Bát Tràng ceramic village

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Around Hanoi there are many "Làng nghề truyền thống". They are the villages where specialized products are made and these traditional works have been preserved by family generations. The products are handicrafts, traditional paintings, wooden furniture, lacquerware, bronze or silk products etc. Bát Tràng ceramic village is one of them.

The 700-year-old Bát Tràng village is located 13km away from Hanoi's center. It's an ancient village, which is very famous for making ceramic products. Many of these ceramic products have been exported for years, as a result, they are a good income for the locals. There is a ceramic market in the village, where we can buy ceramic tile paintings, flower vases, tea pots and cups, bowls, plates, spoons, even ceramic dogs. Some famous characters in the Vietnamese literature like "Chí Phèo" and "Thị Nở" were also created in an amusing way, same as a traditional Vietnamese fortune teller wearing sun glasses. Not only the local houses where we can see how to mix material, make and paint ceramic products, but there are also classes where we can learn how to create a vase or anything from clay that we want, or just to paint the ready-made products.

To get to Bát Tràng from Hanoi, you can go to Long Biên bus station and get Bus No. 47 (Long Biên - Bát Tràng). A bus ticket costs VND 3,000 (equivalent to 20 US cents). The bus ride takes 30 minutes one way and the bus stops in front of the ceramic market. It is also possible to go there by boat along the Red River. Other than the ceramic market, it's great to walk around the village, visit some local houses which are the factories and Bát Tràng pagoda.

Please also view my Tranh gốm (ceramic tile paintings) blog dated 8 April 2008, which contains many photos taken in Bát Tràng ceramic village. I have separated them into different entries in my list for easier view.

Another famous ceramic village in northern Vietnam: Phù Lãng ceramic village

For furniture products, visit Đồng Kỵ furniture village

For making hats, visit Chuông hat village (Nón làng Chuông)

For making bird cages and seeing old houses, visit Vác village & Cự Đà village

For making hats, visit Chuà Thầy pagoda & Chàng Sơn fan village

For making drums, visit Đọi Tam drum village

For making rice papers, visit Thổ Hà old village

For making silk products, visit Vạn Phúc silk village

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