Near Hoi An, theThanh Ha Pottery Villagedrew, in 2025, visitors numberingover 251,000.Of those,95% were foreigners,a transformation over a quarter century from674 peoplein 2001. A 500-year-old potter's-wheel village is coming back to life again by balancing tourism with traditional crafts.
From 674 people to 250,000
Visitors, just 674 in 2001, topped 251,000 in 2025. That year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism named it the "Best Community-Based Tourism Destination," and Thanh Ha's pottery was registered as national intangible cultural heritage in 2019. Its location close to the Hoi An Old Quarter and the experience of actually turning the wheel are drawing foreign guests.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Visitors in 2025 | over 251,000. |
| Foreigner ratio | 95% |
| Visitors in 2001 | 674 people |
| Intangible cultural heritage registration | 2019 |
| Households and workers | 37 households, about 70 people |
Young makers taking on "pottery with color"
Carrying the village are young makers such as Nguyen Viet Lam, born in 1988, and Tran Thi Tuyet Nhung. The two's Son Thuy workshop brought glaze and coloring to a village where unglazed bisque had been the norm, establishing a method of firing at about 1,200 degrees for 12 hours. Glazed vessels are said to sell for three to four times the price of bisque. It's handiwork requiring at least 15 days, from preparing the clay to shaping, adding patterns, glazing, and firing.
Make "a piece fired in the village" your Hoi An souvenir
This village, supported by 37 households and about 70 people, adds another experience to Hoi An sightseeing, known for lanterns and tailored clothing. You turn the wheel yourself and take home a vessel fired in the village—you get both a travel story and the real thing. For Japanese travelers too, it's worth a detour between strolls through the Old Quarter.
Related reading:
・The man who created Hoi An's "folding lantern" — half a century of the over-90-year-old craftsman Huynh Van Ba
・Hoi An Lantern Festival 2026—a magical experience calendar where the city's lights go out only on full-moon nights
Source:Nhan Dan
