Shades of clay in Huong Canh ancient pottery village in Vinh Phuc

For centuries, Vietnamese people have had a folk saying “Mong Cai porcelain, Huong Canh jars”, to compliment two of the best-quality terracotta brands in the northern region. Huong Canh is an old ceramic and pottery craft village located in Binh Xuyen district in Vinh Phuc province. The village is known for its rustic line of products, including pans, pots and cups, which are very strong and practical to serve the essentials needs of the rural life. Ceramic products made by Huong Canh artisans are famous for their outstanding durability, and their ability to be waterproof and block out light, which helps to extend the preservation of foods inside. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

According to the elderly, Huong Canh villagers have been making ceramic products for more than 300 years. However, where the craftsmanship actually came from is still a matter for debate. Huong Canh village, located 45km from Hanoi, is famous for handmade pans, pots, teapots, jars and cups. Recently, Huong Canh has added new products to its traditional items. Huong Canh pottery products are made from the typical local clay, taken from a depth of eight meters below the ground. The clay soil has a special green color which turns into dark reddish brown under high temperatures. Yet, the most distinguishing feature of Huong Canh’s green clay lies in its ability to shrink at high heat. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Pottery products at Quang Minh Pottery Showroom. Though the ceramic handicraft trade in Vietnam was born later in other villages, people like the simple products from Huong Canh due to the special local green clay that doesn't need a glaze but is still shiny and beautiful. Craftsmen at the village make various ceramic products like pots, jars and food containers of various sizes. Teapots made in Huong Canh can't keep water hot for a long time, but they do offer a sweeter taste thanks to the material. Wine stored in Huong Canh jars tastes even stronger when stored for longer periods of time. Seeds stored in Huong Canh ceramic containers stay dry and almost never get mouldy. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ceramic wares here are made from green clay, which is very soft. After being baked, the products are quite hard and make a chiming sound after being tapped by a hard object. The products are finished with natural colours after being baked. Workers here never put glaze or enamel on the ceramic wares. Over time, more types of ceramic products have entered the market so local production has declined sharply. There are now only four families maintaining ceramic workshops while many others have switched to making tiles and bricks. Roof tiles from the village are famed for their bright red colour and durability. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The villagers at Huong Canh made vases for keeping rice, maize and other grain crops and later on, producing vases for storing water as well as pots for making tea and cooking utensils and coffins for reburial. These products have unique colours of grayish blue, brown and yellow. Several households from Huong Canh village put new technology to use in the production of fine art ceramics products for Tam Dao resort in 2001. The provincial Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment provided assistance for the project. The products became popular among tourists and foreign visitors, resulting in many repeat orders for the products. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ceramic products made by Huong Canh artisans are famous for their beauty, durability, color, and simplicity. Huong Canh pottery does not use a glaze because it is made from sediment clay with molecules that tightly join together to form a strong, waterproof barrier. Each product has a colour which reveals the location of the kiln. Huong Canh was gifted from mother nature with an abundance of brown clay and green clay - brown clay taken from half a meter to one and a half meter deep and green clay taken from 3m to 6m. To make pottery items, the two types of clay are mixed in a ratio of 60% brown clay and 40% green clay. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The special clay used to produce Huong Canh pottery makes the products extremely durable. The feature that most distinguishes Huong Canh pottery is that tea stored in a Huong Canh ceramic jar will never grow mouldy and will keep its fragrance. Wine, too, will not lose its fragrance or alcohol concentration when stored in a Huong Canh terracotta jar. Seeds stored in the jars are guaranteed to sprout on schedule. The local clay soil produces pottery that is waterproof and lightproof enough to keep food fresh for years. The village is famous for hand-made pans, pots, teapots, jars, cups, and, small coffins. Lately Huong Canh has added new products to its traditional items. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Huong Canh village’s pottery craft has stood the test of time. Today, this traditional pottery line is facing harsh competition from plastic products and products from other villages. However, Huong Canh terracotta has established a good reputation. Each product has a colour which reveals the location of the kiln. Huong Canh was gifted from mother nature with an abundance of brown clay and green clay. Huong Canh potters now make fine art pieces, statues, and reliefs in Vietnamese motifs. Visitors can observe and try out pottery production. Huong Canh pottery products are sold nationwide and exported to other countries. The ancient village has now become a popular destination for those who love pottery. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A Huong Canh artisan carves patterns on pottery products. Huong Canh pottery was once famous throughout the northern and central regions because of its beauty and endurance, especially its natural glaze. In 1950s, the Huong Canh Handicraft Product Cooperative successfully produced Huong Canh tiles, making Huong Canh pottery brand even more famous. Nguyen Thanh said that at that time all the villagers produced the tiles. Tile kilns were burnt all year. However, the village did not produce enough products to meet consumer demand. Many people flocked to the village to buy tiles. However, when the economy rapidly developed, people abandoned the use of Huong Canh pottery products, and the traditional occupation went into a spiral of decline. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Although Vinh Phuc province’s Huong Canh pottery village is not as famous as Bat Trang pottery in the capital city of Hanoi, Huong Canh pottery has its own beauty and charm. Pottery has been produced here for more than 300 years. But it was not until the 1950s-1970s, when ceramic cooperatives appeared, that the new craft village was really strong, creating ceramic products for customers around the world. This can also be said to be the most flourishing period of Huong Canh pottery village. During a visit to Tam Dao, visitors can stop by to admire ceramic products with high aesthetics as well as understand more about the history of one of these ancient craft villages. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The craft village has gone through many ups and downs, and its luster has faded with time. But despite it all, the community has become one of the most unique craft villages of the North. Pottery in Huong Canh is famous perhaps partly due to the priority of nature over this land. According to pedologists, the land in Huong Canh was formed from the confluence of the midland and the midland plain. Thus, it has a stratigraphic structure consisting of many layers of fine clay. Huong Canh’s clay has many colors such as yellow, gray, red-brown, which is very suitable for the production of ceramic products. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The finished products will be exposed to light for about three days after being fired. Products are placed in the kiln in the “mother holds her child” style. This means that small products are placed in the lap of large products to take advantage of the space in the kiln. With the upgrading of the kiln to a high degree of fire, Huong Canh has been able to produce brown earthenware, with a melting, sharp and glossy surface, dark crock colour. This makes the sound of knocking on the product like knocking on cast iron. Huong Canh Pottery does not use enamel but still creates a glossy skin surface thanks to the technique of rubbing soil and processing when firing. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Huong Canh pottery products are made from the typical local clay of green colour, which turns into dark reddish brown under high temperatures. The local clay is taken from a depth of eight metres below the ground. Yet, the most distinguishing feature of Huong Canh’s green clay lies in its ability to shrink in high heat. Villagers call this typical characteristic of the soil the ‘fat element’. Because of the chance that raw products shrink is so high, it’s very hard for local artisans to calculate the design and the size of the final products. The finished products will be exposed to light for about three days after being fired. Products are placed in the kiln in the “mother holds her child” style. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Huong Canh retains its 300-year-old ceramic and pottery craft despite the influx of modernity in society. Experiencing ups and downs, the famous Huong Canh pottery village was at one point in danger of disappearing. But the people here decided to dedicate their lives to keeping the traditional trade alive. The village is famous for handmade pans, pots, teapots, jars and cups. Recently, Huong Canh has added new products to its traditional items. According pottery experts, using Huong Canh pottery to make tea helps retain the flavour and temperature longer. Thanks to that, Huong Canh ceramic products are popular with consumers throughout the country. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Each Huong Canh pottery collection has a different theme, which often features seasons of the year. According to villagers, the community has been making ceramic products for more than 300 years. The pottery craft in Huong Canh actually originated from Thu Ha crafting village in Bac Giang province. Every year during the dry season, pottery traders went upstream on the Cau river, which also runs through Vinh Phuc province, to sell their products. They usually took a rest in the riverside village and eventually passed on the craftsmanship skills to the local people. Now people can still find many ceramic or terracotta pieces alongside the riverbanks. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ceramic and pottery products are showcased along roads in Huong Canh village. Visiting the village, one may be astonished as most of the fence walls in the village are made of pieces of tiles and ceramic wares which have been deemed substandard for sales and are taken out of production and put into family use. The pottery craftsmanship in Huong Canh village is a historic cultural heritage of Vietnam. While preserving traditional values, Huong Canh artisans have restlessly innovated the products’ shapes, improved their techniques, and expanded the product range to meet the needs and preferences of buyers. Today, not only does the pottery work provide artisans with a stable income, but it has also turned Huong Canh village into a famous tourist destination where visitors can observe and participate in pottery production. (Photo: VietnamPlus)