Bat Trang Ceramic Village

Visited the personal home of a ceramics factory owner on the Red River, whose grandfather was impacted by the land reform program 1953-1956. The program involved confiscating and redistributing land owned by landlords to poor and landless peasants. The program resulted in resistance, including rioting, in the countryside. His family lost 18 properties but hid gold in the well. They left 1 son behind and the rest dispersed to France and South Vietnam for many years, finally returning to rebuild. Very different from Morocco ceramics visit, with an aggressive sales push, the owner served us tea in his living room, shared his story, and then gave us each a bud vase as a gift. We then ventured further into the village, where another family showed us how they make the ceramics. We all got to get dirty and play with the clay...mine was the best, but the owner gave the prize to Sally. :)Read more