Bau Truc pottery village aimed to become community tourism destination

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is seeking opinions from ministries, branches and localities on the Project "Heritage model connecting with tourism itineraries to develop ethnic minority communities with similar heritages", including the model of pottery making of the Cham people in Bau Truc village (Ninh Phuoc commune). This is considered a good signal opening the door to building the famous pottery village of the Cham people into a community tourism destination in the near future.

The pottery making of the Cham people in Bau Truc pottery village is one of the typical types of intangible cultural heritage, with unique historical and artistic values, and at the same time deeply reflects the relationship between people and the natural and social environment in the locality. Bau Truc pottery village is recognized as one of the ancient pottery villages in Southeast Asia and has unique characteristics such as: The technique of creating shapes entirely by hand, without using a turntable; the process of firing pottery outdoors with firewood and straw, creating characteristic natural colors and patterns... These are the things that have created the unique identity of Bau Truc pottery products compared to other pottery villages in the country and the region. In November 2022, Bau Truc pottery was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

Bau Truc pottery village artisans introduce the traditional Cham pottery craft at the National Achievements Exhibition on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the National Day in Hanoi.

Bau Truc pottery village artisans introduce the traditional Cham pottery craft at the National Achievements Exhibition on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi.

However, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the pottery craft of the Cham people in Bau Truc is facing great challenges. These include the decreasing number of artisans and the next generation; the small number of people studying and practicing the craft; traditional handmade pottery products having difficulty competing with industrial goods; the area of ​​raw clay for making pottery is increasingly narrowing; the space for production and practice is limited. The community of people who directly make the products do not have many opportunities to participate in exchange events and promote their products outside the locality. Domestic and international tourists also have difficulty accessing and fully experiencing the values ​​of Bau Truc pottery heritage. The above factors have raised the urgent need for solutions to connect, promote and create sustainable livelihoods for the Cham community who are preserving the traditional craft of making handmade pottery.

According to Le Van Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, after receiving a document requesting comments on the draft project "A model of heritage connecting with tourism itineraries to develop ethnic minority communities with similar heritages", with a specific model being the pottery making of the Cham people in Bau Truc village, the department quickly sent a document to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with comments. Along with that, the department also sent a list of artisans and students to participate when the project is implemented. With the pottery making of the Cham people in Bau Truc selected as the main subject of the project, it has opened up opportunities to build and develop this place into a community tourism destination in the future. Thereby, introducing and promoting for tourists to visit, learn and directly participate in the pottery making process; expanding the experience of the Cham people's cultural and historical space, exploring natural landscapes, cuisine, and traditional art forms. Through the model, the community of potters in Bau Truc will have the opportunity to exchange experiences, skills and secrets of the profession, while expanding the market for product consumption, improving the capacity to teach and promote heritage beyond the local area.

Artisans of Bau Truc pottery village making traditional pottery at the Po Nagar Tower.

When the project is implemented, the Cham people in Bau Truc pottery village will be taught the necessary knowledge and skills in the community to build practical experiential tours called "Bau Truc Pottery Soul" for tourists to experience making pottery with artisans, learn about the history of the craft village, visit the pottery market and the Cham ethnic cultural space. From there, integrate similar cultural stories to build content to interpret, display, perform, and promote heritage connecting inside and outside the community in many forms; create a place for exchange, performance, and practice of heritage... "For a long time, we have been invited to participate in pottery demonstrations at the Po Nagar Tower National Monument or some tourist areas in the province. If we participate in this project, we will have the opportunity to introduce and promote traditional pottery making and Cham ceramic products right in our hometown of Bau Truc. From activities of protecting, producing, performing and sharing heritage values ​​with tourists, people will have more livelihoods, create jobs, and have a stable income," said artisan Truong Thi Gach.

It is known that, implementing the National Action Program to protect and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage "Cham pottery art", the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a plan to open a class to teach Cham pottery art in Bau Truc village, scheduled from October 3 to 12. Therefore, when the project of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is implemented, it will create more synchronization and comprehensiveness because of the participation of scientists, managers, and businesses to jointly implement each specific content to bring practical benefits to people in participating in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage value of Cham pottery making in Bau Truc.

Giang Dinh

Translated by T.T