Pottery In Australia Vol 35 No 1 Autumn 1996
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Cam Ha <strong>Pottery</strong> Village - Vietnam<br />
Christine Pearson explores traditional life in a village of potters.<br />
Transporting pots to market.<br />
South east of Danang is the ancient town of Hoi An, 5<br />
km inland from the coast. For several centuries Hoi<br />
An was one of the most important trading ports in<br />
South East Asia and an important centre of cultural<br />
exchange between East and West.<br />
By the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th<br />
Century Hoi An's social and physical environment had<br />
changed drastically. Local wars and the silting of the river<br />
forced a new port to be established and Danang succeeded<br />
HoiAn.<br />
Cam Ha <strong>Pottery</strong> Village is on the Thu Ben River upriver<br />
from Hoi An. Our boat chuggs past huge fishing nets, men<br />
dredging for sand, others in coracles - round woven boats -<br />
collecting greens for lunch and huge beautifully woven<br />
fish traps. Close to shore children are playing and<br />
swimming in the river whilst women are doing washing<br />
clothes. It is early and already you can feel the heat of the<br />
day approaching.<br />
The river splits and we head past small villages. I can see<br />
the kilns in the distance. Children are running along the<br />
bank waving and calling 'hello'. Bricks are layed out to dry<br />
around the kilns and mounds of clay are waiting to be<br />
carried to the production areas. The clay is brought by boat<br />
from Dien Phuoc. One boat load costs about $US12. A boat<br />
of clay makes approximately 2000 pots, I'm informed.<br />
We pull up at a small jetty and walk into the village past<br />
open doors. Everywhere pots are stacked waiting to dry,<br />
even under beds, pots balanced on top of each other wait<br />
for the next firing. I'm taken to meet Nguyen Thi Don who<br />
is 67 years old and one of only 7 persons - all of similar age<br />
- left in the village using the wheel. The younger people<br />
want to make easier money in the towns and cities and the<br />
craft is dying.<br />
Ms Thi started making pots when she was 20. She has<br />
made teapots and bowls, but her favourite work is the<br />
making of money boxes which she obviously could do<br />
with her eyes closed. These she makes for 20 days in order<br />
to fill a kiln. Her assistant who kicks her ironwood wheel,<br />
wedges the clay at the same time. She uses 1kg of clay for<br />
each money box and very little water.<br />
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72 POTTERY IN AUSTRALIA+ ISSUE <strong>35</strong>/1 AUTUMN <strong>1996</strong>
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