Gia Thuy Ceramics on the journey of brand positioning

Lying peacefully by the Hoang Long River (Gia Tuong Commune), Gia Thuy pottery village has long been known as the "cradle" of the famous brown earthenware pottery with a rustic, rough but durable beauty like the character of the people in this semi-mountainous region. Quickly adapting to the market economy, Gia Thuy is gradually transforming, standardizing, professionalizing and building a "brand passport" for ceramic products to affirm its position in the market, aiming for sustainable development.

Ceramic products of Gia Thuy Ceramic Cooperative. Photo: Ngoc Anh

" Keeping the fire " of the craft village in the semi-mountainous land

According to elders and recorded documents, the pottery profession took root in Gia Thuy land since the late 1950s, when talented potters from Thanh Hoa migrated here to establish a business. What makes Gia Thuy pottery unique compared to other ceramic lines is its natural gloss thanks to the raw materials and skillful firing techniques. Nature has favored this land with a rare golden brown clay mine. This type of soil has high adhesion, smoothness and extraordinary heat resistance. In the profession, people consider this type of soil as the "soul" of the product.

The process of processing soil in Gia Thuy is an art of patience. After being mined, the soil is not used immediately but must be dried, crushed, and then soaked in a tank to soften the soil. Not stopping there, the worker must stir well, filter through a sieve to remove impurities and stones, and only collect the most quintessential solid soil at the bottom. This soil is continued to be dried until it reaches the ideal plasticity before being kneaded. It is the meticulousness in processing this raw material that creates the premise for strong, sturdy ceramic products.

Gia Thuy pottery is rustic, of superior quality, and is popular among people. Photo: Ngoc Anh

The most unique feature, also the pride of Gia Thuy artisans, is the unglazed firing technique. While many other ceramic lines rely on the outer glaze layer to create color and shine, Gia Thuy ceramics use the temperature itself to "paint" the product. The unfinished jars, pots, vases... are continuously fired in the kiln for at least 3 days and 3 nights at a temperature above 1,3000C. At that temperature, the golden brown clay transforms, secreting a layer of "self-glaze" to create a naturally shiny ceramic surface, with a characteristic eel skin or dark brown color, and when tapped, it makes a crisp, clanging sound like a bell. The finished product is not only beautiful in a rustic, strong way, but also has timeless durability, does not leak, and can withstand impacts and harsh weather conditions. Gia Thuy ceramic jars used to soak wine, pickle vegetables, store rainwater... have become familiar items in the homes of the Vietnamese in the North for many decades.

Over the past 60 years, Gia Thuy craft village has also faced certain difficulties. The appearance of cheap and convenient plastic, stainless steel and glass items has caused the ceramic pottery industry to suffer. There were times when the potters had to sadly leave the wheel to find other ways to make a living. However, the "fire" in Gia Thuy has never gone out.

With a burning love for the craft, artisans and local authorities have made efforts to revive the craft village. Gia Thuy Ceramic Cooperative was established, gathering nearly 60 members who are becoming the core of production and business links. Not only limited to rudimentary household products such as jars, artisans of Gia Thuy ceramic village have flexibly transformed themselves, diversifying designs into fine art ceramics, decorative ceramics... Artistic flower vases, sophisticated miniature landscapes with the soul of the Vietnamese countryside appear more and more in luxurious spaces, restaurants, hotels, resorts...

In particular, the local government has planned a concentrated production area of ​​5,000m2 and a raw material area of ​​nearly 10,000m2 separate from the residential area to solve the problem of environmental pollution, creating momentum for sustainable development. Gia Thuy pottery today is not only a commodity product, but also a cultural story, an attractive tourist destination of the ancient capital.

Building a collective brand - a lever to enhance the value of Gia Thuy ceramics

Despite its long tradition and outstanding quality, in the context of fierce market competition, Gia Thuy ceramics also faces many difficulties when the production households are still mainly small; product designs are not diverse; lack of labeling and packaging systems, so when it comes to the market, consumers find it difficult to recognize real Gia Thuy ceramics. The absence of a legally protected trademark not only makes the economic value of the product not commensurate with the efforts of the craftsmen, but also poses the risk of reputation infringement, counterfeiting and imitation.

Realizing the urgency of brand building, the Provincial People's Committee has approved the scientific and technological task of "Creating, managing and developing the collective trademark "Gia Thuy Ceramics" for Gia Thuy ceramic products (Gia Tuong commune) , chaired by the National Institute of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) from December 2023 with the expectation of enhancing the position of Gia Thuy ceramic products in the market, bringing socio-economic efficiency to producers and traders . At the same time, maintain and promote the craft village tradition of local people, participating in the craft village tourism chain of Ninh Binh .

The host unit has deployed a series of foundational activities. Investigation and survey work were carried out carefully to comprehensively assess the production and business situation as well as the advantages and difficulties of craft households and market trends. At the same time, Gia Thuy Ceramics Cooperative was identified as the organization that owns the collective trademark. Along with that, technical steps were deployed synchronously: designing a trademark model suitable for product characteristics; delimiting the geographical area; requesting permission from the Provincial People's Committee to use the place name "Gia Thuy"; preparing a registration file for protection and sending it to the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology)...

The highlight of the project is the set of standards for products bearing the collective trademark "Gia Thuy - Ninh Binh Pottery" issued on the basis of actual surveys, artisan opinions and comparison with national standards. Accordingly, the clay source must be exploited in Nho Quan district (formerly); the production process must comply with the instructions of the Cooperative; the product has eel skin color or dark brown, natural glossy surface, sharp, crisp knocking sound; products in contact with food must meet the standards specified in QCVN 12-4:2015/BYT; raw clay is applied according to National Standard TCVN 13776:2023. The set of standards not only helps control quality but also protects consumers, creating a basis for the Cooperative to evaluate and grant trademark rights to members.

Along with that is the Regulation on management and use of collective trademarks, ensuring consistency from production to distribution, preventing abuse, counterfeiting and imitation.

Representative of the Intellectual Property Department awarded the Certificate of Collective Trademark "Gia Thuy - Ninh Binh Pottery" to Gia Thuy Pottery Cooperative, Gia Tuong Commune. Photo: Hong Nhung

Up to now, the Collective Trademark "Gia Thuy - Ninh Binh Pottery" has been granted protection certificate No. 566186 by the National Office of Intellectual Property on August 21, 2025, creating a foundation for standardizing production processes, enhancing product competitiveness, and opening up opportunities to bring Gia Thuy pottery further on the map of Vietnamese handicrafts.

Along with intellectual property protection, the project also pays special attention to building an identification and promotion system: stamps, labels, packaging; identification manual; website; communication documents; video clips about craft villages; bringing products to participate in OCOP fairs and exhibitions... This is the "passport" that helps Gia Thuy ceramic products become easily recognizable, easily accessible, confidently conquering demanding markets and modern customers, creating an absolute competitive advantage compared to floating products of unknown origin. The collective trademark management model "Gia Thuy - Ninh Binh Ceramics" is also the basis for replication to other traditional craft villages of Ninh Binh province.

The journey to affirm the collective brand for Gia Thuy pottery is not only the story of a product, but also the story of a craft village, of the effort to preserve traditional culture in the modern life. For the brand "Gia Thuy - Ninh Binh Pottery" of the semi-mountainous region to develop sustainably, it requires the joint efforts of the government, specialized agencies, businesses and each artisan - the ones who create not only rustic pottery products, but also the pride of the homeland.

Ngoc Anh

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/gom-gia-thuy-tren-hanh-trinh-dinh-vi-thuong-hieu-tap-the-251205150127131.html