The woman harbors the ambition to take Phu Lang pottery to a wider audience.

Although not born in the Phù Lãng pottery village, Ms. Đặng Thị Tâm has always dedicated herself to preserving and revitalizing this nearly 800-year-old traditional pottery village in Bắc Ninh province.

"A special connection" with Phu Lang pottery.

Born in 1988 in the former Nam Dinh province (now Ninh Binh province), Ms. Dang Thi Tam lived and worked in Dong Nai for many years in the finance and accounting field, which matched her training. In 2012, she married Mr. Pham Manh Hung, a native of Phu Lang pottery village, Phu Lang commune, Bac Ninh province.

Ms. Dang Thi Tam (far left) introduces Minh Tam pottery products to domestic and international tourists at an event held in May 2026. Photo: NH

In the early days of her marriage, the familiar sights of the Phu Lang pottery village left her both impressed and filled with mixed emotions and concerns. Despite its nearly 800-year history and significant development potential, the village's products were quite monotonous, mainly consisting of jars, pots, and urns lined up in the pottery workshops. These products were beautiful and deeply rooted in tradition, but their large size made them difficult to transport, so tourists often only visited and left empty-handed, rarely buying anything to take home.

This resulted in those working in the craft having no income, and as a consequence, many abandoned the profession to seek work elsewhere. "At that time, I felt that the craft village was experiencing a 'brain drain.' Young people were going to work far away, were less interested in the craft, and the products weren't diverse enough, making it difficult to reach customers," added Ms. Dang Thi Tam.

Witnessing the immense untapped potential of the craft village, she was constantly troubled by the question: "Why doesn't a long-standing craft village like Phu Lang produce as many streamlined household products or souvenirs as other craft villages?" This question grew stronger and stronger, eventually becoming the driving force behind her and her husband's decision in 2017 to leave Dong Nai and return to their hometown to start a business, hoping to contribute a small part to the development of the Phu Lang pottery village.

For seven years, from 2017 to 2024, Ms. Tam and her husband diligently experimented to create their own unique glaze, deeply rooted in the Phu Lang culture. The materials for the pottery are all sourced from nature, such as rice husk ash, alluvial mud from the Cau River, and burnt clam and mussel shells. After numerous failures, the first products were finally perfected and launched in 2024. This marked the establishment of the Minh Tam Pottery and Tourism Cooperative.

According to Ms. Dang Thi Tam, the special feature of the ceramic glazes created by Minh Tam pottery workshop is that each piece has a different color; no two pieces are alike, and this is precisely the unique beauty of handcrafted pottery.

"Even in the same kiln, each location will have a different heat flow. When exposed to temperatures exceeding 1,200 degrees Celsius, the glaze melts on its own, creating distinct shades. This is something that mass-produced ceramics lack, " shared Ms. Dang Thi Tam.

Ms. Dang Thi Tam introduces the pottery-making process to customers. Photo: NH

From preserving a craft to aspiring to build a brand.

Alongside her research on ceramic glazes, in 2019, Ms. Tam began developing an experiential tourism model in the craft village. Through hosting domestic and international tourists, she realized that visitors particularly appreciated small, handcrafted products to take home as souvenirs.

From there, she shifted her focus to producing small, compact, and portable products such as rice bowls, flower vases, and lucky charm jars, while still maintaining the spirit of traditional Phu Lang pottery.

According to Ms. Dang Thi Tam: "To preserve the craft, we must find a new direction. If everyone produces the same product line, the craft village will easily fall into internal competition and be subjected to price manipulation. Phu Lang has no shortage of potential for development, but the problem is that we must create new products so that customers have more choices when they come to the area."

With that in mind, Minh Tam pottery workshop not only produces compact products but also combines it with developing an experiential tourism model for visitors to explore the craft village. Currently, the pottery workshop and experiential tourism area of ​​Ms. Dang Thi Tam's family covers an area of ​​approximately 11,000 m², providing regular employment for about 20 local workers, not including seasonal workers during peak season. The average income of workers is about 15 million VND/month.

Besides selling products, she also directly introduces customers to the pottery-making process, the differences of natural glazes, and the value of handcrafted products that are safe for health. “Customers now care a lot about quality. When they understand that the products are made entirely from natural materials, without lead or heavy metals, they are willing to choose them even if the price is higher,” Ms. Dang Thi Tam affirmed.

Minh Tam ceramic products have attracted customer attention at trade fairs and exhibitions. Photo: NH

What makes her happiest is that many foreign tourists particularly love Phu Lang pottery. “They look at each product repeatedly, marveling at the glaze colors and the uniqueness of each bowl and vase. That makes me even more confident in my chosen path,” Ms. Dang Thi Tam happily recounted, but she also said: The journey of making pottery has been quite stressful. At times, she and her companions wanted to give up because of the difficulties in developing the new model. But her love for the craft village kept her going. “I think this is like a destiny, a mission. So I want to contribute a small part so that future generations will still know about Phu Lang pottery,” Ms. Dang Thi Tam said.

She is currently finalizing the procedures to establish an association of artisans in Phu Lang pottery village, with the aim of creating a common logo and brand for the craft village and registering intellectual property rights for the traditional glaze. According to her, this will be a foundation for artisans to develop products more systematically, while also enhancing the reputation of Phu Lang pottery in the market.

Not stopping there, she also harbors plans to expand the experiential tourism space towards relaxation, meditation, and slow living amidst the traditional craft villages along the Cau River. Accordingly, the Minh Tam pottery facility will have accommodation areas designed in the style of ancient pottery kilns, where tourists can stay overnight, experience pottery making, admire the Cau River, and feel the peaceful rhythm of life in the Kinh Bac countryside.

"I want that when people come to Phu Lang pottery village, they not only buy a pottery item but also feel the story and culture of the traditional craft villages of Kinh Bac in particular, and of Vietnam in general," shared Ms. Dang Thi Tam.

Phu Lang pottery is one of the famous ancient pottery villages in Northern Vietnam, having existed and developed for nearly 800 years. Unlike many pottery styles that focus on polished finishes, Phu Lang pottery possesses a rustic, down-to-earth beauty and a strong handcrafted character. In recent years, many young local artisans have been striving to innovate designs, develop experiential tourism, and build brands to bring Phu Lang pottery closer to domestic and international markets.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-nuoi-khat-vong-dua-gom-phu-lang-vuon-xa-457153.html