Preserving complete peace for the traditional craft village.
Recalling the historic floods of October 2025, the people of the pottery village are still haunted by the memory of the entire village being deeply submerged, raw materials damaged, and many kilns having to temporarily cease operation. One thing that warms the hearts of the entire village is the role of the police force in maintaining peace and order. When the raging floodwaters engulfed Thanh Ha pottery village, the ward police force truly became a solid support for the villagers.
This was most clearly demonstrated by the incident that occurred on the evening of October 29, 2025. According to local residents, that day, heavy and prolonged rain caused floodwaters to rise and flow rapidly, resulting in a particularly serious boat capsizing incident in the Thanh Ha fish market area. Venerable Thich Dong Van – Abbot of Minh Giac Pagoda – and two other people were delivering food supplies to Buddhist followers in the flooded area when they were suddenly overwhelmed by the raging water. The boat capsized, and all three managed to cling to the roof of a house near the fish market, shouting for help in the dark, pouring rain. Rescue efforts were immediately launched. However, due to the extremely strong current, many rescue boats continued to sink; some people fell into the fast-flowing water. The situation was extremely critical.
Upon receiving the report, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quang Trung, Head of the Hoi An Tay Ward Police, personally arrived at the scene to command the forces and mobilized additional resources from residents of Nam Dieu neighborhood to access the dangerous area. Despite heavy rain, darkness, and raging currents, police officers and soldiers from the ward, in coordination with the local people, bravely held their ground and successfully rescued nine people from the raging floodwaters, saving their lives at the last minute.
Before they could rest after the stressful hours, the police force of Tan Thanh ward rushed to a new hotspot upon receiving news of serious erosion along the coastal embankment. High tides combined with large waves continuously encroached deep inland, directly threatening houses and public infrastructure. Amidst the rain and wind, dozens of officers and soldiers were mobilized to the scene, coordinating with militia, soldiers, and local people to urgently build temporary embankments, protecting every meter of the sandy shore and every piece of property of the people from the risk of being swept away by the sea waves.
Throughout the heavy rains and floods, the Hoi An Tay Ward Police mobilized hundreds of officers and soldiers to man checkpoints on deeply flooded roads; directly participated in rescue operations and transported food by boat; and organized the relocation of hundreds of households and their belongings to safe shelters.
Racing against time… during Tet holiday season.
“I’m glad that, like generations before them, the young people in the craft village haven’t given up. As soon as the floodwaters receded, the artisans busied themselves cleaning up, drying the clay, repairing the kilns, and lighting the first fires. The floods caused great damage, but as long as there’s land and fire, there’s the craft,” said Mr. Pham Meo (73 years old), a senior artisan of the village, slowly. It is precisely in these hardships that the young artisans’ commitment to the craft village becomes even more evident; the flame of Thanh Ha pottery will surely never be extinguished by the harsh weather.
Visiting Thanh Ha during the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), we felt as if the entire pottery village had been awakened by the bustling rhythm of the craft. Everywhere we went, we heard the clacking of potters, smelled the earthy aroma of fired clay, and saw the glowing embers of the kilns. Along the narrow alleys, artisans busied themselves at their potters and kilns, their furnaces blazing from early morning until late at night, creating a more urgent and vibrant atmosphere than usual.
At the workshop of Mr. Le Van Nhat (Nam Dieu neighborhood), a skilled craftsman with decades of experience and well-known to many tourists, orders for Tet (Lunar New Year) have been fully booked since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. “This year, the horse is the main theme for the Year of the Horse Tet. In December 2025 alone, my workshop supplied over 600 products to souvenir shops in Hoi An Old Town,” Mr. Nhat shared.
Regarding the horse-shaped clay figurines, this young craftsman said that on average, it only takes him about 3 minutes to mold each product, then he gathers enough pieces and puts them into the kiln. "Clay figurines usually take about 7 hours to fire, while glazed products need twice as long," Nhat added, his hands still nimbly carving the final details before placing the batch of pottery into the kiln.
Not far away, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang and the young artisans in the village are meticulously finishing pairs of horse figurines to decorate the road leading into the village. Every year, Mr. Hoang and Mr. Nhat are responsible for crafting the New Year's mascots. For the Year of the Horse (Binh Ngo), each workshop produced two ceramic horses, contributing to the vibrant spring atmosphere of this over 500-year-old craft village. "The most difficult part is maintaining the shape of the horse's head; it needs careful support until the product is dry and hard enough. Hopefully, when the mascots are unveiled, they will attract locals and tourists to admire them," Mr. Hoang said.
Mr. Bui Van Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoi An Tay Ward, happily announced that on December 31, 2025, Thanh Ha pottery village will solemnly receive the "Best Community Tourism Destination of 2025" award from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "From 8 establishments with 24 workers in the early 2000s, by 2025, Thanh Ha will become a typical cultural tourism destination, welcoming over 251,000 visitors, including 224,000 international visitors. Tourists will not only buy pottery but also experience each stage of the 'earth - water - fire' process of the craft village," the local leader added.
So, after the historic floods, the rhythmic sound of the pottery wheel still echoes in the blazing kilns, signaling that the Lunar New Year of the Horse is drawing near to this nearly 500-year-old craft village. In this peaceful atmosphere, the silent footsteps of local police officers are heard, ensuring that spring arrives fully on every rooftop and every pottery kiln along the Thu Bon River.
Source: https://cand.com.vn/Chuyen-dong-van-hoa/lang-gom-500-nam-tuoi-do-lua-don-tet--i796664/
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