Tourists come to explore, experience, and purchase traditional pottery, breathing new life into one of Central Vietnam’s most distinctive and historic Cham craft villages, he added.
According to Mr. Phu Huu Minh Thuan, Director of Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative, the number of visitors to the village has surged significantly following the recognition of the Cham ethnic people's pottery-making art as a cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding by UNESCO. This milestone presents a significant opportunity to promote Cham culture to both domestic and international audiences.
To attract more tourists, the cooperative has expanded beyond traditional pottery by refreshing designs for household, decorative, and spiritual items, while also organizing traditional music performances, hands-on pottery-making experiences, and cultural showcases. In the near future, the village will undergo a spatial reorganization to better serve visitors and enhance the overall tourism experience.
Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative currently comprises around 45 active members who are directly involved in producing, marketing, and promoting the village’s unique ceramic works. In addition, over 200 local households continue to practice the craft, contributing to the preservation of one of Vietnam’s oldest pottery traditions.
Distinct from other pottery-making communities, Bau Truc artisans shape each piece entirely by hand, without the use of a potter’s wheel. Using a rare backward-walking technique, they slowly circle the clay mound, skillfully molding the form with gentle strokes. Finished items are sun-dried and fired outdoors using wood or rice straw. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, bearing the personal imprint and artistic identity of its maker.
