The flow of terracotta in the heart of Da Nang
DNO - From My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO world heritage site, travellers following the downstream flow of the Thu Bon river will reach Thanh Ha pottery village before arriving at the ancient town of Hoi An.
From Champa imprints to a fairyland
Stretching from My Son Sanctuary to Thanh Ha, a 500-year-old pottery village, the remnants of ancient brick kilns and the glowing red towers of My Son at sunset evoke the golden age of Champa craftsmanship.
Between 2004 and 2008, archaeologists from the University of Milan unearthed over 1,300 terracotta relics, including sculptures of deities, sacred animals, and intricate flame and lotus motifs, revealing the refined artistry of Champa culture.
According to artist Nguyen Thuong Hy, visitors go to My Son for its World Heritage status, but they stay to feel the mystery of its ancient bricks and the rhythm of Champa terracotta.
Downstream, Thanh Ha pottery village carries on that legacy. Once famed across Asia during Hoi An’s trading era, it remains a living museum of terracotta art. The village's elderly artisans shape clay with graceful precision; their movements blend labour and poetry.
Today, young potters in Thanh Ha breathe new life into tradition, infusing age-old terracotta with modern designs for decor and art, keeping alive the warm, earthen spirit of this “fairyland village.”
The fame of Quang land’s pottery
The gentle flow of the Thu Bon river still carries the spirit of terracotta craft from past to present. On its banks, the red-brick Le Duc Ha's terracotta workshop glows like a living symbol of Quang land's pottery tradition.
As a highlight of Dong Khuong handicraft village in Dien Ban, the workshop serves both as a production site and a cultural destination. Students from Nguyen Thien Thuat Secondary School often visit to learn pottery-making firsthand. The visits help students appreciate manual work and traditional crafts.
Artisan Le Duc Ha hopes to bring Quang land's pottery to global audiences through sculptures inspired by Champa and Buddhist culture, many of which are displayed and sold as souvenirs in Hoi An. Tropical Space, a Vietnamese architectural firm renowned worldwide for its terracotta-based designs, is another name he brings up.
Standing between My Son Sanctuary and Thanh Ha pottery village, Ha’s workshop continues the centuries-old flow of terracotta art.