Bat Trang pottery village is a famous traditional craft village in Vietnam. This is not only a variety of ceramic products but also many attractive places to visit.
The name Bat Trang pottery village has become more and more popular, which is pride as a long-standing cultural tradition of the Vietnamese people. So far Bat Trang has attracted plenty of tourists with its sophisticated and eye-catching ceramic products. This place is listed as a unique tourist destination in guiding to visit Hanoi.
Bat Trang pottery village
Bat Trang ceramic village is located in the Gia Lam district, on the outskirts of Hanoi. This traditional craft village was formed in the XIV-XV centuries.
- Address: Bat Trang Village, Gia Lam District, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Entrance fee:50,000 VND/guest
- Opening hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm
The birth of this typical Vietnamese village is due to the fact that 5 famous pottery families including Tran, Vuong, Nguyen, Le, and Pham families brought ceramic artists to Thang Long citadel to develop. These 5 families have combined to produce pottery, thereby establishing the pottery village of Bat Trang.
Over the centuries, until now Bat Trang ceramics has become a famous trademark of Vietnam. And the typical thing is that the ceramic products here still retain the traditional way of making handed down by their fathers, bearing the characteristics of the nation.
Vehicles to the pottery village
The distance from pottery village to the center of Hanoi is just over 10km, so you can travel by private vehicle such as a motorbike, bike, or car. The road to the pottery village is also very easy to go so your group can travel comfortably with any age.
In addition, you can also choose to travel by river. However, this form is quite inconvenient because the tours on the Red River to Bat Trang pottery village usually only have schedules on weekends.
What to see and do in Bat Trang pottery village
Surely, learning how to make a pottery product is the main activity for traveling to Ba Trang. You can find a lot of places here to teach you how to make it. Of course, you have to pay a fee to experience this activity.
Besides learning and admiring the ceramic products made by hand, you can visit many beautiful scenes of Bat Trang pottery village.
1. Learn how to make pottery products
Going to Bat Trang village, it is impossible not to learn how to make a pottery product. There are many families here that open their own services at home or in the workshop so that you can freely experience this activity.
If you visit the market here, there are people to invite you to the workshop to make pottery. At the big workshop, you have more chances to see and enjoy more skillful products. However, their factories can be quite far from the market, so you can choose to create pottery in a family a few steps away from the market.
To start, the host gave you a large, slightly moist lump of clay. Each person will have an extra turntable. Of course, the workers in the family will give you guidance. Every step looks difficult at first, but once you start doing it, you will see how simple everything is.
Following the instructions, you freely create a shape for your first product. You can ask the guide to make cups, bowls, or other everyday objects. If you are skillful, you can mold animal shapes.
After creating, you dry the product, which takes about 30 minutes; this step at a few places, you will burn it instead of dry in the sun. During this time, you can go around or drink some things. The next step is to paint and decorate the product. And finally, the worker will help to paint the outside gloss to keep the product more durable over time.
The cost for each product ranges from 30,000 VND to 50,000 VND. The finished product, You can carry the finished product back home as a souvenir.
2. Visit Bat Trang Pottery Market
Bat Trang Pottery Market is the first place that you should visit on your journey here. Each stall is displayed with many kinds of items from ceramics to handicraft products, souvenirs, etc. This eye-catching space also helps you to have impressive and funny pictures. So, carry your camera full of battery.
The market has a full range of items, including handicrafts related to ceramics, from high-class dishes, beautiful art decorations to jewelry, worshiping goods, small landscapes to souvenirs, cups, and popular dishes. The prices of the items here are quite reasonable, you can freely bargain with the owner.
Your small vehicle can park directly at the gate of Bat Trang pottery market for convenience in looking around. If you use a big bus to Bat Trang from Hanoi, you have to walk a relatively long distance, from the beginning of the village to the pottery market area.
3. Explore Bat Trang Ancient Village
Coming to Bat Trang ancient village, you can admire the ancient features left from old houses, the brick walls of the old village, and curved communal house roofs. All bring a classic space like going into the past. You can also freely capture the beauty of this area with impressive pictures that can be taken anywhere.
Here you can also visit the communal house of Bat Trang, and visit the pottery families and pottery workshops to see firsthand how they make ceramic products. To fully enjoy all charm of the ancient village, you should choose to walk.
4. Rest and enjoy a cup of coffee in Ando
Sitting in a typical coffee shop or tea shop space while visiting Bat Trang can give you a wonderful moment to rest. Ando has become the famous name to choose in this village. You will see the old burnt brick stairs to the second floor where the shop is located. This style has bold features of Bat Trang village, porcelain plates with delicate patterns are attached to the wall of the aisle.
The space of the restaurant is very airy, with seating both inside and out on a very large balcony. The shop is mainly made of wood, with many beautiful small pots of green plants placed all over the shop. Sitting here, you can enjoy a strangely relaxed feeling like yourself in nature, trees, leaves, wind, sun…
The space inside the shop is really impressive by the pure Vietnamese architecture and decoration, there is a separate pottery booth to visit and buy as souvenirs.
The menu is quite rich with various drinks, such as coffee, milk tea, and iced lemon. Affordable prices range from 15,000 – 30,000 VND/cup.
5. Taste local dishes in Bat Trang village
Bat Trang cuisine is something that you cannot ignore when coming here. In which, it is impossible not to mention squid bamboo shoot soup, which becomes a traditional dish famous in Bat Trang.
In addition, you can also enjoy many tasty dishes such as Bun Met (vermicelli, tofu, pork, vegetable, and sauce), grilled coconut milk sweet potato cake, fried kohlrabi with squid, and snacks. And don’t forget to enjoy local wine, and grapefruit flower-flavored tea when you visit here.
The dishes here are quite rustic but show the unique and delicate characteristics of the local people. Taste local food when it is presented on sophisticated Bat Trang dishes, making the taste even more attractive.
Bat Trang has many attractive places to visit from the road to the pottery market, pottery workshop, old house, etc. If traveling to Bat Trang pottery village from Hanoi, you can choose to rest in the cafes, restaurants, and casual eateries by the market, … both to rest and enjoy tasty local food. Note that if you intend to buy souvenirs, you should check the goods carefully to avoid defective and poor-quality products.
If anyone has once set foot on this ancient land, they will certainly never forget the feeling of being immersed in the rhythm of the classic life of a tIf anyone has once set foot on this ancient land, they will certainly never forget the feeling of being immersed in the rhythm of the classic life of a traditional Vietnamese village. And if you have not come to this place, after visiting other famous destinations in Hanoi or walking around Hoan Kiem Lake, please take a half day to explore Bat Trang pottery village.
