Continuing the "flame" of a hundred-year heritage

Legendary Thay Cai Canal associated with a century-old heritage craft village.

Through many ups and downs, the red brick and pottery craft of Vinh Long has been preserved, inherited and at the same time awakened the hidden beauty and potential of the smokeless industry of the "red kingdom". Behind the batches of bricks warmed by the earth and the beautiful red ceramic color is the story of love, pride and responsibility of many generations so that the "fire" will always burn. Seeing the smoke, the kiln is still burning . Along the Binh Hoa River (Hoa Tinh Commune, Mang Thit District), there are many branches to Cai Nhum Town, through Thay Cai Canal or upstream to the Luu River junction - where there used to be a very vibrant and bustling "human market" on the river supplying brick-carrying labor for boats from other places to Ba Nu area to buy bricks and tiles. We looked at the smoke to find the house of Mr. Luu Van Long (commonly called Ba Sanh, in Binh Hoa 1 Hamlet, Hoa Tinh Commune, Mang Thit District). Ba Sanh's family has been making bricks for nearly 30 years, while the whole neighborhood, his brothers and sisters-in-law also live off the brick kilns, running boats to transport clay, buying rice husks from other places to sell to the kilns as raw materials, fuel... to earn a lot of money. "More than ten years ago, the river was as busy as a national highway, boats and ships were running day and night" - looking at the peaceful river in front of his house, the rows of brick kilns that had long since gone out of fire, Ba Sanh sadly recalled. That was in the 2000s, seeing the prosperous business outside Thay Cai canal, people in the neighborhood imitated "even without knowing how to burn or bake. But seeing others doing it made them excited, everyone followed. If they had a place, they would go to the kiln" - Ba Sanh told the story of that time. Now, his family's 2 kilns only burn one kiln, there is no more competition to buy and sell, bricks are left in the yard, whoever needs them comes to buy, when they run out, they start another batch.

Red ceramic products are formed from the skillful, attentive hands of diligent craftsmen.

Although he is confident in the quality of his bricks, "those who know how to use them will love them" because the kiln owner has to choose each piece of soil to get beautiful colors. However, facing the pressure of market competition along with the requirement of less pollution and environmentally friendly production, Mr. Ba Sanh wants to change to a suitable profession, the brick kilns will change their functions to bring in good income and become green destinations for tourists. Together with many people in this area, he agreed to keep the kilns intact according to the "Mang Thit Contemporary Heritage" Project. In addition to the "Mang Thit Contemporary Heritage" Project, the province has a general planning project to build the Mang Thit Brick and Pottery Kiln Area until 2045 with an area of ​​about 3,060 hectares in 4 communes: My An, My Phuoc, Nhon Phu and Hoa Tinh in Mang Thit district. In addition, the buffer zone of the Mang Thit Brick and Pottery Kiln Area is about 5,000 hectares in 2 communes: An Phuoc and Chanh An. The overall spatial development orientation of the project, the center is the core area along Thay Cai canal, the central areas are connected to the main roads DT902, DT909, DT907 connecting Thay Cai canal to Vinh Long city center and the centers of Mang Thit, Long Ho, Vung Liem districts and Cho Lach district (Ben Tre); developing residential clusters in the West and Southeast to form an agricultural ecological buffer zone surrounding the core area. Empowering innovation and creativity to the next generation. Through many ups and downs with the requirements of the times, from more than 3,000 kilns operating continuously, now the number of brick and ceramic kilns is only 1/3. But it is also time that has distilled the unique cultural imprint in each red brick and ceramic product. The flame of love for the profession is passed down through many generations. His childhood was associated with the breath of the earth and the warm air of the brick kiln. Mr. Tran Quoc Son - Director of Hiep Loi 3 Ceramics Company Limited (Thanh Duc Commune, Long Ho District), shared: "I used to follow my father to dig clay to make red bricks. My father was very passionate about the profession, so I was determined to learn." For Mr. Son, the comment of his uncles in the profession "I think Son is good" when his father assigned him to the pottery workshop was a great encouragement. From then on, with the same passion, the 3rd generation craftsman applied technology, created more designs, promoted and advertised products... Mr. Son boasted that "the revenue of the following year is always higher than the previous year", as a recognition of his efforts and that he has "improved a lot" since taking over the family business.

Ceramic art products are increasingly diverse and "suitable" for tourism

Respecting the family's traditional craft, being trusted and empowered by the previous generation, the next generation boldly innovates, bringing a new wind to bring the village's products to new heights. Thanks to the application of science and technology, machines replacing many manual steps, Mr. Tao Le Hoang Dung - representative of Nam Hiep Hung Company Limited, has created more designs, and at the same time applied digital technology to business activities, contributing to bringing the products closer to domestic and foreign customers. Meanwhile, Ms. Doan Thi Ngoc Diep - Director of Thanh Duc Handicraft Company Limited, shared: "Inheriting the family business helps me gain the foundation and experience from the previous generation. I not only absorb what is available, but also apply new knowledge and skills, meeting the requirements of international economic integration. Bringing Vinh Long red ceramic products further and further". But not all "transfers" go smoothly. As a 4th generation ceramic director said: “Generation gap, of course my father and I cannot avoid disagreements. At times like that, we will sit down and discuss together to find a suitable solution. Before, we only made simple red ceramic products, now we have to research customer tastes, create many diverse designs and colors, and ceramic products must also be more varied”. Paving the way for a “smokeless industry” With a favorable geographical location with high connectivity, along with the orientation of developing more restaurant and homestay services, along with the orientation of preserving and promoting cultural values ​​associated with tourism development… is paving the way for a “smokeless industry” of the ceramic brick and tile craft village in the near future. Meanwhile, many smart individuals and businesses have quickly “had to do something” to avoid wasting a precious material, a typical product of Vinh Long, with the potential to exploit experiential tours for domestic and foreign tourists. “I designed the “red kingdom” tour, not only to promote the heritage area, but also to show the craft villagers a bright future when they can take advantage of brick kilns for tourism,” said Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Trinh, Deputy Director of Mekong Travel Company.

Vinh Long hopes to preserve and promote the cultural values ​​of the traditional red brick and ceramic industry.

To put the "red kingdom" tour on the tourist map of international visitors, Ms. Trinh must know by heart each canal and creek leading to the oldest brick kiln, which brick kiln has an impressive check-in corner, taking visitors through each brick drying camp, admiring the mysterious space inside the kiln roofs, experiencing the molding of red ceramic products. "Along Thay Cai canal with ancient brick kilns, factories, brick drying yards... it is a complete picture in itself. Coming here, visitors are always amazed and attracted by the wild, mossy beauty of the brick kilns. Visitors are even more excited when they can participate in the production process at the red-hot brick kilns, take pictures next to the old brick kilns" - Ms. Trinh shared and believed that, with the consensus and support from local authorities, sectors and the community, Vinh Long red brick and ceramic craft village will continue to develop and become an attractive destination, imbued with a unique cultural identity. Meanwhile, not leaving the potential market for souvenirs and tourist gifts open, inside the CocoHome Coconut House tourist spot (Hoa Ninh commune, Long Ho district) there is a display room displaying dozens of local OCOP products and shelves of eye-catching ceramic art works... And there are many people who, because of their love for tradition, participate in preserving and promoting those good values ​​in their own way. They continue to "foster" more modern beauty for this heritage industry through brand building and creating unique tourism products. It is the love, creativity, and enthusiasm of many generations that have kept the fire burning and paved the way for the craft village and red brick and ceramic products to enter a new stage of development. Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/tin-moi/202501/tiep-noi-ngon-lua-di-san-tram-nam-3c71919/