“Women were masters of the wheel – where potteries are formed by their gentle hands,” she said. Hà said pottery was her childhood and helped the family get through difficult times, and the tradition was now being kept alive by her son. Hợp’s mother, Phan Thị Hà, 75, recalled that women with skilful hands were assigned to form wet clay on the potter's wheel into pots and dry them in the sunlight, while men did heavier jobs such as digging and kneading clay as well as placing the raw products in the kiln.

He said some restaurants in the city use clay pots to cook food in a unique style. “Clay pots and firewood stoves, which were replaced by gas and electric ovens, have lured chefs as they provide a more natural aroma to the food,” he explained. However, I have recovered the family trade in recent years as earthenware products started to become more popular again,” Hợp said. My mother was a skilled potter in the commune, but she retired due to old age. “I learned the trade from my maternal grandfather and mother. Nguyễn Tấn Hợp, 35, the owner of a pottery workshop in the commune, said the trade has provided a regular income for his family since his great-great-grandfather, and still creates jobs for some old potters in the commune who earn around VNĐ200,000 ($8.7) per day. At least 10,000 pieces were sold each month at markets in the provinces of Bình Định, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi and Thừa Thiên-Huế. Kitchenware, including jars, bowls and pots, was the main products of the commune, with prices ranging from VNĐ20,000 (nearly US$1) to VNĐ40,000 ($1.7) per item. The potters, now in their later years, are struggling to keep the trade alive as youngsters follow other trades looking for better money.

What used to be a busy pottery hub, 60km south of Quảng Ngãi City, with 300 households producing earthenware in the late 1970s, now consists of 10 families and a dozen skilled potters. Situated at the foot of Dâu Mountain, many earthenware potters in Phổ Khánh Commune in the southern central province of Quảng Ngãi still earn a living from the traditional trade despite rapid urbanisation.Įarthenware potteries, once forgotten years ago in favour of plastic alternatives, have recently become popular again among rural restaurants. Youngsters are involved with the craft from an early age. PLAYFUL POTTERY: Children play with flower pots at a family workshop in Vĩnh An Village of Phổ Khánh Commune.

My time at sandrock clay