Nguyen Viet Lam and his creation of a beautifully shaped horse mascot are displayed in front of the Thanh Ha pottery village gate during the Lunar New Year of the Horse - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
To create the glazed ceramic products he has today, Nguyen Viet Lam spent nearly five years quietly researching, experimenting, and accepting numerous failures.
Rediscovering the unique glaze of Thanh Ha pottery.
In the past, life was difficult, and making glazed pottery was labor-intensive and expensive, so most households in Thanh Ha pottery village focused only on producing ordinary earthenware products such as clay figurines, bowls, and plates. As a result, the traditional glaze-making formula gradually faded away and was lost, which deeply saddened him.
The early years of experimenting with glazed pottery were a very stressful time for Lam. To produce glazed pottery that met standards, it was necessary to invest in an electric kiln that could reach temperatures of around 1,300°C. Each kiln operation was quite expensive, so it was impossible to fire only a few products. Conversely, firing a large quantity without achieving the desired glaze meant discarding the entire kiln.
Those were the days when even the process of drying the clay, preparing the mold, and shaping it had to be done with extreme care, because a single mistake could ruin the entire firing batch.
Nguyen Viet Lam hopes to revive Thanh Ha ceramic glaze - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
"Making rough pottery might only take a few steps, but glazing requires 8-9 steps, not to mention the much longer firing time and higher temperatures," Mr. Lam said.
After numerous failures and adjustments along the way, he finally found a glaze formula suitable for the Thanh Ha soil. Lam sources his glaze ingredients entirely from nature, such as wood ash and limestone. However, depending on the temperature and processing method, each batch of glaze will have a slightly different color. This creates a unique and distinctive glaze color that is difficult to achieve with industrially produced glazes.
If he makes raw earthenware products, his workshop can operate 4-5 kilns a month, producing thousands of items each. But when making glazed products, he only operates 1-2 kilns a month, with each kiln producing about 150 items. However, glazed products are more valuable and more popular in the market.
Traditional glazed ceramic products require skill and meticulous craftsmanship because even a small mistake at any stage, such as improper clay mixing, insufficient drying, or under-cured glaze, can cause the product to crack, explode, or the glaze to be ruined when fired in the kiln at very high temperatures.
Nguyen Viet Lam is concerned about reviving Thanh Ha pottery (Hoi An) - Photo: THANH NGUYEN
These days, Lam is busy sculpting horse figurines from blocks of clay. Showing off a rather cute-looking horse in his hands, he said this is a line of lucky horse ceramics that will be launched during Tet (Lunar New Year).
"The 'lucky horse,' with its plump appearance, short legs, and gentle demeanor, was the type of horse that officials in the past rode back to their hometowns after achieving success, symbolizing wealth and good fortune. The horse can be displayed in the house or used as a piggy bank for saving money at the beginning of the year," Mr. Lam said.
In addition, he boasted that he will soon be adding more ceramic horse figurines with even more symbolic meanings. Lam explained that horses, which symbolize success, have slender bodies, two hind legs firmly planted on the base, and two front legs raised high as if galloping. Each finished horse figurine measures approximately 30cm in length and height.
He said that sculpting was the most difficult part, requiring the craftsman to convey the fluidity of movement while maintaining the steadiness and majestic aura of the mascot. Because of its considerable size, he had to sculpt each horse's individual parts according to predetermined proportions before assembling them to create the complete horse.
To complete a single horse figurine, the craftsman must spend 50-60 hours working through numerous consecutive steps such as mixing the clay, shaping the mold, drying, glazing, and firing at high temperatures. Each step requires meticulous attention to detail to create a perfect glazed ceramic horse figurine. He stated that the selling price of each horse figurine ranges from 500,000 VND to several million VND, depending on size, shape, and glaze color.
As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, the number of orders increases continuously, forcing his workshop to increase production capacity to meet customer demand. Besides selling to the market, the horse mascot products from his workshop are also chosen to decorate public spaces during Tet. Alongside fulfilling orders for partners, Lam is currently crafting two large horse mascots for local decoration, creating a cultural highlight for residents and tourists visiting Hoi An this spring.
The Hoi An Tay Ward Public Service Center announced that this year the locality commissioned artisans to create three pairs of terracotta horse mascots with different shapes and colors, displayed along the road leading to Thanh Ha pottery village. These mascots not only contribute to the Tet (Lunar New Year) atmosphere but also serve as photo spots for tourists, helping to promote the image of the traditional craft village.
Bringing traditional pottery to the international stage.
The successful restoration of glazed pottery not only contributes to preserving the value of the traditional Thanh Ha craft village but also opens up new avenues for the development of local pottery products. From household items and decorative objects to collectibles and feng shui items, glazed pottery is becoming increasingly diverse, meeting the increasingly sophisticated tastes of the market, and is particularly favored by international tourists, opening up opportunities for Thanh Ha pottery to reach foreign markets.
Thanks to this success, the glazed ceramic product line produced by Mr. Nguyen Viet Lam's family has been recognized as a three-star OCOP product, contributing to maintaining the Thanh Ha ceramic brand with over 500 years of history.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoi-phuc-dong-men-gom-thanh-ha-hon-500-nam-tuoi-20260201094533663.htm
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