Bat Trang Pottery Village, Hanoi, retains within itself the quintessence of artistic creativity and labor beauty of a traditional craft village.
The name Bat Trang Pottery Village is indisputable when discussing long-standing traditional craft villages in Vietnam. The Bat Trang Pottery Village is one of Vietnam’s main sources of pottery in addition to being a site to preserve Hanoi’s traditional culture. After experiencing many ups and downs over the years, Bat Trang Pottery Village is now a very popular tourist site close to Hanoi, drawing lots of visitors who wish to learn about the pottery business and purchase ceramic goods to take home.
Introduction to Bat Trang Pottery Village
According to Dai Viet Complete History, Bat Trang Pottery Village was formed during the Ly Dynasty, located on the left bank of the Red River, now in Gia Lam district, Hanoi.
Bat Trang Pottery Village, which has existed and grown for more than 500 years, is now a center for large-scale pottery manufacture, with numerous established commercial businesses alongside tiny household-based production. The community has maintained its priceless traditional culture and the artistic value given to each good, nonetheless.
Pottery kilns in Bat Trang produce pieces with more contemporary patterns, styles, and materials in addition to those used in the spiritual life and worship of Vietnamese people. Ceramic works of art by Bat Trang are now widely available in the Vietnamese market and exported to other nations in Europe and Asia.
Bat Trang Pottery village is now located in Bat Trang commune, including Giang Cao village and Bat Trang village, in Gia Lam district, Hanoi city. Bat Trang Pottery Village has had a more than 500-year history filled with numerous events and ups and downs. However, the pottery village still exists and continues to grow today thanks to the sustainability and dedication of the locals and craftsmen. It has become a cultural symbol and an indispensable part of Hanoi’s cultural heritage.
Interesting places in Bat Trang Pottery Village
Bat Trang Ancient Village
Walking around the ancient village area, walking along the dike road, or weaving into small alleys is one of the interesting things to do when coming to Bat Trang Pottery Village. Pottery drying racks along village roads, moss-covered walls, village gates, communal courtyards, stone pillars, and so on, will definitely be the background for your vintage photos.
Bat Trang Pottery Market
This 6,000 square meter market sells a wide variety of ceramic products, from fine art decorations, and souvenirs, to consumer goods, worship items, and rockery miniatures. You can absolutely own an item from Bat Trang Pottery Market at a reasonable price.
Bat Trang Pottery Making Experience
After walking around the market, you go to the market gate and register to play pottery making for about 10,000 VND/turn. With a rotating ceramic table, and dedicated instructions on how to shape and model, you can try your hand at molding ceramics and be creative to your heart’s content. After finishing manufacturing, if you want to burn the finished product as a souvenir, you only have to pay an additional 40,000 – 60,000 VND.
Ancient “Vạn Vân” House
“Vạn Vân” means the gathering of auspicious clouds. “Vạn Vân” ancient house is a place to store products of craft villages, most of which are Bat Trang ceramics.
Located at the end of Bat Trang village, the ancient house is suitable for you to stop by and admire the collection of more than 400 precious ancient ceramics dating back about 500 years.
Bat Trang Pottery Museum
Located in Village 5, Bat Trang Commune, Bat Trang Pottery Museum is a brand new check-in location for young people. Coming here, you will be immediately impressed with 7 giant spirals colliding with each other, based on the idea of a ceramic turntable, with multi-faceted curved surfaces, forming a very soft curving architectural block. In addition, this project also thoroughly uses local materials such as fired bricks and Bat Trang tiles to honor the rustic and simple features of the traditional craft village.
