Traditional pottery-making in Vinh Long Vietnam
15/06/09 (GMT+7)
Renowned as one of the biggest producers of traditional Vietnamese ceramics in the Mekong Delta, Vinh Long Province boasts more than 1,330 family-run pottery businesses.
 Around 130 small businesses in Vinh Long specialize in producing artistic ceramics for export with most establishments concentrated in the province’s Mang Thit and Long Ho districts, and Vinh Long Town.
There are a total of around 2,800 kilns used to produce bricks, tiles and art in Vinh Long, which can be seen sitting in the open and resemble giant eggs buried in the ground. The kilns have a diameter of nearly 10 meters and stand more than 10-15 meters high.
The large ovens – made of bricks, clay and sand – are most abundant along a route from the My Thuan Bridge toward Co Chien Estuary near Vinh Long Town.
After arriving in Vinh Long, tourists can visit an area near the Co Chien River to learn about the pottery-making process. First, clay is collected from the earth, then kneaded into a more malleable substance. When it reaches a certain elasticity, the potters use it to shape various products. The ceramics are then set out to dry before being placed in a kiln.
Baking the products in a kiln is a step that requires much patience and care. It can take months for a ceramic product to finish baking. During this process, the craftspeople must stay near the kiln to regularly check on the ceramics and make temperature adjustments.
They check the temperature without using any specialized equipment and only people with years of experience can perform the job well. When the ceramics are finally finished baking, they are left to sit in the kilns until they have cooled sufficiently.
Ceramics produced in Vinh Long are now exported to Europe, the US, Australia and several Asian countries and territories including South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Local business owners say that in time they hope to expand and export their products to more areas.
(Source:VietNamNet/TN, URL:http://english.vietnamnet.vn/travel/2009/06/852892/)
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