Admire 100 Vietnamese dragon images on ceramics.

A collection of 100 ceramic vases featuring Vietnamese dragon carvings was recently introduced by the Millennium Vietnamese Ceramics Center at Bat Trang craft village (Gia Lam District, Hanoi ).

"Artisans have restored and revived the image of the Vietnamese dragon throughout a thousand years of history. The works feature dragons in various forms from the Ly, Tran, Le, and Nguyen dynasties. This Long Phi Van Hoi collection is inspired by the image of the Vietnamese dragon, and also expresses the wish for a new year of the Year of the Dragon when carp transform into dragons," said Dr. Nguyen Truong Giang (Center for Imperial City Research).

Dragon and cloud motifs are sculpted in relief on the body of the vase.

The works in the Vietnamese Dragon Flying Fortune ceramic collection follow a rigorous creative process. According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Thanh, General Director of the Millennium Vietnamese Ceramics Center, each vase takes approximately 30 days to produce.

First, an artisan shapes the vase. Then, another artisan carves the dragon onto it. The glazing process is then done by yet another artisan… "We standardize the process. The artisan who is best at a particular task handles that stage. Typically, the shaping is done by experienced artisans, while the carving of the Vietnamese dragon is the strength of young artisans trained at art schools," Mr. Thanh explained.

During the creative process, the artisans also consulted many Vietnamese dragon designs based on ancient methods. They also received advice from historians and archaeologists such as Dr. Nguyen Truong Giang. "We want to create based on ancient techniques. But we also innovate because many techniques and types of glaze used are no longer the same as before," Mr. Thanh said.

The work evokes memories of a time when we had many bustling pottery centers in the past.

As Mr. Thanh shared, the goal of the Millennium Vietnamese Ceramics Center is to create more and more works that embody the spirit and essence of ancient ceramics. These unique pieces will then be distributed to families, thereby fostering a greater appreciation for ancient ceramics among more people.

"We just look at traditional costumes; in recent years, many people have been sewing and restoring them. And the number of people wearing traditional costumes has also increased. We also want that to happen; we want more and more people to display works of art showcasing the essence of ancient Vietnamese ceramics with Vietnamese dragon motifs in their homes," Mr. Thanh said.

Brown-glazed ceramic artwork from the Thang Long Dawn collection.

Fortunately, Mr. Thanh is not alone on his journey to create traditional ceramic designs. He has the support of the distinguished artisan Pham Dat and director Hoang Cong Cuong, who are working alongside him to rediscover and revive ancient traditions.

In addition to the dragon motif, his unit aims to focus on research and production with the goal of restoring the brown-glazed pottery tradition. This purely Vietnamese pottery style flourished during the Ly and Tran dynasties. The Millennium Vietnamese Pottery Center wants to bring brown-glazed pottery into contemporary spaces, making it a national cultural gift.

"We hope that these unique brown-glazed ceramic products will evoke a golden memory of Dai Viet civilization, and can also be used as gifts on important occasions, especially diplomatic ones," Mr. Thanh said.

During this exhibition of the Vietnamese Dragon - themed vase collection, the Millennium Vietnamese Ceramics Center also introduced a collection of brown-glazed ceramics called "Thang Long Dawn ." While "Long Phi Van Hoi" features 100 pieces, "Thang Long Dawn" comprises approximately 30. These are all unique pieces, highly praised by experts for their exquisite craftsmanship. They also evoke the allure of the ancient ceramic centers of Bat Trang, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and Chu Dau.

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