Festive coolours bring 500-year-old Thanh Ha Pottery Village to life
DNO - Thanh Ha Pottery Village came alive with colour, music and tradition as its annual festival celebrated nearly 500 years of craftsmanship, culture and community heritage.
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The annual Thanh Ha Pottery Village Founders’ Festival, taking place on August 21 and 22, offered an opportunity to discover the living heritage of one of Hoi An’s most remarkable traditional craft villages.
The festival featured a rich programme of cultural, artistic and community activities, with the procession and main commemorative ceremony serving as highlights.
Artisans, elderly residents, pottery makers, young people, students and local community groups came together in the procession, accompanied by lion and dragon dances, ceremonial flags and traditional music.
More than a formal ceremony, it created a vibrant meeting place where generations gather to honour the ancestors who established and preserved the craft.
Visitors also explored a series of spaces celebrating Thanh Ha’s unique identity, including the “Heritage Pottery Road”, the “Product Connection” area and the “Thanh Ha Pottery Market”.
At the “Artisan in Action” activities, skilled craftsmen demonstrated traditional techniques, allowing visitors to see how ordinary clay is transformed into distinctive works of art.
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The festival offered a taste of local life through the “Flavours of Hoi An” food space, folk games, bamboo dancing, blindfolded pot-smashing, communal cooking contests and cultural performances.
A new tourism experience, “Return to Thanh Ha - Touch Pottery, Listen to Bai Choi”, further connected the village’s traditional craft with Hoi An’s vibrant folk culture.
Visitors were seen immerse themselves in pottery-making while enjoying the distinctive sounds of Bai Choi, creating an experience that combines creativity, heritage and entertainment.
Thanh Ha pottery is more than a traditional product. Each piece reflects generations of accumulated knowledge, craftsmanship and local aesthetics.
The village has also become a place where traditional handicrafts meet contemporary artistic expression, contributing to Hoi An’s identity as a UNESCO Creative City.
For visitors seeking an experience beyond the familiar sights of Hoi An, Thanh Ha offers something deeply authentic: the chance to touch the clay, meet the artisans, discover centuries-old traditions and feel the rhythm of a living community.
A journey to Thanh Ha is therefore not simply a visit to an old pottery village. It is an invitation to connect with the soul of Hoi An - through clay, culture and the hands of the people who continue to keep this remarkable heritage alive.