Bat Trang ceramics have been around since the 14th or 15th century, changing as they develop. At one time it was influenced by Chinese ceramics, but still found a niche with its unique national features created by talented and devoted craftsmen. Nowadays, though, there is a risk that Bat Trang ceramics could fade into history due to a lack of vision in creating contemporary designs. 

Bat Trang is unlike many other handicraft villages, where craftsmen sometimes also work the land. A thousand of the more than 1,800 households in Bat Trang commune are involved in the production of ceramics and contribute greatly to the its average annual income of over VND300 billion ($15.8 million). “Porcelain and ceramic production plays a vital role for people in Bat Trang since it brings them job opportunities and high incomes,” said Mr Nguyen Trong Thu, Office Manager of the Bat Trang Porcelain and Ceramics Association.

But during late 2008 and 2009, exports of Bat Trang ceramics fell 30 to 40 per cent, he said. In losing contracts, Bat Trang was no longer offered designs by its foreign partners. What they need is not Bat Trang’s traditional designs, but its materials and craftsmen’s skills. In Mr Thu’s view, two groups are emerging in Bat Trang. The first is households with good skills and broad experience that still create traditional designs. The second, much larger group, upgrades its equipment in order to increase production and cut costs. Therefore, products with low artistic value are common, but fine art products are hard to find. 

Ms Thuy, owner of the Hoan Thuy showroom, said that not many people in the village make what could be called fine arts. People can copy traditional designs very well, but not design themselves. “Families famous for their fine arts still focus on designing while others copy their designs, but there are differences between the original and the copies,” she said. It is a sad fact that takes away the unique artistic value of Bat Trang ceramics and the creativity of its craftsmen. “Bat Trang is a handicraft village, not a fine arts handicraft village,” said Mr Nguyen Loi, owner of Nguyen Loi Ceramics. “Craftsmen are not designers; they are skilled workers.”

Mr Nguyen Loi believes this is the case not only in Bat Trang but also in other handicraft villages. Designing by Bat Trang craftsmen is still dictated by their feeling and done in a methodical manner, he said. The fundamental criterion for a designer, he continued, is understanding customer taste. The law of the market is that people must not sell what they have, but what the market wants. “Craftsmen don’t know that the role of designers is to apply their understanding of customer taste into their designs,” he said. 

Craftsmen can’t simply be forced to design, he said, because time is needed to enrich their knowledge and understand customer taste. More importantly, they must be competent in foreign languages so they understand their customers. Those accompanying high-ranking delegations are businesspeople and intermediaries between producers and customers, not craftsmen. “More seriously, the ‘achievement disease’ has spread throughout successful handicraft villages,” he said. “Villages cannot rest on their laurels and just rely on the recognition they receive from being involved in a certain handicraft for a long time.”   

Nevertheless, the blame for a lack of designs can’t be laid at the feet of craftsmen. They are only concerned about production costs and how much they can earn and save. “In contrast with handicraft villages around the world, Bat Trang producers are just trying to compete in terms of price, not unique designs,” said Ms Dieu Chau, a designer at Nguyen Loi Ceramics. “They are clearly in need of direction from the Bat Trang Porcelain and Ceramics Association.” Mr Thu believes that Bat Trang has played its role very well in holding design classes taught by experienced craftsmen in the village and famous painters from Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, Hanoi University of Fine Arts and Institutes of Fine Arts. Mr Loi, meanwhile, said that the lessons are not effectively applied into production and the Association’s role in setting prices is not done well.

The development of Vietnamese ceramics in general and those of Bat Trang in particular lack support from authorities. According to Mr Loi, the export of Bat Trang ceramics remains disorganised, and despite being in the tens of millions of dollars annually falls short of potential. Craftsmen in Bat Trang are descendents of farmers. They may be skilled, but they understand little about international law, the internet and computer designing. “The link between trading companies and producers or designers is poor,” he said. “They know their role but aren’t concerned with what the other does. Job opportunities are still created, but sustainability cannot be guaranteed.” 

More significantly, a change in thinking among craftsmen and planners is needed. Profits are important, but a culture of exporting is vital. The best way to market Bat Trang ceramics is to create unique features that make them stand out from their competitors, Mr Loi said.  

He suggested an effective way to raise craftsmen’s awareness about creativity is for Hanoi authorities and the city’s Department of Industry and Trade to organise an annual contest to select unique designs for exhibitions in ASEAN member countries. Selected craftsmen would have the chance to win contracts, stabilise production and develop further. Others would look at their example and follow suit. In five short years, he said, Bat Trang would be a centre of continuous creativity. 

In Ms Chau’s opinion, the government should give priority to setting up a design centre capable of combining the modern with the traditional characteristics of Bat Trang ceramics and foresee customer taste. “Administrative and legal procedures and other regulations must be loosened to create the necessary conditions for the establishment of a vocational training school specialising in traditional handicrafts,” said Mr Thu. “The development of handicraft villages would therefore be ensured and Bat Trang ceramics would stay in the minds of both local people and foreigners.”