Spontaneously opening a pottery workshop, Korean girl is warmly welcomed by young Vietnamese people

When Haru opened her pottery workshop in Vietnam, she didn't promote her shop too widely, so she was quite surprised to see many young Vietnamese people coming to learn pottery making and take pictures of the lovely products she created.

Open your own workshop to save money on attending workshops.

One weekend, we visited a small alley on Nguyen Huy Tuong Street, Binh Thanh District (Ho Chi Minh City), where Kim Ha-kyung (commonly known as Haru, 32 years old) runs her pottery shop. Previously, this workshop was located in the Phu My Hung urban area, District 7 (Ho Chi Minh City), where many Koreans live. Since mid-2023, the workshop has moved to Binh Thanh District, making it more convenient to access. Haru's workshop has two areas: a cafe and a space for pottery classes. The house is filled with sunlight and greenery, and gentle Korean melodies fill the air, creating a relaxing atmosphere for customers.

Kim Ha-kyung has been running a pottery workshop in Vietnam for 8 years.

HUYNH NHI

"Comfortable" is the first thing we felt upon arriving here. Not crowded or noisy, customers at Haru's shop sit at separate tables, some painting pottery, others molding clay, some knitting, and others typing on computers. Haru shared that eight years ago she decided to move to Vietnam to live with her parents. Before that, she worked for a Korean design company after graduating from university with a degree in ceramics. "Life in Korea is very busy and hectic, and I felt it didn't fit in. Living alone in Korea would be really difficult, so I decided to move to Vietnam to be closer to my family," Haru shared. When she first arrived in Vietnam, because she didn't have many friends, she often attended workshops on flower arranging to relax after work. But because she was so passionate about it, at one point she attended workshops four times a week, spending up to 16 million VND a month on this activity. "At that time, my mother said I was spending too much money on workshops, or that I should open my own workshop to save money. I thought it made sense, so I looked for a way to open a pottery workshop with operating costs under 16 million VND/month," Haru recounted the spontaneous and accidental birth of her pottery workshop.

What does a skilled potter need?

According to Haru, a skilled potter needs both good technique and artistic flair. "When I was in university, we had many projects that required students to create perfectly smooth, polished products. But I wondered why that was necessary? I preferred to do something different," she said. Observing Haru's pottery, one can see that they are not overly perfect or refined. The surface of each cup and plate still bears the imprint of the potter's hand, or the lines are not perfectly smooth. The patterns are not elaborate or intricate, but rather simple drawings of dogs, cats, innocent faces, and neatly written, simple words with positive meanings. Yet, that is the unique character of these products—a touch of rustic simplicity, and that is what captivates many people.

These ceramic products may not be smooth or intricately decorated, but they are still loved by many.

NVCC

Haru says that her pottery is a way of bringing together the things around her life, with patterns inspired by her life and experiences on her journey of growing up. When she first opened her pottery workshop, her customers were mainly Koreans living in the area. She didn't update her photos on social media, so she was quite surprised when many Vietnamese people came to her workshop to learn pottery making and take pictures of the beautiful products she made. Sometimes Haru says she feels "afraid" because her journey in Vietnam has been so smooth, completely different from when she was in Korea. But because of that, she loves Vietnam even more. Although she can't speak Vietnamese to explain her products, customers can still feel her artistic flair, her emotions, and the things she likes: trees, sunshine, simple things. "When I interacted with Haru, I felt a lot of positive energy from her. Although she has a quiet personality, when you meet her, you want to talk and connect, open up, and live more happily," commented Nguyen Phan Thao Dung (25 years old), residing in Phu Nhuan District (Ho Chi Minh City). Haru said she feels quite comfortable living in Vietnam because she has family and relatives here. Reflecting on herself, the Korean woman said she's not the type to dwell on the past, so she doesn't know if she regrets anything about coming to Vietnam. Looking to the future, she wants to pass on her skills to more young Vietnamese people so they can open their own pottery workshops, just like she did eight years ago.

Thanhnien.vn

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