Bat Trang feast craft recognized as national intangible heritage

9:48 AM, Sat November 15, 2025

The Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front Committee of Bat Trang Commune on the evening of November 15 held a ceremony at the Center for Ceramic Craft Preservation and Development in Bat Trang to announce the recognition of “Bat Trang Banquet Knowledge” as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The event also marked the opening of the 2025 Craft Village Culture, Tourism and Trade Week and celebrated Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day on November 23.

Bat Trang feast craft recognized as national intangible heritage- Ảnh 1.

Delegates at the event.

The event was attended by Vu Thu Ha who is a member of the Hanoi Party Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee, Nguyen Viet Cuong who is Deputy Director General of the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, leaders of city departments and a large number of Bat Trang residents.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Bat Trang Commune People's Committee Hoang Tien Dung said the commune is proud of its long history and long standing ceramic craft village formed more than 700 years ago.

The commune preserves many valuable cultural and historical relics including 11 national relics, 19 municipal relics and a rich body of culinary knowledge, especially its traditional banquet practices.

Banquet knowledge in Bat Trang is not only about good food but also expresses dignity, status and understanding of ritual practices within families and clans. It reflects cultural values, social norms and community identity.

Bat Trang banquets are organized during festivals, weddings, ancestral ceremonies and village events. Each feast shows the host's care, understanding and social standing, and the knowledge is passed down through generations through hands-on learning within families, especially through the skill of women.

Traditional Bat Trang banquet trays must be abundant, aesthetically arranged and prepared according to established rituals as a respected cultural expression preserved across generations.

Cooking and serving tools are often made from Bat Trang ceramics, creating a unique link between cuisine and traditional craft.

The cooking guild follows a shared process and folk principles such as "boil chicken without letting the water bubble for a sweet broth" and "a well-crafted banquet is more valued than a lavish one", which highlight strong community bonds and symbolic meaning in each dish.

Bat Trang banquet knowledge is tied to more than five centuries of ceramic history and represents the living expression of ritual culture and communal spirit. A banquet is not simply a meal but a form of culinary art that reflects Vietnamese aesthetics and the philosophy of yin and yang and the five elements, balancing rustic and refined qualities in a way that is nutritious, symbolic and deeply rooted in culinary wisdom.

Bat Trang feast craft recognized as national intangible heritage- Ảnh 2.

Delegates at the event.

Given these cultural values, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism inscribed "Bat Trang Banquet Knowledge" into the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List under Decision No. 2229/QD-BVHTTDL dated June 27, 2025.

At the ceremony, delegates also performed the opening ritual for the 2025 Craft Village Culture, Tourism and Trade Week.

On this occasion, Bat Trang Commune commended collectives and individuals for their contributions to preserving and promoting national tangible and intangible heritage and for their participation in the International Craft Village Conservation and Development Festival and the 2025 Craft Village Culture, Tourism and Trade Week.