Thanh Ha, sunny days and Hoi An, windy nights…
Fire is a bright fire
Thanh Ha pottery and brick kiln is here.
Late night with a faint west wind
The beloved wakes up with words of welcome
Thanh Ha Pottery Village is a long-standing traditional craft village in Hoi An, formed in the 16th century. The most glorious period of the pottery village was in the 17th - 18th centuries. During this period, the products of the pottery village were widely consumed throughout the Central provinces, contributing to the construction of temples of the Nguyen Dynasty, and even being introduced to Japan, China, and the Netherlands. The artisans in the pottery village were mostly residents of Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, and Thanh Hoa provinces who migrated to Quang Nam.
Thanh Ha ancient village is famous for its pottery and tiles. Especially the unique yin-yang tiles that you can still see on many roofs in Hoi An ancient town. The village is completely surrounded by rivers, the main reason why the founders of the pottery village hundreds of years ago decided to choose Thanh Ha as their hometown because the waterway is great for transporting heavy bricks. According to legend and the people of Thanh Hoa - Nghe An, they went to the South by waterway, the boat encountered a fierce storm so they anchored the boat at "Con Dong" (one of the 13 villages of Thanh Ha). Out of the storm, the place of beautiful mountains and rivers, the intersection of roads and rivers, means that the founders of the village did not need to search anymore, they laid the foundation and reclaimed their homeland.
In addition, Thanh Ha village is 3km from Hoi An port. At that time, this was Faifo port. The port of domestic and foreign traders was therefore very convenient for consuming products at the port, which helped the craft village develop. At that time, Thanh Ha pottery was influenced by the Sa Huynh culture - the Champa State that existed before. Archaeologists have found many Champa products in Thanh Ha pottery.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, Thanh Ha pottery village products have created quality in the market and become one of the main products supplied to traders coming to Faifo port for trade. In particular, Thanh Ha pottery village is the place to produce and supply bricks and tiles for ancient houses in Hoi An - a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.
Thanh Chiem village (now block 5, Thanh Ha ward) is adjacent to Thu Bon river, has a large source of clay so it was chosen as the place to develop a pottery village. However, Thu Bon river has moved more and more to the South. In the early 19th century, the founder moved the kiln to Nam Dieu. Nam Dieu became the center of Thanh Ha pottery, where the ancestors of the pottery profession had a temple architecture where the villagers held annual ceremonies and it still exists today. The pottery ancestor's death anniversary is held every year on the 10th day of the 7th lunar month. This tradition has been maintained by the villagers for hundreds of years. This is not only a spiritual belief ritual to commemorate the ancestors who founded the village and the profession, but also a promotional activity to attract tourists to Hoi An.
On August 27, 2019, Thanh Ha pottery was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.