Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha hands the certificate recognizing Bat Trang Village Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage to Bat Trang Commune.
On December 10, 2024, the Bat Trang Village Festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
Gia Lam District is rich in cultural and historical traditions. It is the hometown of Saint Giong (Phu Dong Thien Vuong) and Saint Chu Dong Tu, two of the "Four Immortals" in Vietnamese folk beliefs, according to the district People's Committee deputy chairman Truong Van Hoc.
The district preserves 320 historical and cultural relics, revolutionary sites, and locations with historical significance. Among them, 163 are recognized as national and city-level heritage sites.
Located on the left bank of the Red River, Bat Trang Pottery Village in Gia Lam District has a history closely linked to Thang Long - Hanoi. When King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Dai La and renamed it Thang Long in 1010, potters from seven Bo villages and three Bat villages in Yen Mo (now in Ninh Binh Province) migrated to this land.
They built kilns and founded a village to produce ceramic tiles and pottery for the royal court. The settlement was initially called Bach Tho Phuong, which later became Bat Trang.
Bat Trang ceramics have flourished for centuries, always present in royal palaces, noble households, and daily life. Bat Trang tiles, even before the ceramics gained fame, were widely used in religious and architectural structures across the country.
Bat Trang ceramics are renowned both in Vietnam and internationally. The village produces a variety of products, including household ceramics, worship items, decorative art pieces, and construction materials.
With economic growth and a strong sense of community, the 23 families of Bat Trang have united to preserve their traditional craft. Each family has its own ancestral house and holds annual ceremonies to honor their forefathers.
A ceremony offering incense to the village guardian.
Temples and communal structures, such as Kim Truc Pagoda, Mau Ban Huong Temple, and the village communal house dedicated to the Guardian Spirit, have been well-maintained. The shrines dedicated to Confucius and Chu Van An has also been restored.
Today, Bat Trang Village is home to two People's Artisans, six Excellent Artisans, 34 Hanoi Artisans, and 80 Village Artisans. The village has 22 ceramic products certified under the One Commune-One Product (OCOP) program with three to five-star ratings.
Recognizing its cultural significance and community efforts to preserve heritage, Hanoi designated Bat Trang as a tourist destination in 2019. In 2023, Bat Trang ceramics were announced as a national intangible cultural heritage.
Each year, Bat Trang hosts several major festivals, including the Te Xuan Cau Phuc (Spring Blessing Festival) in the second lunar month, the Van Chi Festival in the eighth lunar month, and the Mau Ban Huong Temple Festival in the ninth lunar month.
In the past, the Bat Trang Village Festival lasted from the 11th to the 19th of the second lunar month, with the main event held on the 15th day. Now, the festival lasts for only three days.
It features ceremonies such as the Nghinh Than (Welcoming the Deity), where the village guardian spirit was carried in a procession from his shrine to the communal house, and the Water Procession ritual.
On February 14, at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Bat Trang Pottery Village was honored as the 67th member of the World Crafts Council's Creative Craft Cities Network.