Unveiling the Charm of a Cham King: A Pottery Village Steeped in Legend and Unique Cultural Heritage.

Not only are they everyday utensils, but the pottery products in Bau Truc also reflect the cultural life and spiritual life of the Cham people.

According to local people, the founder of Bau Truc pottery was Po K’long Chank, a close friend and courtier of King Po K’long Garai (1151-1205). Nearly a thousand years ago, Po K’long Chank taught the people of Bau Truc how to get clay and mold it into household items, closely related to their daily lives.

The unique feature of Bau Truc pottery village is its hereditary nature, with skills passed down from “mother to child”. In the past, this profession was mainly done by women, while men performed heavier and more strenuous tasks such as digging clay, firing pottery, and transporting it for sale.

In the past, only women performed the main steps to create beautiful pottery products.

The method of making traditional Cham pottery, passed down from Po Klaong Can, relies on natural elements, based on the appropriate balance of sun, wind, and rain. This is a folk belief that spiritual forces can control the weather and directly influence the success of pottery production.

While other pottery villages like Bat Trang (Hanoi), Chu Dau (Hai Duong province), Phuoc Tich (Hue city)… have applied a lot of technology to production, using potter’s wheels to shape products, and using glaze for decoration or electric kiln technology… The potters of Bau Truc village still maintain the traditional way of making pottery, using only manual methods. This creates uniqueness in each pottery product.

The products are created with a unique technique, commonly called “made by hand, spun by hip”. The potter moves backward, “catching” each strand of clay. The inner hand presses, and the outer hand rubs, transforming the lifeless clay into unique pottery products.

The firing is still done in the open air using firewood, straw, rice husks, etc., creating a unique color for the products of this pottery village.

The pottery products are fired in the open air at high temperatures for 6 hours. Firing must be done on a sunny day, with firewood placed at the bottom and pottery products placed on top according to the principle of large at the bottom and small at the top, with a layer of straw on top. When the pottery is cooked, if it is a rough product, just leave it on the kiln, but if it is a fine art product, it needs to be immediately immersed in water to get a beautiful red color.

For products that need to be dyed, after firing, they will be sprayed or soaked in a solution extracted from the leaves of a tree grown in the mountains of Ninh Thuan. Therefore, Bau Truc pottery has characteristic colors of golden red, reddish-pink, dark gray, and brown streaks, creating unique pottery products that carry the culture of the Cham people.

Bau Truc pottery village was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022. This place not only preserves a traditional profession of Vietnam but is also an attractive destination for those who love culture and art.

What Experiences Await Visitors in Bau Truc?

One of the highlights not to be missed when visiting Bau Truc is the opportunity to witness and participate in the completely manual process of making pottery. Visitors can also ask the locals and artisans to experience kneading and shaping the clay into various pottery products. Under the guidance of the artisans, each person will be able to create their own unique product, from small pots to decorative statues imbued with the Cham Pa style.

What surprises visitors is that there are hardly any workshops or showrooms in this pottery village. Out of the 400 households in the village, 80% are involved in pottery-making. Each household is a separate pottery workshop. Apart from the showroom built by the local government, most of the potters’ houses are also their workshops and kilns. Families with favorable locations also open showrooms to display and sell their products.

To serve tourists, the people of Bau Truc are always ready to perform the traditional pottery-making technique upon request.

The locals of Bau Truc village are inherently kind and hospitable. They enthusiastically guide visitors who want to create their own pottery products. Tourists who come to learn about the pottery-making process can also observe the daily life and interact with Cham families without any fees. You can buy a few cute products to display or give as gifts, and if you want to buy larger products, they will deliver them to your home.

When visiting Bau Truc pottery village, it is best to time your visit to coincide with traditional festivals such as the Kate Festival (usually held in September-October), to fully immerse yourself in the vibrant and sacred Cham cultural atmosphere. During this festival, large-scale events such as pottery demonstrations, folk dances, Cham cuisine, and traditional rituals are held.

Don’t forget to try Ninh Thuan’s specialty, “banh can”, when visiting this region.

In addition to discovering the unique craftsmanship of handmade pottery, the local cuisine is also a notable highlight when visiting Bau Truc pottery village. This area is located in the center of Phuoc Dan town, where you can find many restaurants serving delicious Ninh Thuan dishes and Cham cultural specialties. One of the must-try dishes is “banh can Ninh Thuan”, a rustic yet flavorful dish made from rice flour baked in a clay mold, served with fermented fish sauce, shredded green mango, and quail eggs. Another attractive option is “banh xeo Cham”, a crispy pancake filled with shrimp, meat, and bean sprouts.

Visitors should also try “com ga Phan Rang”, notable for its fragrant and fatty rice, and tender and sweet chicken, served with pickled cucumbers and garlic chili fish sauce. Especially, if you have the opportunity, enjoy characteristic Cham dishes such as goat curry, salt and chili grilled fish, and goat offal porridge, prepared according to unique flavors, spicy and savory.

Bau Truc pottery village is not just a cultural destination but also a place that preserves the soul of an ancient civilization. The experiences here are not merely sightseeing but a journey of discovery and empathy for a living heritage that resiliently endures through time.