Not only beautiful scenery and delicious Hanoi traditional food, but Hanoi also has unique traditional villages that have existed for a long time. Bat Trang is one of such villages with famous pottery making.
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Why is Bat Trang ceramics famous?
Bat Trang ceramics have become a famous brand of all types of pottery produced in Bat Trang. Bat Trang is the name of a village in Gia Lam district, Hanoi. According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu (Complete Annals of Đại Việt), Bat Trang pottery making had existed before King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (Hanoi).
However, after the king moved the capital to Hanoi, many craftsmen and merchants from other places also left together to Thang Long. The five famous pottery-making families of Ninh Binh also brought artisans to Thang Long. Arriving in Bat Trang village, seeing the soil here is very suitable for pottery making, these 5 families combined with the Nguyen family here to open the pottery kilns, formally established Bat Trang pottery village.
The ceramic products from Bat Trang all are sophisticated handicrafts and gradually become famous. Not only in the country but also Bat Trang ceramics export to other countries in the world. When travelling to Hanoi, tourists on Hanoi street food walking tour can visit Bat Trang pottery village to visit. Currently, this place is a unique tourist destination with Bat Trang ancient village, a pottery yard for tourists to visit and Bat Trang pottery market with many rich products.
Bat Trang ceramics are famous for their elaborate ceramic making process, which creates high-quality products with diversified designs and reasonable prices. So far, this is still the most famous ceramic brand in our country. Having that success is thanks to the elaborate process of making Bat Trang ceramics.
First, pottery makers must choose a good soil source. The first artisans of Bat Trang pottery village discovered that there is a white clay mine, which is very suitable for making pottery. Over time, the white clay mines in the village were exhausted. People in Bat Trang village go to Son Tay, Dong Trieu, Ho Lao … to source white clay soil.
After sourcing the soil, the potter prepares the soil in a 4-tank system over a period of several months. When the soil is prepared, the craftsmen wedge the soil (mix the clay to make it consistent and air bubble free) over many days. Processing the soil is very careful and complicated, each reworker has a secret of wedging soil. Next is the centring the clay on the wheel and creating form. This stage requires the skill and cares that not all pottery makers in Bat Trang know.
Next stages are drying and adding decorative patterns, then covering enamel and placing pottery on fire. These are all stages that require carefulness, experience and secrets. Until the end, batches of Bat Trang ceramics were created, bringing with it the sophistication, creativity, colour stability with time and great heat resistance.
With such distinct characteristics, Bat Trang ceramics can be used in many different environments such as outdoor, kitchen, oven … In addition, the price of Bat Trang ceramics is also very diverse, from popular to high-end, so it meets the rich demand of buyers.
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Some notes when visiting Bat Trang pottery village
In the specialties of Hanoi tourism, talking about beauty spots and cultural depth, it is impossible not to mention Bat Trang pottery village. Many tourists come to Hanoi to visit Bat Trang pottery village to learn about pottery making process here and buy some items as gifts. When visiting Bat Trang pottery village, tourists on food tour in hanoi should note:
– Tourists can make pottery by themselves at the pottery yard in Bat Trang then the product is graze fired and visitors can take it home.
– Bat Trang pottery market has a lot of products from low prices to high-end products. Guests should buy Bat Trang ceramics here because they are assured of the origin of the product, and the price is a bit cheaper than the outside.
– Culinary specialities in Bat Trang pottery village are squid bamboo shoot soup. Guests can enjoy this special soup here along with many other dishes such as ordinary rice cakes, grilled cassava cake, banh cuon, bamboo shoots noodle, etc.
For more information/details: Vietnam food tours, food walking tour, Vietnam cooking class