Oldest pottery village in Southeast Asia

As one of the two oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia, the village of Bau Truc is regarded as a museum where the traditional pottery trade of the Cham ethnic minority group is kept intact.

Located near Highway 1A, Bau Truc Village, Phuoc Dan Town, Ninh Thuan Province, is just 10km south of Phan Rang-Thap Cham City.

Around 85% of nearly 400 households in Bau Truc Village have been faithful to their traditional trade of making pottery products. A legend says that Poklong Chanh and his wife, Bau Truc pottery's ancestors, passed their profession to female villagers a thousand years ago. To express their gratitude to the ancestors' merit, the villagers yearly worship ancestor Poklong Chanh at the Kate Festival.

Bau Truc pottery products are specially made of alluvial soil, taken from the Quao River, to make these products shiny and smooth.

Unlike other trade villages using a turning table to create pottery products, Cham ethnic artisans always use their bare hands to create skilful products. Having been baked outdoors for 6 hours at temperatures ranging from 500 to 600 degree Celsius with straw and firewood, products are often covered with colours and then baked for 2 hours more.

The local people are very hospitable and happy to instruct tourists how to make products themselves.

Source: VNN

Translated by Mai Huong