## Old Pottery Artisans — The Silent Hands That Shaped Soul into Vietnamese Earth and Fire Traditional pottery artisans are master craftspeople who devoted entire lifetimes to the ceramic craft, preserving techniques and the spirit of the trade across generations. They are the silent figures behind every ceramic work—from humble rice bowls to exquisite palace vases. Each pair of artisan hands contains centuries of accumulated experience passed down through family lines. - Many pottery artisans dedicated 50–60 years to the craft, starting at age 8–10 - Mastering the spinning wheel technique requires at least 5–10 years of continuous practice - A skilled artisan can produce over 100 different products from a single lump of clay I once spent hours sitting in the workshop of a man in his seventies in Bat Trang, watching nothing but his hands at work. Those fingers were thin, calloused, nails darkened from years of contact with ceramic glazes, yet when they touched clay, they became impossibly soft and precise. A shapeless lump rose between his palms, curved, narrowed, and blossomed into an elegant flower vase. No mold, no measuring tools—everything emerged from the memory of his hands alone. Traditional pottery artisans were more than craftspeople. They were philosophers of earth and fire, poets who wrote not with words but with forms, lines, and glazes upon each creation. Perhaps that is why the Vietnamese word "nghệ" in "nghệ nhân" (artisan) means not merely "craft" but also "art"—the point where technique transcends into beauty. ## Life Journey of a Pottery Artisan ### Childhood Beside the Kiln — When Pottery Seeps into the Blood Most traditional pottery artisans began their exposure to the craft very young, typically between 7 and 10 years old. In families with generations of potters, children grew up surrounded by clay heaps, scorching kilns, and the steady rhythm of spinning wheels. They started with the simplest jobs—kneading clay, carrying unfired pots, watching the kiln—then gradually earned a place at the wheel. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hanh, a Bat Trang artisan now in her eighties, recalls following her mother into the workshop at age six. "I was only allowed to draw flowers on raw pottery with a bamboo stick. If the drawing was ugly, Mother wiped it away. If pretty, I got praised. But I drew every day, drew and drew until I could paint lotus flowers with my eyes closed," she remembers with a gentle smile. That was how pottery was taught—not through textbooks, but through thousands of days of repetition until skill became instinct. ### Years of Training — The Road from Worker to Master Becoming a true pottery artisan required at least 15–20 years of continuous training. The initial phase (5–10 years) covered basic techniques: wheel throwing, hand shaping, clay mixing, and glaze preparation. The next phase (5–10 years) involved refinement and development of a personal style. Only after 20 or more years was a craftsperson truly considered an "artisan"—someone capable of creating works bearing a distinct personal signature. Mr. Tran Van Duc, a 72-year-old Chu Dau ceramic artisan, compares this journey to martial arts training: "The first ten years you learn the moves. The next ten years you forget the moves. When you've forgotten every technique yet your hands still do everything right—that's when you become an artisan." This statement reflects a profound philosophy: the highest technique is when technique dissolves into instinct, when hands know what to do without the mind issuing commands. ### An Artisan's Life — Joy and Hardship Beside the Kiln The life of a pottery artisan was not always as radiant as the works they created. Many faced poverty, illness (especially lung disease from inhaling glaze dust), and the slow decline of their craft. Some artisans spent entire lifetimes toiling beside kilns without ever receiving recognition, their names fading into obscurity with passing years. Mr. Pham Van Hoa, a Phu Lang pottery artisan, once shared that some kiln loads emerged as nothing but waste—sometimes due to incorrect temperature, sometimes uneven glazing, sometimes unexpected rain and humidity. "Months of kneading clay, shaping, drying, then firing for two days and two nights, opening the kiln to find only broken pieces. At that moment, you want to cry but can't even manage tears," he recounted. Yet the very next morning, he would knead clay again and start from scratch. That is the quiet resilience of pottery artisans. ## Technique and Craftsmanship — Heritage from Artisan Hands ### The Art of Wheel Throwing — When Hands Speak to Clay Wheel throwing is the most fundamental yet most challenging technique in pottery-making. The artisan must coordinate multiple simultaneous movements: feet pumping the wheel to maintain consistent speed, both hands pressing against the spinning clay, one hand supporting the outside while the other shapes the interior. Pressure must be precisely calibrated—too much force distorts the clay; too little cannot shape it. A skilled artisan can throw a 40–50 cm tall vase in just 3–5 minutes, with walls uniformly thin at only 3–4 mm. Remarkably, they use no measuring instruments—all dimensions are sensed through fingertips. When I asked Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, a 65-year-old Bat Trang artisan, how he knew when walls were thin enough, he simply smiled: "My fingers know. I don't need to know—my fingers know." That kind of knowledge cannot be replaced by any computer or machine. ### Secret Glaze Recipes — Science Hidden Within Art Glaze formulation is the most closely guarded domain in traditional pottery. Each artisan family possesses proprietary glaze recipes transmitted orally through generations, never committed to writing. Raw materials—rice husk ash, limestone, kaolin, iron ore, quartzite—are blended in precise ratios, ground, sieved, mixed with water, and left to settle before use. Few people realize that some traditional glazes require up to six months of preparation. Bat Trang crackle glaze, for example, undergoes multiple formulation stages, a natural fermentation period, then application in multiple thin layers. When fired at high temperature, the glaze contracts to form natural crackle patterns—each piece bearing a unique network of lines that never repeats. This painstaking process is precisely what gives traditional pottery its special value compared to industrial ceramics. ## Memorable Stories of Pottery Artisans ### Artisan Tran Do and the Royal Tea Set In Bat Trang's pottery history, there is a story about an artisan named Tran Do who lived during the Le Dynasty. The royal court commissioned him to create a tea set exclusively for the king. He worked for three months, producing dozens of sets but smashing every one because none met his standards. The final set comprised only six cups and one teapot, but each piece was so perfect that the king declared them "heaven-made, not human-made." This story, though perhaps embellished through oral retelling, reflects an essential spirit of traditional pottery artisans: absolute perfectionism. They were willing to destroy imperfect works despite weeks or months of effort. For them, every product must honor their family's reputation and professional tradition. ### The Last Artisans — Keeping the Flame When No One Follows Some elderly artisans in smaller pottery villages are the last holders of traditional ceramic techniques. When they pass, centuries of knowledge will vanish forever. Mr. Nguyen Van Bon, 82, is the last person who knows how to compound ancient glazes in a small village in Thanh Hoa province. All his children and grandchildren work in factories; none wishes to continue the craft. "I fired my last kiln load last year," Mr. Bon said, his eyes gazing into the distance toward a cold, silent kiln. "The glaze formula from my father, my grandfather, generations passing it down—now it lives only in my head. When I go, it goes with me." Stories like his remind us that when an elderly pottery artisan passes, we lose not just a person but an entire living library of knowledge. ## Cultural Value and Significance of Pottery Artisans ### Artisans as Keepers of Vietnamese Cultural Soul Traditional pottery artisans did not merely create products—they preserved and transmitted national culture through every piece. Each motif, each vessel shape, each glaze tone encodes the philosophy, beliefs, and aesthetics of Vietnamese people across eras. Without artisans, pottery is merely soulless fired earth. In the context of rapid modernization, the role of traditional artisans becomes even more critical. They bridge past and present. They alone can transmit knowledge that cannot be written in books—knowledge residing in hands, intuition, and decades of experience at the spinning wheel. When an artisan passes, no artificial intelligence or machine can replicate that wisdom. ### Honoring Artisans — So Earth and Fire Continue to Resonate Honoring and protecting traditional pottery artisans is a responsibility shared by all of society. Vietnam has established the titles of People's Artisan and Excellent Artisan for outstanding contributors to traditional crafts. However, many artisans in remote villages remain unknown and need financial support, media attention, and especially apprenticeship programs. Whenever you hold a traditional ceramic bowl in your hands, remember that behind it lies the entire life of one or many artisans. Their hands have shaped millions of pounds of clay, monitored thousands of kiln firings, experienced the sorrow of shattered pottery and the joy of perfect pieces emerging from the flame. Traditional pottery is beautiful not merely for its form and glaze but because it carries the warmth and soul of human beings. ## Today and Changing Times ### New Generation Artisans — Between Tradition and Innovation The new generation of pottery artisans faces a crossroads: preserve traditional techniques unchanged or innovate for the modern era? Many young people choose combination—learning ancestral techniques from elders, then applying them creatively in personal styles. They use social media for promotion, open workshops for visitors, and create products that carry traditional spirit while meeting contemporary tastes. Ms. Le Thu Ha, 30, a young Bat Trang artisan, opened a studio combining workshop and exhibition space. "I learned from my grandmother and mother how to throw pots and mix glazes. But I create in my own way—minimalist pottery, monochrome glazes, modern forms. The core remains the artisan's hands, earth, and fire," she shares. That is how young artisans continue their ancestors' story. ### Preserving Artisan Knowledge — A Race Against Time Currently, many projects are urgently documenting, filming, and digitizing the knowledge of elderly artisans before it is too late. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and several nonprofit organizations have conducted interview and video projects with artisans over 70, archiving glaze formulas and traditional firing techniques. However, a paradox exists: an artisan's essential knowledge resides in their hands, their intuition, their ability to sense clay through touch—things that cameras and documents cannot fully capture. The only way to truly preserve this knowledge is for young people to commit to the craft, sitting beside elderly artisans and learning through their own hands for years on end. This is living heritage—the kind that can only pass from hand to hand. ## You Might Also Want to Explore: - Bat Trang Pottery Village — the thousand-year flame in the heart of Hanoi - Traditional Pottery Kilns — where sacred fire transforms raw earth into art - Ancient Glazing Techniques — thousand-year secrets behind pottery's luminous coat ## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) **When did traditional pottery artisans start learning?** Most began at age 7–10, growing up in pottery-making families. They learned through daily observation and practice rather than formal schooling. **How long does it take to become a true pottery artisan?** At least 15–20 years of continuous training. The first 5–10 years cover basic techniques; the next 5–10 years develop personal style. **How are pottery artisans honored in Vietnam?** Vietnam grants People's Artisan and Excellent Artisan titles through government recognition. However, many artisans in remote areas remain unrecognized. **Why is artisan pottery knowledge so difficult to preserve?** Because most knowledge resides in hands and intuition—impossible to fully capture in books or video. It can only transfer from hand to hand through years of apprenticeship. **How do pottery artisans earn a living today?** Income varies greatly. Famous artisans can sell works at premium prices, but many in small villages struggle, especially as demand for everyday pottery declines. **How can people support traditional pottery artisans?** Buy directly from artisans, join pottery experience tours, support preservation programs, and simply share their stories so more people learn about their irreplaceable craft.