Buzz
Exploring Binh Duong tourism is renowned for its traditional craft villages like lacquerware, pottery, bronze casting, and engraving. Among these, the pottery village, especially “Đại Hưng pottery kiln,” stands out with over 150 years of history, known for preserving traditional pottery craft.
Inside the oldest artisanal pottery kiln in Binh Duong
Insight into Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln
Đại Hưng Ancient Pottery Kiln, commonly known as Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln, is located in Tương Bình Hiệp commune, Thủ Dầu Một city, Bình Dương province, approximately 3 km north of the city center. The name 'Pottery Kiln' originates from a kiln specialized in producing various types of pots, jars, and vessels used in agriculture and ancient daily life.
Đại Hưng Pottery Village, over 150 years old in Binh Duong - Illustrative photo
Despite the influence of industrialization, Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln still maintains traditional handmade production methods, with characteristic craft products. It is known that Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln is also the largest traditional pottery production facility in Bình Dương, covering an area of nearly 11,000 m2.
Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln has a history spanning over 150 years, founded by the first owner, a Chinese person of Guangdong origin, China, around the 17th-18th century. Since then, Đại Hưng Pottery Kiln has experienced many ups and downs, with many generations of owners.
The pottery profession in Dai Hung village is considered a heritage that needs preservation - Illustrative image
During its operation, Dai Hung kiln also faced challenging periods, seemingly on the verge of closure and production cessation. The facility was even almost dissolved due to environmental pollution allegations, but fortunately, it was retained by Binh Duong tourism with the preservation perspective of the traditional craft village.
In October 2006, Dai Hung kiln gained more recognition among many budget travelers when it was provincially recognized as a historical relic by the Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee.
Exploring the products of Dai Hung pottery village
The main products of Dai Hung are practical pottery items essential for the lives of agricultural and fishery workers, such as pots, pans, and bowls... The Dai Hung pottery village does not produce decorative ceramics.
On average, the kiln produces about 300 various products per day, with a high consumption rate in the Mekong Delta provinces, Cambodia, and even Thailand. Typically, the products are transported to consumers via waterway transportation routes.
Wood-fired kilns are also a distinctive feature of Dai Hung kiln - Illustrative image
Despite the historical ups and downs, Dai Hung kiln has maintained traditional manual production methods, including hand-molding pottery, wood-fueled firing, classic colors, and locally sourced materials...
The main raw material for the products, clay, is usually purchased in large quantities by kiln owners. Before production, the clay must be sun-dried to remove impurities, soaked twice in water to extract the plasticity, then kneaded into a smooth texture, known as clay paste.
'Old bamboo sprouts, young bamboo grows' - children learn pottery craft from a very young age - Illustrative image
After molding, the products are dried, inspected, and arranged in the kiln. The Dai Hung kiln is a traditional updraft kiln, shaped like overlapping inverted cones from low to high. There are a total of 15 kilns in Dai Hung village, with the first one serving as the fire starter, fueled by wood. Once all products are loaded into the kiln, the kiln doors are sealed with mud, leaving only a small hole – called the kiln eye – for workers to feed wood and monitor the fire. The kiln is fired at a temperature of 1200 degrees Celsius for a duration of 4-6 hours.
And the remarkable aspect, which is rare in many places but prevalent in Dai Hung village, is that the next generation still diligently carries on the legacy of their predecessors, the skilled artisans deeply connected to the land, shaping useful products for life. They contribute to preserving a distinctive cultural aspect of ancient Vietnamese people.
