One day exploring Bat Trang ceramic village

Bat Trang ceramic village which is located on the left bank of the Red River, belongs to Gia Lam district, more than 10km from the center of Hanoi capital to the east - south. Bat Trang ceramic village has existed on the edge of Thang Long city as a craft village for more than 500 years. Bat Trang Ceramic Market is a paradise of ceramic objects, where you can buy beautiful ceramic goods at cheap prices or can make them by yourself.

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How to get to Bat Trang ceramic village

With the distance is only about 10 km from Hanoi, you can go to Bat Trang by bus or by private means such as motorbikes or cars.

By bus: Go to Long Bien bus station, take bus 47 to Bat Trang. You just need to sit on the bus for less than 30 minutes, go through the beautiful green dykes, then arrive at Bat Trang village. Bus tickets cost 7,000 VND/ way, the bus stops right at the gate of the village.

By motorbike: From Chuong Duong bridge or Vinh Tuy,  Thanh Tri bridge, follows the Red River dyke, until you see the road sign for Bat Trang ceramic village. Remember to pay attention when traveling on the dike road because there are many construction vehicles carrying very dusty soil and it's easy to cause unsafe.

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Explore tourism attractions in Bat Trang

After getting off the bus or parking the car (or motorbike), you ask to rent a buffalo cart to go sightseeing around the village. The price for each buffalo cart is from 150.000 to 200.000 vnd, each cart can carry about 10 people.

You can also visit Van Van house, a small gallery of ceramics from different periods, where you can drink tea and see the items on display there. As a wooden house more than 200 years old, Van Van ancient house is an architectural masterpiece including ceramic motifs, blue enamel pots, dragon jars, ceramic stamping molds,... from before the 15th century.

The communal house of Bat Trang village is the place to hold the Citadel and year-round festivals. If you go to Bat Trang ancient village right on the festival occasion, you can discover a very unique and bustling culture.

Along the way, you will easily see these houses filled with pottery and also can shop right there. If you work hard to find out, you could buy some items that are more beautiful and unique than pottery in the market at a cheaper price. However, you should check them carefully to avoid buying faulty goods.

After that, you go to the central market to take a look and buy things made of ceramic. The items here are diverse and abundant: all kinds of cups, wind chimes, paintings, colorful ceramic bracelets and accessories... When buying things at the market, please bargain wisely; you should pay about 2/3 of the price offered by the sellers. Another plus point at Bat Trang market is you can comfortably take pictures and pose with unique dishes, even if you don't buy, the owner is still happy.

After walking around and taking photos, you can try the feeling of being a potter with a very cheap fee, just spend 40.000 - 60.000 so you can become a real potter who is free to create your own products from clay and turntables. The owners of the playground are always on duty at the market gate to welcome guests. Entering the playground, you will be playing with a rotating ceramic table. Don't worry if you don't know how to use them, the workers here will guide you, help shape and center for you. You are free to be creative and try your hand at clay. After you complete the "masterpiece", the product will be burned into the finished product to bring home.

Traveling to Bat Trang can not miss enjoying the delicious specialties here. You can stop at the shops along the market to taste some snacks at super cheap prices such as baked cassava cake, hot sticky rice cake or rice and vermicelli with the typical flavor of Bat Trang ancient village. Especially, you need to try the specialty of squid bamboo shoot soup, a wonderful combination of the salty taste of the sea with the bitter taste of bamboo shoot. Bat Trang village has been familiar with squid bamboo shoot soup every occasion of Tet holiday for a long time. And squid bamboo shoot soup has become a local specialty, a unique culinary culture in the life of people in Bat Trang commune.

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Source: Collected