Traveling Hoi An Ancient Town, you can do many interesting activities: visiting old buildings, eating specialties, listening to folk tunes, visiting craft villages. Within this article, we talk about a famous craft village that most visitors coming to Hoi An visit. That is Thanh Ha Pottery Village.
Thanh Ha Pottery Village is located beside romantic Thu Bon River, and has the area of 1km2. It is about 500 years old.The pottery village was established at the beginning of the 16th century and the most prosperous in the 17th and 18th century in line with the development of port Hoi An. At that time, every family used pottery. Later, undergoing many changes of the times, the pottery village sometimes seemed to be forgotten. However, with the enthusiasm of some artisans sticking to life with soil and fire, Thanh Ha pottery gradually recovered. In particular, since UNESCO recognized Hoi An ancient town as a “World Cultural Heritage”, Thanh Ha pottery village has become a destination to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
Especially in 2015, Thanh Ha Terracotta Park (also known as Thanh Ha Pottery Park or Thanh Ha Pottery Museum) officially went into operation with an area of more than 6,000m2. It is made up of bricks and earthenware, and it is thought that is the biggest and the most unique park in the country today. This place regularly organizes special exhibitions. In addition, every year on the 10th of the lunar calendar, the villagers solemnly hold a ceremony of the Anniversary of the occupation in Nam Dieu Temple to express their gratitude to the ancestors’ merit and build and transfer the profession to their descendants.
This pottery village produces a variety of items. The bricky color makes Thanh Ha pottery items different from items produced in other places. When it is clicked, it emits a clear sound, moreover, it has a well durable level. According to a long-time craftsmen in the pottery village, from the stage of making soil, through the hands molded on the turntable, until finishing pottery items, all have to be done carefully and skillfully.
The finished pottery items are sun-dried one day and then cooled to decorate patterns. Finally putting into the kiln, firing the firewood with the heat of 1,000 degrees Celsius, having to be careful, only a small negligence also makes the whole batch become rubble. So far, the pottery village still produces according to craft way with traditional techniques.
Visiting Thanh Ha Pottery Village is an opportunity for you to stay in a simple scene, see the beautiful pottery items made here, observe the ceramic production stages through the skillful hands of the artisans in the village, and you can also make a pottery item under help of a craftsman. You can buy fancy ceramic products at root prices. At the end of the tour, you are presented a ceramic gift, which is the gratitude of the craftsmen for tourists who visit, support the pottery village. Do not miss visiting the Thanh Ha Terracotta Park – the Vietnam’s largest pottery park. It is the unique “pottery museum” where you have a big chance to admire great items form big to small, miniatures of beautiful architectures of Vietnam and the world. Entrance fee at Thanh Ha Terracotta Park is 20,000 VND.
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