Thereby promoting the implementation of solutions to preserve and promote the value of Cham people's pottery art heritage, attracting tourists to the locality.

Previously, the Cham pottery art was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection. Accordingly, the Ninh Thuan Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with departments, branches, Ninh Phuoc District People's Committee and related units to develop an Action Plan to preserve and promote the Cham pottery craft.

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Tourists visit Bau Truc Pottery Village. Photo: Van Tien

At the same time, connect and link with businesses, import-export companies in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, domestic and foreign businesses to expand the Cham ceramic market abroad, especially the Japanese market... Build a clean Cham ceramic raw material area at the Paley Hamu Trok clay field on the banks of the Quao River to ensure clean ceramic products to meet the international ceramic market.

Bau Truc Pottery Village is located in Phuoc Dan Town, Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province, 10 km south of Phan Rang - Thap Cham City. Bau Truc Pottery Village, along with My Nghiep Weaving Village, is considered the oldest craft village in Southeast Asia that still preserves the tradition of making pottery entirely by hand. Here, visitors can visit and experience making pottery themselves with the guidance of craftsmen.

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Making pottery at Bau Truc Cham Pottery Village. Photo: Van Tien

Cham people make pottery with traditional techniques and manual processes that have been maintained by families for many generations under the matriarchal system of "mother to son".

What makes the Cham pottery art in Bau Truc village different is the pottery making style that does not use a turntable. The craftsman walks backwards “working by hand, rotating by butt” around the shaft where the clay block is placed, while rubbing and stroking evenly to shape the product. When the rough shape is achieved, the craftsman smooths the product by wrapping a small piece of wet cloth around his hand, each finger gently rubbing or rubbing hard to create edges, create sawtooth shapes, carve lines, water waves, and unique patterns on the surface of the product.

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Each product at Bau Truc Cham pottery is a specialty. Photo: Van Tien

Because it is completely handmade, Bau Truc Cham pottery is praised as the most “human-hand-warming” product with its own characteristics, imbued with Cham culture. This is shown in the fact that even though they are of the same type, no two pieces are alike, like molded products in other pottery villages.

Through the ups and downs of history, Bau Truc pottery village still maintains the traditional features of pottery making style amid the flow of time. The pottery artisans here still preserve the quintessence and primitive beauty of ancient pottery hundreds of years ago. Bau Truc village currently has over 400 Cham households engaged in pottery making, accounting for about 70% of the Cham households living in the locality.

Xuan Ngoc