Cham is one of 54 peoples living mostly in the mid-central and southern of Vietnam. Their art of producing pottery has been long-established, maintained and developed from generations to generations. Nowadays, Cham pottery is well-preserved in Bau Truc village (Ninh Thuan province) and Binh Duc village (Binh Thuan province). It is also gloriously recognized by Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism as an intangible cultural national heritage.
Features of Cham pottery Producing Art
Making a complete pottery product really requires a lot of skills and meticulousness. The material, clay, must be chosen carefully to meet the quality’s demands which are flexible and smooth enough. Then clay is broken into small pieces, added enough water and rested for one night. The next day, it is mixed with smooth sand scrupulously. But what makes Cham pottery unique is that pottery’s shape is completely formed by the hands of the artists without turning table like other pottery arts. Every tourist absolutely admires the skillfulness of the artists with their marvelous hands when they model the products. It seems the artists are blowing the soul to each pottery item, which makes it more charming and attractive.
After forming the shape, the product is dried under the sunshine for 4-6 hours. Then it was cooled in the room for a week before firing process. The furnace must reach over 500 °C and the firing time needed is 4-5 hours. A perfect product will have unique colors such as red, yellow or brown.
Famous places of Cham pottery
Bau Truc pottery village
Considered as one of the most ancient Cham village producing pottery of Southeast Asia, most of the villagers in Bau Truc make pottery for a living. Their products are not only delicate but also the symbol of custom and tradition of Cham in Ninh Thuan province. The popularity of Bau Truc pottery is spread throughout Vietnam and worldwide.
Binh Duc pottery village
Cham pottery manufacturing art in Binh Duc village still preserves the traditional skills and value. Each product symbolizes the diversity of culture as well as artistic creativity. Buying a pottery item as a remembrance for your travel is highly recommended.
In order to bring producing art of Cham pottery to the world, Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism together with the local in Bau Truc and Binh Duc village are preparing the file to show UNESCO for the recognition of intangible cultural world heritage.
