Located in Southeast Asia and bordered by China, a country considered the cradle of civilization and the homeland of ceramics with a history spanning over 10,000 years, Vietnam is also one of the early contributors to the art of pottery. Archaeological evidence indicates that pottery existed in Vietnam around ten thousand years ago during the Hoa Binh culture (late period) in the Bac Son region.
Ceramics
Ceramics in Vietnam – A distinct tradition
Ceramics, as a type of utensil, has been utilized in construction projects, palatial structures, drainage systems, household items, and more for over 25,000 years. This practice emerged after humans discovered fire and transitioned from mountain caves and rock shelters to constructing homes for settlement. There are two main methods discussed in pottery making: traditional ceramics and non-fired ceramics.
Structure of Ceramics: Ceramic pottery is commonly produced by taking a mixture of clay, earth elements, powder, and water, shaping them into desired forms. Once shaped, ceramics undergo high-temperature firing in a kiln, commonly referred to as a firing kiln. Typically, ceramics are coated with decorative substances, rendering them waterproof, similar to a substance known as glaze
Ceramics in Vietnam – A distinct tradition
Prehistoric pottery in Vietnam was made of clay, hand-molded, and fired outdoors at temperatures around 700oC. The raw materials included coarse clay, mainly composed of a mixture of clay, crushed shells, and plant ash. Simple decorative patterns such as crosshatch, wave patterns, and comb-like brushstrokes adorned the exterior. These patterns were created while the pottery was still wet, using sharp sticks or tools to draw and mark.
As Vietnam progressed into the Bronze Age, traditional pottery underwent innovations, transitioning from hand-molding techniques to using a potter’s wheel. This brought about a diverse range of products in terms of types and styles, exemplified by the ceramics from the pre-Dong Son period (Phung Nguyen – Dong Dao – Go Mun culture). In addition to cooking utensils, pottery products included storage containers, eating tools, jewelry, and artistic ceramics. Since its inception, pottery has become widespread, playing a dominant role and maintaining a significant position in the lives of prehistoric inhabitants.
House models, 1st – 3rd centuries
However, it wasn’t until the early centuries AD that Vietnamese pottery experienced a significant technological leap. During this period, along with new techniques imported from China, such as mold-making, assembling components before pouring into molds, glazing, and firing in high-temperature kilns, the Vietnamese, with their existing expertise and traditional experience, both preserved their cultural heritage and adaptably incorporated new technical elements. This resulted in distinctive pottery with a rich variety of types and designs, notably seen in the ceramics of the pre-Dong Son period.
While no specialized production centers were discovered during the pre-Dong Son era, as the pottery was primarily self-sufficient, with simple and lightweight production processes, by this period, numerous large-scale pottery production centers had emerged. Kilns in Tam Tho (Thanh Hoa), Thanh Lang, Lung Ngoai, Dong Dao (Vinh Phuc), Dai Lai, Luy Lau, Duong Xa (Bac Ninh), etc., appeared alongside the shift from non-glazed clay pottery to glazed pottery. Vietnamese artisans, along with Han Chinese potters, fired their products in kilns and tube kilns, introducing advanced and scientifically organized production processes. Excavations in the Tam Tho kiln area revealed highly specialized labor assignments, such as clay refining, shaping (bone china), drying, and firing. Pottery from this period had thick and hard bones, thin glaze that didn’t cover the entire object, and various decorations like raised patterns, fish scale motifs, palm leaves, diamond shapes, S characters, comb brushstrokes, and wave patterns. Some pots, pitchers, and jars were decorated with lotus petals, birds, fish, chicken heads, and elephant heads. Many of these were imitations of contemporary metal objects, such as pouring vessels, ear cups, cylindrical containers, convenient jars, handled jars, and tall-legged bowls.
Despite external influences in style and techniques, the raw materials for making bones and glaze in Vietnam during this period were locally sourced. Many types of pots and stoves still retained the traditional shapes of pre-Dong Son ceramics. Therefore, when studying Vietnamese pottery from the 10th century AD onwards, researchers from Japan, South Korea, and even mainland China had to acknowledge that there were no similarities between Dong Han pottery in Central China and Vietnamese pottery. This attested to the skill of our ancestors during a significant transformation in the pottery industry, as they preserved their cultural identity while incorporating external technical elements, laying a solid foundation for the continuous development of traditional Vietnamese glazed pottery.
The 10th century marked a historical turning point. Dai Co Viet gained independence, ushering in a period of cultural resurgence in Dai Viet. The art of pottery during the Ly and Tran dynasties experienced strong development, playing a crucial role in the economic, cultural recovery and development, creating a distinctive identity with a diverse range of forms and unique artistic decorations.
In terms of technology, the pottery kilns during the Ly – Tran period took a significant leap forward with the use of dragon kilns, lying kilns, and even dragon-shaped kilns to raise firing temperatures for products up to 1,200ºC – 1,280ºC. The use of stacked firing techniques with a support bracket was widely applied to various types of products, especially the use of bao nung (firings in saggar) that demonstrated advanced ceramic production techniques. Many regions discovered pottery production kilns, such as in Thang Long (Hanoi), Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, demonstrating the formation of centralized and professional pottery making.
During the Ly – Tran period, the types of Vietnamese glazed pottery were shaped, including jade-glazed pottery, white-glazed pottery, brown-glazed pottery, green-glazed pottery, brown-flower glazed pottery, and blue-flower glazed pottery (pre-blue glaze). These seemingly universal types of pottery appeared in the ceramic complexes of China. Still, Vietnamese glazed pottery had its unique flow with various characteristics in terms of types and artistic decorations. For jade-glazed pottery, while during the Song – Yuan period in China, there was only one jade color (early period jade color gradually shifted to olive color in the late period), and the bone china had many high-alkali, dense, and smooth characteristics (commonly known as stone ware), the products were fired individually or stacked together, resulting in a small quantity of high-end products, mainly serving the court, religion, and belief. In contrast, in Dai Viet, the color of jade-glazed pottery was extremely diverse, with colors like emerald green, greenish-yellow, gray-yellow, and lemon yellow. The primary material was clay with a low amount of high-alkali, stacked firing with 5-cornered kiln supports, 3-cornered kiln supports, folded edges, and leaving imprints on the products. While lacking aesthetic appeal, these products were produced in large quantities to meet market demand and the needs of the population. Similarly, white-glazed pottery, although it lacked the pure white and gloss of Chinese pottery during the Song – Yuan period, with its subtle, rustic glaze, delicate lines, and the addition of lotus petal ribbons on the lids and shoulders of various shapes like stupa, lian, and pot, became the distinctive feature of Ly – Tran pottery.
In conclusion, the art of pottery in Vietnam has a rich and diverse history, adapting to the needs and developments of different periods. The Ly – Tran period marked a significant chapter in the country’s pottery development, showcasing advanced technologies and unique styles that contributed to the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam.
Brown flower pottery (white background with brown flowers and brown background with white flowers) is another distinctive feature. This is a characteristic ceramic line of Dai Viet, which no other country in the world has in its ceramic history. It involves the technique of scraping the bone china when the glaze is applied to create decorative items, and then the ceramists use a brush to paint brown patterns on the scraped part. With contrasting white-brown colors, along with molded, carved, cut, and trimmed shapes, contemporary artists have created unique, innovative ceramic products that are powerful, robust, yet deeply rooted in folk, simple aesthetics.
The difference also lies in the decorative patterns, with free, unconstrained lines, strongly influenced by Buddhist themes (lotus flowers, chrysanthemums) – a religion during the Ly – Tran periods considered the national religion. Additionally, when studying the shapes and patterns on brown flower pottery from the Ly – Tran periods, researchers also recognized many decorative elements similar to the Dong Son bronze art, dating back more than 1,000 years. Brown flower pottery, such as vase-shaped towers with coiled floral bands, hà script, S-shaped patterns, or human figures, mythical animals, aquatic creatures appearing with thick, lively engraved lines, full of spontaneity, as seen in Dong Son bronze artifacts. This indicates that the Dong Son cultural tradition is inherited in the subconscious of Dai Viet craftsmen, inspiring them to create unique and outstanding ceramic products that confidently coexist with Chinese ceramics from the Song – Yuan periods.
During this period, ceramic products were produced for both the court and the common people, and some types of glazed ceramics were exported abroad. Historical records show that from the early Ly Dynasty, many countries engaged in trade and exchanged goods with our country, such as Java (Indonesia), Lu Lac, and Siam (Thailand). By the 12th century, foreign sailing ships increasingly arrived in our country. In 1149, King Ly Anh Tong established Van Don port (the first trading port of Dai Viet) to facilitate the exchange of goods, and ceramic products were among the items traded and gifted. Today, along the banks of Van Don, Van Ninh (Mong Cai), and the pre-port areas in Hoang Tan (Yen Hung), Bang port, Gao Rang port (Hanh Bo) in Quang Ninh province, when researched and excavated, many ceramic shards from the Ly – Tran periods were found, such as jade enamel, white enamel, brown enamel, brown flowers, early blue. These are evidence of the export of Dai Viet ceramic products. Ceramic shards from the early 14th century discovered in Japan in the Kanzeon-ji area, Dazaifu, Fukuoka province, Kyushu island, or in Nakijin Gusuku, Ryukyus, Okinawa island, vividly confirm the export activities of Dai Viet ceramics during this period.
White glaze vase and teapot, 11th – 13th century
In the early Le Dynasty, the 15th century, Vietnamese ceramics underwent a new development, marking a period of strong growth in trade relations between Vietnam and many countries worldwide. Ceramic products became essential for export, creating favorable conditions for the development of ceramics production in Vietnam, both in quantity and quality, with many specialized production centers, and various types of ceramics were innovatively created, reaching high technical and artistic levels. This innovation was marked by the emergence of three new enamel lines compared to the traditional Dai Viet ceramics before: white enamel with blue decoration, multicolored enamel with gold decoration, and white enamel with ink decoration.
White enamel with blue decoration appeared at the end of the Tran Dynasty, but it blossomed and became the main product in the market at the beginning of the Le Dynasty. The material evidence found at the Chu Dao pottery kiln (Hai Duong) and Thang Long (Hanoi) revealed the complete appearance of this type of Dai Viet enamel at that time and white enamel with blue decoration in particular. On the sunken ship in the waters of Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An, Quang Nam) excavated from 1997 to 1999, there were 240,000 artifacts, providing the most complete information about the appearance of Dai Viet ceramics in this period, especially white enamel with blue decoration. On the ship, multicolored enamel items (triple color, five colors) produced in Chu Dao and Thang Long were also found, indicating their export. In particular, the triple color, five-color enamel of Le Dynasty ceramics found on the Cu Lao Cham ship with gold patterns confirmed a unique achievement of Dai Viet ceramics in the 15th century. On the ship, white enamel items with ink decoration were also found, thin as paper, translucent, once seen in the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the historical site of Lam Kinh (Thanh Hoa), with dragon patterns in relief, like evidence of the royal items of that time, now found on the Cu Lao Cham ship in small quantities, lower quality, assumed to be gifts from the Dai Viet King to the Southeast Asian kingdoms.
Alongside white enamel with blue decoration, gray-blue enamel ceramics (mainly produced in Chu Dao, Hai Duong) appeared in the 15th century with rare types: pots, urns, bowls, plates, and decorative lamps engraved or embossed with dragon and cloud motifs, sometimes with brown and yellow enamel spots.
Especially in the Mac period (16th century), gray-blue enamel ceramics appeared mostly with lamp bases, incense burners, or dragon-shaped incense burners, Dao Mac clouds, sometimes with brown and yellow enamel spots.
Specifically, in the Mac period, many types of ceramic worship items with white enamel with blue decoration, gray-blue enamel, and multicolored enamel had inscriptions indicating the production date, the names of the craftsmen, the commissioners, the contributors, and their addresses. From these inscriptions, we have reliable sources for researching contemporary handmade industrial goods, shedding light on various social history issues such as the accurate chronology of the Mac dynasty, information about ceramic craftsmen, including those who had many ceramic creations such as Dang Huyen Thong (Chu Dao), Do Xuan Vi, and Do Phu (Bat Trang). Particularly, through accurate dating on ceramics, we have reliable information to determine the dates of ceramics of the same type or, conversely, can determine the dating of ceramics through the names of the ceramic craftsmen.
In the late 17th century to the early 18th century, the international and regional situation experienced significant changes: the Qing Dynasty abandoned its maritime prohibition policy, and Chinese ceramics flooded the Southeast Asian market; Japan developed its domestic economy, including ceramic production; Western countries began the Industrial Revolution with new commodity demands. In Vietnam, the restrictions on foreign trade by the Trinh – Nguyen government (in the 18th century) and the Nguyen Dynasty (in the 19th century) led to a decline in the foreign trade relations of Vietnam and a decrease in ceramic exports due to insufficient competitiveness in the market. This is the reason why the once prosperous ceramic export centers gradually declined.
In this context, Bat Trang – a traditional pottery village since the 14th century, was also affected, with the decline of ceramic exports, but it still maintained its enduring vitality thanks to a widespread domestic market for household items, worship items, decorations, and custom-made items suitable for the tastes of the people. Therefore, Bat Trang is one of the few traditional pottery production centers that still exist and develop until today.
Bat Trang pottery has five enamel lines, characteristic of different periods: white enamel with blue decoration appeared from the late 14th century and still exists to this day with blue colors ranging from pale blue to dark black; brown enamel has been present since the early establishment of Bat Trang village, but it only participated in dotting or served as a background for other enamel lines; ivory white enamel was widely used from the 17th to the 19th centuries, with thin enamel, ivory yellow color, glossy, suitable for meticulous raised decorations; jade enamel was used in combination with ivory white and brown enamel to create a unique triple color enamel of Bat Trang ceramics from the 16th to 17th centuries; crackle enamel is the latest enamel line, appearing from the late 16th century and continuously developing until the 19th century. Crackle enamel is a unique type, very famous, created due to the difference in shrinkage between bone china and enamel. Therefore, when mentioning Bat Trang ceramics, people immediately think of the crackle enamel line, which is the traditional “brand” of Bat Trang pottery.
With a long history and a unique flow, converging the cultural essence of the nation, Vietnamese ceramics have become the subject of passionate research and collection by researchers and antiquarians who dedicate much time and effort to study, collect, and build valuable collections. It can be said that the history of Vietnamese fine arts is largely reflected through ceramics.
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