Experience: A day in the Cham pottery village, a tradition passed down from mother to daughter.

"The Lam Hung Soi pottery workshop (Binh Duc village) is an attractive destination where tourists are guided by artisans and can create traditional pottery themselves."

With their high-quality, beautiful pottery products imbued with rich traditional cultural values, generations of Cham families in Binh Duc village have risen above hardship and become a popular destination for visitors from afar.

The pottery workshop of artisan Lam Hung Soi's family is a familiar address for many tourists whenever they visit Binh Duc village. Here, with the dedication of the artisans, visitors can be guided and directly participate in the process of creating characteristic traditional pottery products...

The reason why Binh Duc Cham pottery is famous is because its products are made from unique clay materials and entirely by hand using traditional methods such as shaping by hand on a flat surface of a pottery pillar. While "carrying" the clay, the artisan walks around until the desired pottery shape is formed. The pottery is fired outdoors and cooled by pouring water from the bark of the persimmon tree onto the pottery. At the same time, the artisan creates distinctive patterns, making Binh Duc pottery unmistakable from other products…

Besides traditional pottery, primarily producing household items for daily life, the artisans of Binh Duc pottery village have created and developed a line of artistic pottery, meeting the high aesthetic demands of customers, while simultaneously elevating the brand of Binh Duc Cham pottery and bringing greater value.

The Cham people traditionally follow a matriarchal system; therefore, the role of women is even more important in preserving and developing their cultural heritage through traditional crafts. It is the hardworking hands of Cham women that have created the renowned Binh Duc pottery brand and generated income to ensure the economic well-being of their families.

According to statistics from 2018, the Cham pottery village of Binh Duc has 155 artisans and practitioners who are reputable and possess the secrets and skills to practice traditional pottery.

By 2020, only 67 households/150 artisans remained, of which 42 households/100 artisans participated in production regularly.

In 2021, only 40 households/44 artisans, accounting for nearly 11% of the Cham households and almost 12% of the Cham population in the village, regularly maintained the traditional craft.

To date, Binh Duc village has only 13 artisans under 40 years old (accounting for 8.4%), while the rest are 40 years old or older.

Given this situation, artisans and those passionate about traditional pottery in Binh Duc village are understandably concerned about the potential disappearance of a craft that has been passed down through generations.

On November 15, 2024, Binh Duc Pottery Village officially received UNESCO recognition for the Cham pottery art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/trai-nghiem-mot-ngay-o-lang-gom-cham-me-truyen-con-noi-238251211131348694.htm