A print of a tall ceramic lamp stand from Bát Tràng: two ochre dragons coiling up either side of a white column carved with jade lotus flowers, over a patterned white base. — A lamp stand from Bát TràngOchre, Lake jade, River clay, key blockBát Tràng kilns, in the National Museum of Vietnamese HistoryLine drawn by FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, an image model, after a photograph by Daderot, Photograph by Daderot, CC0. Cropped for this site.

A photograph of a tall ceramic lamp stand from Bát Tràng: two ochre dragons coiling up either side of a white column carved with jade lotus flowers, over a patterned white base. — A lamp stand from Bát TràngOchre, Lake jade, River clay, key blockBát Tràng kilns, in the National Museum of Vietnamese HistoryLine drawn by FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, an image model, after a photograph by Daderot, Photograph by Daderot, CC0. Cropped for this site.

Further out

Clay and fire

Bát Tràng, a village that has fired clay for centuries. Throw a bowl.

Length: Half day
Starts: 08:00 or 13:30
Group: Up to 8
From: USD 55 a guest

What happens

Bát Tràng is about 13 km from the centre of Hanoi, and has fired clay for centuries: its name is recorded from 1352, and the pottery is usually traced to the Lý dynasty. We watch a potter throw, then throw a bowl of our own.

08:00
We leave the lake in a small van, eight seats at most.
08:45
A walk through the lanes of the village, past walls of kiln bricks and stacks of seconds.
09:30
A potter throws a bowl, slowly, and then it is your turn at the wheel.
10:30
You choose a glaze. The colours that come out of the kiln are not always the colours that go in.
11:30
Tea, and a last walk through a showroom of finished work.
12:30
Back at the lake by about 13:00.

Included: Transport in a small van; Clay, glaze and firing; A guide for up to eight guests.

What you will see

Photographs, graded to look like one shoot. Select one to see it larger, with its credit.

Good to know

What to wear

Clothes that can take clay, with sleeves you can push up. Aprons are provided.

Walking

About 2 km in the village, flat.

Children

From 8. Children throw at a lower wheel, with a potter beside them.

Access

The wheels are low stools. Tell us and we will bring a chair.

The weather, by season

Xuân February to April: highs 22 to 29°C, about 53 mm of rain a month.
Hạ May to August: highs 33 to 35°C, about 239 mm of rain a month.
Thu September to November: highs 27 to 32°C, about 148 mm of rain a month.
Đông December and January: highs 20 to 21°C, about 20 mm of rain a month.

Láng station normals, 1991 to 2020. The four seasons

Where we meet

The east bank of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, by the entrance to the Ngọc Sơn temple bridge.

The van leaves at 08:00. The afternoon trip (13:30) follows the same plan.

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Hoàn Kiếm, east bank. We link to maps; we do not embed one.

Cancelling

Cancel up to 48 hours before the start for a full refund. Between 48 and 24 hours, half is refunded. Within 24 hours, nothing is, unless we cancel: then you are refunded in full, or moved to another day.

Sample terms. The cancellation policy