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With a population of 6,500, the village of Bát Tràng is dwarfed by its neighbor, Hà Nội, on the other side of the Red River. However, for the past six centuries (some say it could have been even longer) it has supplied beautiful ceramics to all of Việt Nam and to countries around the world. In the United States, some big and small stores carry Bát Tràng products, prized for their quality and reasonable prices.
We made a special trip to go see Bát Tràng, only 9 miles (15 kilometers) away from the center of Hà Nội. Almost every house is either a store or a place where they make ceramics from giant vases to dinnerware and small figurines. The place we visited and where I took the following shots made smaller vases and good-luck products in the form of animals and dolls.
During an effort at collectivization in the 1960’s, villagers were forced to use communal dragon kilns set up by the communist government. However, the dragon kilns were big and uneconomical, so Bát Tràng villagers built and hid small box kilns inside their houses. Over time the box kilns won over the inefficient government kilns. Today the box kilns are gas fired to reduce pollution, improve efficiency and maintain better quality control.
Of course the main street in the village consisted of nothing but stores where ceramics products are sold. Tourists can buy whatever they like, and larger pieces can be shipped back home for them.
Designerish said:
Let’s go shoppinf
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Designerish said:
Beautiful makes me want to go shopping
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bayphotosbydonna said:
The Bát Tràng villagers do beautiful artwork, I love your series of the process. This reminds me as a little girl, my mom and I painted ceramics and took them to the kiln store to fire them. I still have many pieces that her and I made. 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
This village has made ceramics for 600-700 years, so they must do something right! There is a Vietnamese saying that is intended to portray a life of leisure: “Sit in the shade, eat out of Bát Tràng.” Bát is also the word for rice bowl.
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Elizabeth Tichvon said:
Wonderful, informative post and great shots filled with color! Love the lampshades!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much Elizabeth!
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quietsolopursuits said:
At every level, from the mold makers to the artists that decorate the pieces to the people that add the finishing touches, they are all fantastic artists! Their only style seems to be beautiful, rather than concentrating on one style. Some of the pieces look like delftware, some appear to have a French influence, some are more traditionally Asian.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Jerry. I love to see how things are made and this village provides the best opportunities for that.
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Ticket to Adventures said:
Wow, this looks very interesting, I wish I had known about this place a couple of years ago when I visited Hanoi.
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neihtn2012 said:
We have a few Bát Tràng dinnerware and flower vases at home, so we wanted to go see how they are made. For tourists, some places now conduct classes and have pottery wheels and clay so that you can make your own!
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loisajay said:
It looks (and sounds) like you had a wonderful time, Hien.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks, Lois! I learned a lot too, which is always a good thing.
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