association to boost production and marketing. The association has helped local people and ceramics businesses get information about the market, learn of advanced technology, trading options and opportunities to strengthen their competitive edge.
Source: VNS
