The journey of revival

For more than seven centuries, the kilns of Phu Lang village (Phu Lang commune, Bac Ninh province) have continued to glow red, producing the distinctive eel-skin brown ceramics - works that embody the raw beauty of earth fused with fire.

Young artisan Bui Van Huan introduces unique handcrafted ceramic artworks to international visitors.

The village elders still keep the kilns burning every Lunar New Year as a ritual, ensuring that the smoke never ceases and the flame of the craft never dies.

That spirit has been passed down through generations, nurturing a new wave of young, well-trained, and creative artisans who bring fresh vitality to this ancient pottery village.

After graduating from the University of Industrial Fine Arts, Bui Van Huan left his stable job in Hanoi to return home and open his own workshop in Phu Lang.

He chose the traditional wood-firing technique - labor-intensive, yet preserving the “randomness” of glaze colours that give his works a unique charm. Huan’s collections have been exhibited at art shows and exported to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Europe.

For nearly 20 years, Dang Thi Tam, Director of Minh Tam Pottery Cooperative, has connected pottery production with tourism and experiential education.

Since 2018, her facility has become a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) tourism site, welcoming both domestic and international visitors every year.

Director of Minh Tam Pottery Cooperative Dang Thi Tam guides children to make pottery items.

Meanwhile, artisan Nguyen Duc Thinh, a painter with a deep passion for ceramics, has chosen a creative path - bringing pottery into applied arts.

From blocks of clay, he shapes intricate bas-relief murals depicting village landscapes and daily life in vivid colour and motion. The fusion of earth, fire, and hue in his ceramic paintings brings them to life.

Collaboration for product enhancement

In 2021, Phu Lang was selected to participate in a pottery development cooperation project sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Toho Pottery Village (Japan).

Over three years (2021-2024), the project has introduced clean gas-firing technology, reducing fuel use by 30%; trained 20 young artisans in design, branding, and digital marketing; built a “One Day as a Potter” tourism route; and upgraded the exhibition house and village tourism map.

A Phu Lang craftswoman passionately shapes a ceramic art piece.

The “soul” of the project is Japanese artisan Yusuke Onimaru, known as the “Asian Handmade Pottery Ambassador.” He shared that “Phu Lang feels like my hometown. Here, pottery still preserves its handmade nature - something even rare in Japan today.”

This cultural exchange has helped Phu Lang pottery reach the global stage while retaining its Vietnamese essence and identity.

According to Dang Van Nhan, head of the commune’s Economic Office, the JICA project has been a “springboard” for Phu Lang to transform into a green, tourism-oriented craft village.

“Production must go hand in hand with environmental care, and culture must go hand in hand with branding. That’s the sustainable direction Bac Ninh is pursuing,” he said.

In the early 2000s, the craft village was nearly inactive, but today it has over 200 active workshops, creating jobs for around 1,000 workers and generating annual revenue of about 100 billion VND (3.8 million USD).

In March 2024, the Phu Lang Pottery Service and Tourism Cooperative was established, gathering more than 30 artisans and producers into a production–design–tourism–e-commerce chain.

The village also has about 10 tourism facilities offering pottery-making experiences, craft teaching, and cultural introduction activities.

Phu Lang pottery today is sold not only through its products but also through its stories - the stories of the craft, the artisans, and the tranquil riverside village that has endured for centuries.

One of Phu Lang’s new directions is “digital pottery.” Each product is tagged with a QR code that shares its making process, the artisan’s background, and the village’s cultural story, promoting both traceability and global outreach.

Starting in early 2025, Bac Ninh province has selected Phu Lang as a pilot model in the program “Preserving and Developing Craft Villages Linked with Smart Tourism.”

The project includes a product introduction and creative space Centre, a night tourism market, and a digital village map, aiming to make Phu Lang one of northern Vietnam’s leading creative tourism destinations, integrated with the Cau River cultural space and restoring its place on the world’s cultural map.

Preservation and promotion of traditional craft village heritage

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, there are more than 5,400 craft villages nationwide, of which the Red River Delta region alone has about 1,500 villages, with around 300 recognised as traditional craft villages.

 

Traditional woodcraft villages’ aspiration to revive

Bac Ninh – Once vibrant centers of artisanal woodcraft, traditional furniture-making villages in northern Vietnam such as Dong Ky, Huong Mac and Phu Khe are now grappling with a prolonged downturn. The hum of saws and chisels that once echoed through these communities has largely fallen silent, as artisans struggle to adapt to changing markets and economic headwinds.

Ha Noi connects supply and demand of input materials for handicraft industry with Northern provinces

The Ha Noi Department of Industry and Trade on August 2 held a conference on connecting supply and demand of input materials for the handicraft industry between Ha Noi and the Northern provinces.

 

Bac Ninh spreads essence of traditional crafts

BAC NINH – With deep love for their crafts and national culture, many artisans in Bac Ninh province have tirelessly preserved and passed down the essence of their hometown’s traditional crafts. Quietly, they connect the past with the present and open new lifelines for the future of craft villages.

Cooperatives lead craft village economy in Bac Ninh

BAC NINH – Known as the land of craft villages, Bac Ninh province has established numerous cooperatives to mobilise collective strength and promote the development of traditional crafts including bronze casting, fine woodwork, ceramics and bamboo weaving. These cooperatives not only help improve local incomes but also play an important role in preserving and enhancing the unique values of each locality’s traditional products.

Reviving the fragrant legacy of incense making in Cao Village

With a history stretching back nearly 300 years, Cao Village in Bao Khe Commune, Hung Yen Province, enchants visitors not only with the vibrant colours of its multihued incense sticks but also with the enduring cultural heritage passed down through generations.

 

Finding new directions for craft villages

Fragmented and dispersed production, with manufacturing facilities often located within households and residential areas, has led to increasingly serious pollution in craft villages. This not only affects the health of residents but also limits the development of craft village products. In response, numerous programmes and solutions have been implemented to support craft villages in "rescuing the environment" and moving towards sustainable development.