Bat Trang Pottery Village – The mark of a 700-year-old craft village

Visiting traditional craft villages is gradually becoming a trend for travel enthusiasts. If you don't have any plans this weekend, come with 3-region Travel to Bat Trang and experience the intangible cultural values ​​through the working life of famous artisans who are devoted to preserving national culture.

Introduction to Bat Trang pottery village

Bat Trang village in the suburbs of Hanoi is famous for being a long-standing pottery village with over 700 years of history. The exquisite ceramic and porcelain products are molded from special white clay by the hands of talented artisans and will inspire anyone who wants to learn about this elaborate traditional craft.

Where is Bat Trang pottery village?

Address: Located at 204 Giang Cao, Bat Trang, Gia Lam, Hanoi - about 15km from the city center. Visitors can choose personal vehicles or buses to get here. Cars, motorbikes:

• Travel time: 30 minutes from city center

• How to get to Bat Trang by motorbike: go through Hoang Dieu, Long Bien – Xuan Quang streets. The specific route will be fully updated on Google Maps.

• Parking fee: from 10,000 VND/vehicle. (You can park at the village communal house yard).

Bus to Bat Trang

• Visitors can take bus number 47A and get off at Bat Trang bus stop and walk about 1km to get there. Detailed route can be found at busmap.vn.

(Source: @tahoturtle)

Ticket prices and opening hours

• Entrance fee to Bat Trang pottery village: Free.

• Opening hours: Pottery Village   open all day. However, some tourist attractions here will have certain operating hours so visitors need to pay attention such as: Van Van Ancient House: 8:00 - 17:30; Ancient Kiln: 8:00 - 17:30; Bat Trang Ceramic Market: 8:00 - 19:00.

History of Bat Trang pottery village Gia Lam Hanoi

“Bat Trang” means “a large yard” dedicated to the development of household items. Not only that, when translated into Chinese, this name means wealth associated with the origin, a message for descendants to continue to maintain the core values ​​left by their ancestors. Indeed, the pottery village has existed for hundreds of years with many great cultural meanings, contributing to the identity of Vietnam. When did Bat Trang pottery village begin to exist? According to legend, the pottery village began to form in the 11th century, when King Ly moved the capital to Thang Long, artisans migrated from Bo Bat village ( Ninh Binh ) to settle here. This place has a source of raw materials such as white clay, of high quality to create excellent products. However, history books began to record the appearance of the village in the 15th century, when Bat Trang pottery products were widely used both domestically and internationally, and were honored to be chosen by the royal court as tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

(Source@chilan_hiroshima)

The development of Bat Trang pottery village continued to flourish in the 16th century. When entering the period from the end of the 17th century to the first half of the 19th century, Bat Trang ceramic products decreased in export but were still the top choice in the country. During the French colonial period, Bat Trang pottery had to compete with many imported products but was not inferior, maintaining a certain advantage. Up to now, Bat Trang pottery village has maintained sustainable development and is still training many young artisans to continue to preserve the tradition from their ancestors. Gradually, this place has increasingly developed, expanded production types, improved production technology and brought higher quality products. In addition, the villagers also maintain their core values ​​and are making efforts to restore the glaze lines from the past.

Top experiences at Bat Trang pottery village, Hanoi

Bat Trang is definitely an ideal tourist destination near Hanoi to visit and explore in a day. As a famous and long-standing traditional craft village, visitors can find many unique and sophisticated ceramic and porcelain products here; at the same time, activities such as pottery molding, coloring, visiting the ceramic museum, watching skilled artisans making ceramics, etc. will certainly be enjoyable experiences for a day of walking around Bat Trang.

What is beautiful about Bat Trang pottery village?

Bat Trang ancient village pottery market (950m from the village gate)

(Source: @lasvegas1988)

The market covers an area of ​​about ^6000m2 with hundreds of different shops, taking visitors into a colorful maze. The market impresses visitors with its diverse range of Bat Trang ceramic products: household items, decorative items, worship items, etc. Besides, the prices here are extremely affordable, much cheaper than shopping at other distribution points. Perhaps this is the reason why Bat Trang market is always a place that attracts a large number of tourists.

Bat Trang Turntable House (1.9 km from the village gate)

The Turntable House is one of the places not to be missed when visiting Bat Trang pottery village. The Turntable House or Bat Trang pottery museum was started construction in 2018 with an extremely unique design, demonstrating the boundless creativity of the artisans.

Bat Trang turntable house (Source: @trang29092001)

This architectural work is divided into three parts. The first floor is an area to display beautiful ceramic products from famous artisans and a space to organize art events. The second floor is uniquely designed with the shape of 7 turntables forming a soft curve, surrounding the museum. It displays Bat Trang ceramic products from each period, helping visitors learn about the history of Bat Trang. The top terrace area is extremely airy, a place where groups of guests can choose to organize entertainment events. The turntable house is increasingly becoming a super "hot" place attracting many visitors.

Bat Trang ancient kiln (700m from the village gate)

The Song Hong B kiln is the only remaining gourd kiln in Bat Trang pottery village, with an area of ​​over 1000m2, 15m long, serving the need to heat a very large amount of products. Inside the kiln there are five consecutive domes shaped like inverted shells connected to each other. Outside the kiln is a showroom and a pottery making experience area that is very popular with tourists.

Bat Trang ancient gourd kiln (Source: @hyuko_hanoi)

The tour guides at the ancient gourd kiln are all very polite, enthusiastic, and ready to answer customers' questions. Next to this location is a nostalgic, elegant cafe with delicious drinks for visitors to stop by.

Village temple (1.2km from Bat Trang pottery village gate)

The communal house was built to worship six gods who fought against the enemy and brought back a peaceful life for the people. To show respect, every detail of the communal house is made of the best materials. The pillars and beams are made of sturdy ironwood; the communal house steps, foundation, etc. are built with bricks produced by the villagers.

Bat Trang communal house (Source: battrang.egal)

The communal house was built in the shape of the letter Nhi, consisting of two parallel rooms, the main hall and the royal palace. This place was recognized by the state as a ranked architectural and artistic relic in 2002. When learning about Bat Trang pottery village, visitors should come here to visit the historic communal house roof, and enjoy the breeze and peaceful atmosphere on the banks of the Red River.

Van Van Ancient House

Van Van Ancient House is located at the end of Bat Trang village, has existed for more than 200 years and is a place to preserve traces of the development of ceramic products through each period. Visitors here can enjoy the green space with trees, sip a cup of tea and enjoy the architectural and artistic values.

What to do in Bat Trang pottery village?

Take photos, check-in

The entire landscape here has a traditional, ancient beauty with a brick red tone. Therefore, visitors can have satisfactory photos at every corner of the pottery village.

(Source: @snowball.0304)

Some places that 3-region tourism suggests for you to check-in: village gate, pottery market, turntable house, etc. The photos brought from the pottery village will certainly not disappoint you because of the "vintage" and elegant quality.

Discover traditional cultural values ​​of craft villages through ceramic products

Visitors to Bat Trang pottery village will hear the long-standing historical stories of the pottery village, visit places that are of great significance to the local people such as Bat Trang communal house, Van Van ancient house, ancient gourd kiln, etc. Not only that, the love of visitors to visit is also a motivation for artisans to continue to love their profession and maintain the good cultural features of the nation.

Visit some workshops in the village and observe the Bat Trang pottery making process

Visitors can go deep into the village and ask for directions to visit some pottery workshops such as Minh Quang Pottery, Hung Hoa Pottery, etc. The people of Bat Trang pottery village are extremely hospitable, they are ready to answer all questions for visitors who want to learn about this traditional art form.

(Source: @kittenvirgo)

When you visit these workshops, you will have the opportunity to observe the pottery making process from creating the base to decorating, glazing and firing.

Direct experience of making Bat Trang pottery

One of the most interesting and memorable experiences for visitors to Bat Trang pottery village is to start making a ceramic product in the yard of the ancient kiln. Visitors will be provided with a turntable and the necessary materials to create their own work.

(Source: @expatvietnam)

The staff are extremely enthusiastic, making customers feel comfortable. In particular, they also speak English fluently, so this pottery-making area also attracts foreigners. Visitors will experience making pottery, kneading molds and decorating the product themselves before asking the staff to fire it. You will only have to pay about 40,000 - 60,000 VND for this interesting experience and the results you bring home, very "affordable", right?

Painting and drawing for children

Families with young children love to visit Bat Trang pottery village because of the statue and painting area. For only 10,000 - 15,000 VND, children will have a wonderful experience with their siblings and friends. In the summer and on weekends, this place attracts a lot of young customers, creating a bustling atmosphere, filled with children's laughter.

Shopping

Coming to the pottery village, visitors will definitely have to “take out their wallets” when visiting the market. Besides owning beautiful products, buying products here is also a way to show respect for the efforts and intelligence of artisans who are devoted to their work. During Tet, the market is more crowded than ever when families start shopping for the New Year's offerings.

Bat Trang Pottery Village Festival

When visiting on the full moon day of the second lunar month, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the pottery village festival taking place at Bat Trang communal house with many extremely interesting activities such as: water procession ceremony, tablet bathing ceremony, tutelary god offering ceremony, worship singing, human chess playing, ... Thus, visitors can spend a full day of experience at Bat Trang pottery village at an extremely low cost. When coming here, you will be exempted from entrance fees and only need to pay about 100,000 VND/person for entertainment activities or shopping if any.

What to eat in Bat Trang pottery village?

Coming to the pottery village, visitors should not forget to enjoy some famous dishes here at Bat Trang market. Let's follow the 3-region tour to name some dishes that cannot be missed.

Bamboo shoot and squid soup

Known as the “mountain and sea” dish, this is a new and unique combination of bamboo shoots and squid, bearing the unique characteristics of the Bat Trang pottery village people. The broth in the soup is made from chicken broth, bone broth and shrimp, bringing an irresistible flavor.

Squid and bamboo shoot soup (Source: @hoabachhop0109)

Every step in the preparation process must be meticulously done to produce a dish that meets the highest standards with the rich sweet and salty taste of squid combined with crispy bamboo shoots.

Rice cake

Banh te is a specialty from Hung Yen , Son Tay, made from rice, pork belly, wood ear and dong leaves. This is a very familiar dish to Vietnamese people with a rich, fatty taste and a very affordable price. Don't forget to ask the owner for a little chili sauce to enjoy the banh te more deliciously!

Baked sweet potato cake – a snack you should try when traveling to Bat Trang pottery village

If you are a big fan of baked sweet potatoes, you definitely cannot miss this dish. In the past, baked sweet potato cake was a dish to “save hunger” for Vietnamese people, but suddenly became a local specialty that every tourist wants to enjoy. Coming to Bat Trang, visitors will experience baked cakes with extremely pretty purple and yellow colors, delicious to the eyes. Baked sweet potato cake has a faint aroma of sweet potatoes, a sweet taste and is extremely attractive.

Sticky rice with sweet soup

This is a famous dish of Bat Trang pottery village, especially in the summer. To make this dessert, the maker must go through many elaborate steps. When enjoying, diners can feel the elegant aroma, sweet and fatty taste, which will surely satisfy even the most demanding diners. This is considered a dish not to be missed when visiting Bat Trang.

Wolfberry seed tea

The tea is made from quality tea buds and wolfberry flowers with a cool, refreshing aroma. The white color of the flowers combined with the color of the water will create an extremely eye-catching cup of tea. In particular, wolfberry seed tea does not cause insomnia, so visitors can enjoy it without worrying about anything about their health like other types of tea. Tea has become an elegant hobby of the local people and gradually become a way to promote the Bat Trang region to tourists from all over.

Experience of going to Bat Trang pottery village, Hanoi

3-region tourism will give some notes to help improve the visitor experience in Bat Trang:

• Firstly, visitors can use bicycles to move around the village for sightseeing, this is also an activity that children love.

• Second, when shopping, tourists should try to bargain to get a better price for themselves.

• Third, during the production process, some products may have errors, so visitors need to carefully check the product before buying to ensure their own rights.

• Fourth, when there are small children, visitors need to pay attention to safety, avoid breaking display and sale products.

• Fifth, visitors can visit some places near Bat Trang pottery village such as Ecopark, Aeon Mall Long Bien, etc. to make their experience more complete.