Vietnam TravelTravel Special FeaturesVietnam - The Craft VillagesBat Trang Pottery

Bat Trang Pottery

The road is black with coal dust while, all around, smoke drifts up from hundreds of brick kilns. Men wheel bicycles laden with huge bundles of pottery towards the river, where small boats are waiting to carry Bat Trang's famous wares to Hanoi. With its atmosphere of smoke, dust, noise and sweet, the village feels medieval, its narrow lanes hemmed in by high brick walls, its yards crowded with kilns, workers, and pottery.

In start contrast to the way in which they are produced, the wares themselves are both delicate and beautiful. Today, over 80 percent of Bat Trang's 6,000 or so residents are involved in the pottery trade, turning out everything from floor tiles to exquisitely crafted tea sets.

The village dates back five countries, tracing its roots to potters from Bo Bat village in Thanh Hoa province. These migrants chose the site of Bat Trang for three reasons: the capital of Thang Long lay just 12km to the northwest; the river allowed for easy transportation; and the site was a rich source of high quality white clay.

Bat Trang, which translates as 'bowl-making village' became famous for its bricks and for its bat dan, a type of bowl popular in the Red River Delta. Bat Trang was so well known that its bricks were mentioned in a folk ballad:

One day I hope to marry you.

Then I will buy bricks from Bat Tang to build our house.

The village's ceramics were finished with five types of glaze: iron brown, blue and white, ivory, moss green, and cracked. The most typical designs, and the ones that are most popular to this day, involve a combination of white and deep cobalt blue.

By the 19th century potters from Bat Trang had established the guild streets of Bat Su and Bat Dan (both of which translate as 'Ceramic bowl') in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Today, the products of this little village are exported all over the world.

And unlike many of Vietnam's traditional products, the bricks, bowls, tea sets and flower pots of Bat Trang village are as popular with Vietnamese consumers today as they were five centuries ago.

Getting There

Bat Trang lies about 10km fro central Hanoi. Cross the Red River via the Chuong Duong Bridge, then turn right into the dyke road. Drive for 5km until you reach a road sloping downhill to your right. This marks the start of Bat Trang village.