In the middle of Bat Trang, listen to the land tell stories

We arrived in Bat Trang (Hanoi) on a weekend autumn afternoon, when the sun was gentle on the old tiled roofs, the smell of clay wafted in the wind and the sound of turntables echoed from small workshops along the road.

The giant turntable-shaped architecture of the Vietnamese Craft Village Essence Center

Stopping at the Vietnamese Craft Village Essence Center - a structure shaped like a giant turntable in the heart of the craft village, we entered a space where earth, water, fire and human hands continue to tell the story of the pottery craft. The first feeling is not the splendor but the touch, from the smell of the earth, the warmth of the kiln to the golden light reflecting on the products on display. Here, everything seems to move slower, as if time also wants to leisurely watch the rotation of the craft that has existed for hundreds of years.

Tourists try their hand at making pottery

The ground floor is the Turntable Studio, where anyone can become an artist for an afternoon. The young guide ushered us into our aprons and led us to the wheel, which held a block of dark brown clay. The clay was damp, soft, and cool. As the wheel gently turned, the clay seemed to have a soul of its own, swaying and tilting with each clumsy movement of our novice hands.

At first, the earth did not listen. The left hand was not steady, the right hand pressed too hard, causing the earth to tilt to one side. The guide gently told us not to try to force it, just let the earth rotate and follow it. We tried again, more gently, more patiently. With each slow rotation, the earth gradually rounded, rising into the shape of a small bowl. At that moment, everything around us seemed to slow down, only the hand, the rotation and the sound of the wind blowing through the open door.

Tourists decorate their ceramic products

After shaping, we moved on to painting and carving patterns. Some people chose to paint bamboo branches, others just carved a few water waves. Under the warm dim light, the blue color spread with each brush stroke. The small cups, vases, and plates bearing each person's handprint were placed on trays waiting to be fired. The tour guide said that after a few days the product would be completed, the pottery would harden, just like how time and fire complete a journey. Listening to him, I suddenly realized that pottery itself is a lesson in patience, only after going through enough fire, will the soil become strong.

Leaving the turntable area, we walked through the museum’s exhibition floors. Each floor had its own story, with ancient ceramic pieces still cracked, modern ceramic products with unconventional shapes, and even worn-out tools. In a small corner, an introductory board recounted the history of the craft village, where Bat Trang people still call their profession “ceramic making” rather than “ceramic production”, a name that contains love and respect for the land.

Exquisite ceramic products

Walking among these artifacts, we clearly saw the bond between people and the land. Each piece of pottery, whether perfect or flawed, was a mark of a hand. Like the experience we had just had, sometimes beauty lies in the imperfections, in the small slant, in the uneven brushstrokes, in the feeling of making something for the first time with your own hands. These things make people remember longer than a finely crafted object.

The afternoon gradually fell. The sunset light filtered through the ceramic windows, reflecting on the warm earthen wall. Outside, a few other groups of tourists were still laughing and chatting, the turntable was still spinning slowly, the sound of the earth hitting the palms was as steady as the breathing of the craft village.

Visitors stroll through the ceramic museum space

As we left, we looked back at the space we had just left, the light from the kiln still shining on the blocks of earth waiting to be shaped. The pottery making experience had ended, but the feeling of stillness and the slow rotation of the wheel remained, reminding us that amidst today’s hurried pace of life, just one afternoon of putting our hands in the earth is enough to understand more about the work and love of the artisans here…

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/giua-bat-trang-nghe-dat-ke-chuyen-403021.html