The potter's wheel
Shape and paint your own piece.
Donald Trung — CC BY-SA 4.0 · JakobHosp — CC BY 4.0 · Hungda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · RG72 — CC BY-SA 4.0
A village on the east bank of the Red River, about 13 km from central Hanoi, where pottery has been made since at least the fourteenth century. Its name, as written in old Chinese characters, means roughly «bowl ground», and Bat Trang ware is among the best-known ceramics in Vietnam, made today by hundreds of family workshops and small factories. Around the big ceramics market and along the main streets, shops sell everything from cups and plates to tall vases, usually for less than in the city centre. In the narrow lanes behind the main road are old brick houses and working studios, and at the heart of the village stands its old communal house, a listed historic monument. Many workshops let visitors try the potter's wheel, shape a piece by hand and paint it, for about 50,000 to 150,000 dong; the piece is fired and ready a few days later. Children especially love it. The village is free to enter. Allow half a day; bus 47A runs from Long Bien bus station, or a taxi takes about half an hour.
Shape and paint your own piece.
Cheaper than the city centre.
A listed monument in the village centre.
Bat Trang, Gia Lam District, about 13 km southeast of central Hanoi
About 50,000 to 150,000 dong a piece, depending on the workshop and the size; it is fired and ready a few days later.
Take bus 47A from Long Bien bus station, or a taxi in about half an hour; it is about 13 km away.