Loading…
Discover Vietnamese Heritage · 3D · 360° · VR
A riverside pottery village built to true scale, with 18 stops — from the clay wharf, settling tanks, wheels, drying yard, painting and glazing to the climbing kiln, box kiln, gas kiln and pottery street. Press Walk to explore at eye level, or tap any number to fly there. Turn on sound to hear the soundscape change as you move.
An illustrative traditional pottery village (built in 3D by us), not a survey model of Bat Trang Pottery Village.
From earth to fire
16 stages common to handmade pottery — each one is a stop in the 3D village above.
Clay wharf & yard
Clay arrives by boat or truck and is heaped by type: white, grey and yellow. Each clay has its own plasticity and fired colour, so potters usually blend them before preparing the body.
Settling tanks
The clay is soaked in the top tank and stirred into a slurry, then run through sieves into the lower tanks to strip out grit and impurities. The fine clay settles, the clear water is drained off, and the clay is left to firm up until it is workable.
Kneading & ageing
The firmed-up clay is kneaded thoroughly by hand or put through a pug mill to even out the moisture and drive out air bubbles — any pocket left behind can crack or burst in the kiln. The prepared clay is then wrapped under tarpaulin to age until supple.
Potter’s wheel
A lump of clay is set at the centre of the wheel; the potter centres it with both hands, then draws it up into body, neck and rim. You will find both traditional kick wheels and electric wheels. The empty stool is kept for visitors during a workshop.
Moulding & slip casting
When many identical pieces are needed, potters use plaster moulds: liquid clay slip is poured in, the plaster draws out water to form a shell, the excess is poured away and the mould is opened to release the piece.
Drying yard
Freshly formed greenware is set out on boards, first in a breezy shade and then in gentle sun. Dried too fast, it warps or cracks at the foot, so potters keep turning and shading the pieces with the weather until they are evenly dry.
Trimming
At the leather-hard stage, the potter sets the piece upside down on a hand wheel to carve the foot, refine the profile, attach handles and cut openings. This step decides the balance and finesse of the finished piece.
Painting
On the dried body, the artisan paints motifs with a soft brush — most often in blue from cobalt oxide — or carves and adds relief. The colours look pale when painted and only reveal their true hue after firing.
Glazing
Glaze is a thin layer of glass over the clay. Potters dip, pour or spray it from ready-mixed jars: white, celadon, brown, crackle… The coat must be even, and the foot is wiped clean so it does not fuse to the kiln during firing.
Coal-cake wall lane
In many pottery villages, coal was mixed with clay, shaped into cakes and slapped onto walls to dry as kiln fuel — leaving these distinctive mottled walls behind. Many workshops have since switched to gas kilns, but the traces linger in the old lanes.
Loading the kiln
Glazed pieces are placed in saggars — fireclay boxes that shield the ware from ash and direct flame — then stacked in columns inside the kiln. Skilful stacking lets the fire travel evenly and makes the most of the space.
Climbing kiln
The climbing kiln (lò bầu) is a chain of vaulted chambers built up a slope. The fire is lit in the lowest chamber and works its way uphill; kiln masters feed firewood through ports in the sides and read the colour of the flames to judge the heat. A single firing can last several days and nights.
Box kiln
The box kiln (lò hộp) is a squared brick kiln whose tall chimney draws the fire evenly throughout; it is usually fuelled with coal. During firing the door is sealed with clay, and once the fire is out the kiln must cool slowly before it is opened, so the ware does not crack from thermal shock.
Gas kiln
The steel-clad gas kiln has a control cabinet that monitors the temperature and holds it to a set programme. It is cleaner, with little smoke and more consistent results — which is why many workshops use one alongside the traditional art of reading the fire.
Unloading & packing
Fresh from the kiln, every piece is checked by hand: tapped to hear its ring, inspected for glaze flaws, its foot ground smooth, then graded. The good pieces are cushioned in straw or foam and carefully crated before setting off to their new homes.
Pottery street & wharf
Along the village lane, shops display the workshops’ wares. Behind them, goods are loaded onto boats and trucks bound for every corner of the country — completing the journey from a handful of clay to a piece in your home.
Videos and photos of the real process at the studios are coming soon
Once the project team provides them, each stage will show real footage from the village’s studios.
360° views
360° panoramas taken in the village — drag to look around as if you were there.
Real 360° photos coming soon
Panoramas of the village gate, kilns, wheels… will appear here once they are added. In the meantime, explore the 3D village above.
Coming soon
Once real 360° photos of the village are in, you’ll be able to put on a VR headset (WebXR, right in your browser) to stand in the pottery studio, look around and hear the kiln fire.
The journey continues