Hanoi (VNA) - If pottery villages now mainly use molds, artisansin the Thanh Ha ancient pottery village in Hoi An city, the central province ofQuang Nam, have kept their traditional method of making pottery - hand made andwheel thrown.

Locatedon the banks of Thu Bon river, about 3km from Hoi An Ancient Town, the Thanh Haancient pottery village has been developed for more than 500 years. It isfamous nationwide for its traditional craft of making pottery and its delicatepottery products.

The ThanhHa traditional pottery trade was listed as the National Intangible CultureHeritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2019.

Legendhas it that in the beginning of the 16th century, artisans from the northcentral province of Thanh Hoa settled in Hoi An and established the village.They did their traditional craft and handed it down through the generations.

Duringthe 17th -18th centuries, the craft flourished, providing pottery products tocentral provinces. At that time, the village’s products were also exported toJapan, China and Spain via the Hoi An trading port.

Skilledartisans of the village also contributed to shaping  number ofroyal architecture works, mausoleums, and residences of kings andmandarins of the Nguyen Dynasty in Thua Thien - Hue.

Whenheating the pottery, Thanh Ha potters do not use thermometers to measure thetemperature, but only base on their experience. To give the pottery differentcolours, such as red gold, red brick, brown, pink and black, instead of usingenamels, the local potters only use techniques to mix the soil and use asuitable temperature when firing.

Potters use clayalong the Thu Bon river to make pottery. To produce a beautiful anddurable pottery product, it takes a long process and requiresmeticulousness.

Theproduct shaping process requires two people. One person stands on the groundwith one leg and uses the other foot to kick the rotary turntable,whilst the other person uses two hands to knead the clay into desiredshapes.

After being shaped, pottery products are taken out to the sun, thenbaked in traditional wood stoves. Although this is the last stage, itis extremely important, requiring right heat and time to be able to create thebest products.

The mainproducts of the Thanh Ha pottery village are utensils for daily life such ascups, bowls, jars, jars, vases, and ornamental pots with various designsand colours, especially these products are lighter than  similar products ofother localities.

To meetthe increasing demand of the market, Thanh Ha villagers now make diverseproducts of high artistic value, such as statues and decorative products. Notonly for domestic consumption, many products of the village have been exportedto Japan, Germany, the UK, France, and the US.

Visiting the village, tourists will have a chance to witness the skillsof local artisans and make pottery products themselves.

The mostspecial highlight in the Thanh Ha pottery village is the display area of worldwonder-shaped pottery products such as the Sydney Opera House, the TajMahal of India, the Colosseum of Italy and famous architectural works andmonuments of Vietnam such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the Temple ofLiterature, and President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum.

The ThanhHa pottery village is said to be an ideal destination for tourists who love toexplore traditional trades or want to find out the artistic from within theirown soul./.