Kim Lan Village is considered the cradle of household ceramic wares in the old Thang Long Capital (present-day Hanoi ). Thanks to the hands of skilled artisans, clay from this village turns into beautiful and useful products which are famous nationwide.

The village is located in Gia Lam District, southeast of Hanoi, bordering Bat Trang, a famous pottery making village in the north, and Hoang Mai District in the west. It has a long-standing founding history and is one of the famous pottery producing centres in the country.

Ceramic wares made by Kim Lan villagers are known for their practicality rather than ornate design. The products are diverse in variety, from toothpick and candle holders, to flowerpots, decanters and jars. Additionally, the villagers also concentrate on producing pottery wares in service of construction, such as decorative tiles, handrails, etc.

In 2001, Japanese archaeologist Nishimura Masanari and students from Hanoi National University carried out an excavation in Kim Lan relic site and found many pieces of high-grade ceramics, including Long Tuyen and Viet Chau pottery of China at three sites. Of particular interest was a cup with two ears that was used to drink wine from the 11th century; a piece of deep blue glazed plate with a diameter of 45cm decorated with phoenixes, first found in Vietnam; and a vestige of a sugar furnace with an architectural foundation of 20 x 10cm.

In early 2003, other vestiges were found in Kim Lan area, including architectural and decorative materials, ancient ceramic wares and relics of pottery kilns in the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400). Based on the results of the three excavations, the archaeologists came to the conclusion that Kim was a centre producing ancient ceramic wares in the 13th – 14th century. Furthermore, the pottery products were possibly exported to foreign countries because pieces of pottery in the Tran Dynasty have patterns which are similar to that found in the Philippines and Indonesia . So far, people and archaeologists have found tens of thousands of relics in Kim Lan that helps Ham Rong area in Kim Lan Commune be recognized as an archaeological site. Lan Village

Kim Lan Pottery Village has now produced many kinds of high-quality products which are not only provided to the domestic market but also foreign countries, such as Japan and South Korea . Together with the pottery villages of Phu Lang in Bac Ninh Province and Bat Trang in Hanoi, Kimhas continued preserving and promoting the traditional craft. Lan Village

Source: VNP

Brocade-weaving, once a vibrant traditional handicraft amongst the ethnic minority groups of the Central Highland Regions of Vietnam, is now becoming extinct as local weavers are weaning away from it due to lack of demand.

Ro Lan Pel, a brocade weaver and also chairwoman of the brocade- weaving club in Bien Ho Commune in Pleiku town of Gia Lai Province, lives in a quiet house hidden behind coffee fields and today faces a quiescency as she silently arranges her looms and colorful reels of thread. On her empty shelves lie singular pieces of a handbag and a scarf.

She says that there have been no orders for the last several months and thus she now rarely touches the loom except to make a few bags and scarves to nurture her creativity.

Like other Jrai ethnic girls, Ro Lan Pel weaved her own handbags and dresses, for herself and other family members since she was 10 years old. Her skills improved by the day. Now she brings her products to markets and souvenir shops for sale, to earn her daily bread. It takes her four days to weave a dress which sells from VND150, 000 to VND 1,000,000. However, only few buy these products today.

She also takes orders from other ethnic minority groups, who buy during festivals, though these are rare and scattered. As a result, she has switched to breeding pigs and chickens and cultivating coffee to make ends meet.

Other women in Gia Lai Province are in the same plight and are unable to live anymore on brocade-weaving income.

Traditional brocade weaving in Kon Tum Province has also more or less come to a stand still. Its three brocade cooperatives with about 200 women members are facing tough times with hardly any sales at all.

Y Linh, a Ba Na ethnic woman in Thong Nhat Ward of Kon Tum town laments, “I cannot live on weaving alone and the reason I continue to attend the cooperative is for keeping the ancient traditional craft of brocade-weaving alive in the community.”

Today many other cooperatives in Dak Lak Province face a gloomy future. The establishment in Dam Ye of Buon Ma Thuot town shut down few years ago and some others in To Bong and Ea Kao are struggling. Each cooperative member only weaves 1-2 scarves or handbag a month.

Brocade-weaving survived for a long time within the Kho and Chau Ma ethnic groups of Lam Dong Province. However, sounds of looms have long since faded in villages of Lac Duong District.

The Central Highland Provinces have failed to implement effective measures to preserve, develop and promote brocade-weaving.

The Department of Industry and Trade in Gia Lai Province has opened many training courses in brocade-weaving, aimed at preserving a traditional craft. They have also worked with many skilled brocade weavers for training local weavers. However, once the training courses are over, most of the women return to their fields.

The trade promotion division of the department has held exhibitions of brocade items in both domestic and international fairs, but this has done little to promote the products.

One member of the To Bong cooperative in Dak Lak Province said that they usually introduce their products in fairs and tourist festivals, and quite often tourists pay a high price for a brocade dress or a loin-cloth or a blanket. However, these opportunities are but few.

Source: SGGP

For a long time, the local people in Quang Nam Province have had a saying “Lam Yen drums and Phuoc Kieu gongs” to praise the traditional handicraft of casting gongs and bronze products of Phuoc Kieu Village.

Phuoc Kieu Village is located near Highway 1A in Dien Phuong Commune, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province. According to records, the village was built during the period when the Nguyen lords arrived in the Thuan and Quang areas to establish their bases in the 16th century. At that time, artisans in Phuoc Kieu Village were invited to the imperial capital of Hue to cast coins, decorative artworks and household articles.

At present, the village has about 100 bronze-casting establishments, making various products such as pagoda bells, worshipping objects, gongs, urns and other artworks. Artisans in the village are famous nationwide for the technique of casting gongs.

According to the village elders, for over 200 years the gongs cast by the villagers have been used by ethnic groups in mountainous areas in Truong Son Mountain Range and Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands) and even by neighboring countries, such as Laos and Cambodia. Today, the ethnic groups in Tay Nguyen still go to the village to order the best sets of gongs despite the difficulties in getting there.
Recently, artisans in the village successfully cast two bronze cannons similar to the ones used during the Nguyen Dynasty. Each cannon is 100kg in weight, 1.2 m in length and 25cm in diameter. Recently, artisan Duong Ngoc Sang who has engaged in the craft for over 70 years, has been given the title “The Folk Artisan” by the State. He is considered a “living treasure” of the village because of his expertise in adjusting the sound of gongs.

At present, the villagers in Phuoc Kieu not only make traditional bronze products, such as gongs, bells, urns, etc., but also many artworks for interior decoration and tourism. To further develop the craft and meet the increasing demand of the market, Phuoc Kieu Company Ltd., is making diverse products with unique designs that combine both the traditional and modern style.

Thanks to high quality and durability, Phuoc Kieu bronze products are much sought after by customers and are being exported to foreign markets.

Source: VNP

For hundreds of years, people in Thach That District, Hanoi have been digging laterite out of the ground to build houses. This strenuous work has brought them an affluent life.

Those who visit Thach That District will never forget the images of houses, village gates, wells and walls built with laterite bricks with a dark yellow colour. These bricks are rough and lumpy but they create a rustic beauty suitable to the countryside scene.

Laterite is a soft and porous type of rock. Due to its main composition of iron oxide and aluminum, it is rather soft when deep underground. When unearthed, it is exposed to the air and gradually hardens. So it is used to make building materials instead of using bricks.

Thach That District has many laterite mines. In the past people worked the mines mostly to use the laterite as construction material. Over time, they discovered that laterite is not only a cheap, durable and beautiful construction material but can also be used in making statues and decorative items for homes and buildings. With this in mind, people in Thach That created a new way to earn a living – making fine art items from laterite.

For over ten years, Binh Yen Commune in Thach That District has been known for its craft of making ornamental items from laterite. All products made by the villagers are always sold, making them prosperous. The commune has about 200 households engaged in mining and processing laterite. Nguyen Van Dan in Yen My village, the owner of a well-known lateriate-mining and processing business in the area, has been engaged in this occupation for 12 years and now four members of his family are involved in this work.

He said that mining and processing laterite requires diligence, meticulousness and the skillful hands of the workers. Over the years the technique of mining and processing laterite has basically remained the same. It is a craft so people with good health, creativity and some simple tools can open a shop.
Visiting Dan’s workshop we saw rows of laterite bricks and many beautiful animal artworks made of laterite. There are even old-style lamps, pagoda gates, and delicate flower pots. Dan said: “In the old days people in this area used laterite to build houses and pigsties. Now laterite is used to make high-grade products for wealthy people.”

There is great demand for laterite in construction, especially to build pagodas or houses of an ancient style. To create a rustic, friendly and familiar beauty, laterite is the most suitable material. More and more people are spending a lot of money to buy laterite. This earns more money for the people in Binh Yen Commune in particular and Thach That District in general, enriching their life and the society as well.

Source: VNP

About 300 households of peasants in Van Thanh village, Da Lat produce a variety of the flowers with a total area of over 200 hectares.

In a form of Da Lat Flower Festival 2012, Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee promulgated Decision recognizing Van Thanh Flower village in Da Lat as a traditional village.

Van Thanh Flower Festival is nearly 300 households of peasants produce various flowers with a half of the glasshouse-grown flowers in a tendency to a high technology agriculture.

On average, Van Thanh flower village annually supplies 73 flowers into market. Rose is main type with 80% of rose of the city as a economic potentiality.

According to Nguyen Duc Hoc, a flower growing peasant in Van Thanh village, after recognizing, Van Thanh Flower village increased into new height by some advantages of flower business. Our peasants are encouraged to create more belief in growing the flower in the village, Hoc said

Recognition of Van Thanh flower village contributes to create a flower trademark of Da Lat.

More than 300 sophisticated bamboo and rattan products are on display at an ongoing exhibition at the Viet Nam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre in Ha Noi.

Hosted by the cultural ministry, the exhibition aims to search for creative handicraft designs as well as honour the traditional craft.

More than 140 craftsmen from traditional villages across the country have sent products for the exhibition. The display also includes designs by fine arts students from HCM City and Ha Noi.

Household items such as trays, lamps, lampshades, beds and furniture are all on show.

HCM City-based architect Vo Trong Nghia was awarded the top prize for his infamous architectural designs made from bamboo.

His designs include the Viet Nam Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010, the Bamboo Wing restaurant and bar complex at the Flamingo Dai Lai Resort in Vinh Phuc Province, and the wNw [Wind and Water] Bar and Cafe in Binh Duong Province.

Bamboo Wing won the International Architecture Award from the American Chicago Athenaeum – Museum of Architecture and Design in 2010.

Products made by Viet Nam’s different ethnic groups on loan from the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnic Culture are also among the items being showcased at the exhibition.

The exhibition is open to the public until January 2 at 2 Hoa Lu Street, Ha Noi.

Source: VNS

The days near the lunar New Year (Tet holiday), the drum-making village of Doi Tam in the northern province of Ha Nam is very busy making drums of all kinds for spring festivals throughout the country.

Doi Tam village is very famous for its drum-making techniques. The village is located at the foot of Doi Mountain in Doi Son commune, Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province.
There are more than 600 people who are drum makers, most of them are Doi Tam villagers.
Coming to Doi Tam, visitors will see big drums placed in front of each house in the village and hear the sound of planers and saws from every house. Only four workers work in three days to make drums with diameters of 1.5 to 2 meters. They say that stretching the drumhead is the most difficult stage because it requires craftsmen’s skills to assess the sound. The remaining steps like making drum barrel and painting do not require high skills and techniques.

Thanh, a senior drum maker in Doi Tam said that the biggest difference between drums of Doi Tam and of other villages is the sound. The sound of Doi Tam drums are very clear. “It is not by chance that Doi Tam drums are chosen for many big festivals and events of Vietnam,” he said proudly.
To make very big drums, which are called “trong sam” (thunder drum), Doi Tam craftsmen often use jackfruit wood and buffalo skin from the Central Highlands. These drums are produced at order. It takes workers even a year to create “trong sam”. Doi Tam produced tens of “trong sam” for the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi, including the largest drum in Vietnam, which has a diameter of 2.3m and a height of 3m.

The village has produced drums for over 1,000 years. It is said that brothers Nguyen Duc Nang and Nguyen Duc Ban were the founders of Doi Tam. In 986, to welcome King Le Dai Hanh to Doi Tam village to attend a plough ceremony, the two brothers made a big drum, which created sounds like thunder. The brothers were called Trang Sam (Masters of Thunder). In photo: This 1.4m high was made within three days, by four workers.

According to custom, drum-making techniques are transferred to sons and their wives, not daughters and their husbands. Any family that breaches the rules is expelled and cursed and booted from the drum-making occupation. In photo: stretching a drumhead.
A drum is made in three major stages: leather tanning, drum-barrel making and drumhead stretching. Doi Tam craftsmen use buffalo skin to make drumheads. They shave buffalo leather till it becomes very thin and dry it in the sun. The drum-barrel is made of dried jackfruit timber.

Doi Tam kids are taught about the village’s tradition when they are 5 years old. At the age of 14-15, Doi Tam boys travel with their fathers to other regions in the country to make and repair drums.

The village’s chief, Dinh Van Luong, said since the government banned firecrackers, drum-making has developed strongly. Doi Tam village was recognized as a traditional craft village in October 2004. The Vietnam Craft Village Association granted it the “Vietnam’s outstanding craft village” title in November 2007. Not only does it make drums, the village has formed a drum-playing team to serve festivals in the country.

Near Tet, some families in Doi Tam also make wine decanters. Mrs. Sang said that the village has produced this product for around five years. Each decanter is priced from VND130,000 to VND500,000 ($7-25). This is also an important source of income of Doi Tam people.

Brocade weaving retains the traditional characteristics of the Co Tu ethnic minority of Quang Nam province.

Long ago, local people wove brocade products to serve their own family’s needs. With the development of a market economy, the Co Tu began to buy clothes from elsewhere and their brocade weaving almost faded out.

A few years ago, Japan’s Fund for International Development and Relief granted Nam Giang district US$55,000 to restore the local weaving craft.

Pham Thi Nhu, Vice Chairwoman of the Nam Giang District People’s Committee, said many contracts have been signed to ease local artisans’ worries about outlets for their products.

The Japanese funded project has helped to promote the brocade products of the Co Tu people, improve their design and teach women in Zora hamlet the weaving techniques.

Their products have been displayed at trade fairs in HCM City and overseas. Thanks to these efforts, local products have found their way into foreign markets. Many contracts have been signed to ensure outlets for local brocade products,” she said.

As Co Tu women work all day in the fields, it was difficult at first to persuade them to join the weaving group. However, appeals to their cultural identity convinced 20 women to join the group.

Over the few past years, the Zo Ra brocade weaving group has turned out dozens of beautiful and eye-catching designs and patterns. After working in the fields during the day, in the evening they join the weaving group to produce beautiful handbags, clothes, towels and hats.

Now, the weaving craft is flourishing in this hamlet. Local women have even learned how to promote their products in tourist hubs such as Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang and Hoi An. As a result, their sales have increased dramatically.

Nguyen Thi Ki Lan feels very lucky to be a member of the weaving group. “The women’s union and the project have helped us develop the weaving craft. They helped to find outlets. Thanks to the project, our family has more money and we can now buy more home appliances. This project also helps us promote our cultural identity and that’s why we try our best to maintain and develop this trade,” Lan said.

Many local artisans skilled in the craft have passed their secrets to younger generations. The craft has now spread to other communes in Nam Giang district.

Le Thi Le Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of Nam Giang district, said that many others throughout Nam Giang district are now following the brocade weaving trade and this model has proved to be very effective.

Source: VNN

For a long time, on the northern bank of the Co Chien River in Vinh Long Province there has existed a pottery-making area that is dubbed the “Kingdom of Red Ceramics”.

From My Thuan Bridge where the Co Chien River separates from the Tien River to the Mang Thit River, tourists will see over 1,000 pottery kilns built close together that look like an ancient city.
For over one century, the local people in Vinh Long have known how to use the clay on the bank of the Co Chien River to make household ceramics. They then developed the craft and founded the largest area specializing in making bricks and tiles in the Cuu Long River delta. In the 1980s, the villagers started making household and artistic ceramic products.

Co Chien pottery is renowned for not only its elegant shapes but also its distinctive color. Although the products are not enameled or coloured, they have the colour of red and white that makes them different from others.
To make beautiful products, it requires many steps. For each type of product, the artisans have their own secret in mixing the clay. It is an important technique because it decides the success of pottery products. It is necessary to knead the clay carefully until it is not sticky when touching. Because the products in the area are made by moulds, the artisans must create moulds by plaster then cut every large piece of clay and put it into the moulds. Each part of the product is made by different moulds. Then they are grafted together to create a complete product. The products are polished and baked in kilns for seven days. During the first four days, the temperature must remain at 100 to 2000c. The temperature will increase over the following days and reach 9000c on the last day. After this step, a layer of clay covers the kiln until it is cold.

At present, besides making household products, such as vases, pots and jars, the villagers also make many refined artistic pottery items, such as statues, flowerpots, and other artworks that are much sought after by customers. These products are also exported to countries of the EU, the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.

To meet the increasing demand of the market, many enterprises in Co Chien now pay much attention to investing in improving techniques and styles, expanding workshops and looking for new markets. Therefore, the craft not only brings a great benefit for local people but also provide jobs for thousands of people, making a contribution to developing the economy and society in the province.

Coming to Co Chien, tourists not only see artisans making beautiful products but also have a chance to visit a unique house built totally from pottery that is the only architectural work of its kind in Vietnam.

Source: VNP

Recently, the MOCST has had Document No. 4299/BVHTTDL-VHDT sending Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in some provinces and cities in order to prepare for some exchanges of culture, sports and tourism as well as some arts festivals in some ethnic minority groups in 2012.

Accordingly, the MOCST required that Department of Culture, sports and Tourism in some provinces and cities plan to organize a program of culture, sports and tourism and arts festival in the ethnic minority groups in 2012 and prepare for some expenses of the program.

Some provinces and cities planned to organize in 2012 including Bac Giang, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Hoa Binh, Son La, Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Dong Nai, Dai Ria Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, HCM City, Tay Ninh, An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Donh Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long.

As estimated, in 2012, the MOCST estimated to associate with some agencies and ministries as well as some relevant agencies, some locals in the ethnic minority groups to organize some exchanges of culture, sports and tourism as well as some arts festivals such as the first festival of culture, sports and tourism in the Central Highland; the fourth Arts Festival, and other festivals.

Source : http://english.cinet.vn