In the golden time of 1990s, thousands of pottery villages roamed the province. Those villages of handicraft once were based on production of household and daily-use equipment but now they would be more dependent on high quality at artistic value to win the market, namely Minh Long, Phuoc Du Long, and Minh Phat which have become large firms of millions of USD of revenue annually. In the meantime, the left-behind ‘villages’ are making all efforts to maintain and develop the industry.
Inactiveness means losing
We returned to the old-time villages of Lai Thieu, Tan Phuoc Khanh, and Thu Dau Mot. Some have been facing great challenges.
Mrs. Sau Chi, residing at Tan Phuoc Khanh Ward of Tan Uyen Town, said in her tone of sadness: “In old time, we produce pottery bowls and disks, so plenty that we could not fulfill all the orders at a time. Never before had the furnace been so cold. We have closed down for over 3 years as customers no longer need burned clay. Now, my family members have all switched to other jobs to make ends meet.”
Pottery and ceramic products are produced at Phuoc Du Long Corporation. Photo: K.Vinh
In fact, every village of pottery and handicraft faces the same problem of being lagged behind from the contemporary taste and demands for quality and artistic value. Pottery villages in Binh Duong Province specialized in production of household equipment are now facing the fierce competition of pottery products from China and Thailand. In the face scientific and technological development, new alternative materials are in place including cement, plaster, plastic, inox, aluminum, etc. to divide up the market shares for pottery and handicrafts.
The household producers are not active enough in updating information and upgrading their production lines to improve quantity and quality. This may make the products pricy while the quality fails to meet the market demands let alone competing with others.
This explains why pottery production in Binh Duong Province has been divided into two niches. As the majority of potter producers are dependent on furnace that could service domestic demands while some enterprises are aiming for premium markets, servicing the demand for not only household equipment but also exterior and architectural decoration.
Mr. Ly Ngoc Minh, President of Binh Duong Provincial Association of Pottery, said with pride: “About 20 to 30 enterprises are operating in the field, holding 70 to 80% of exportation of the nation to earn millions of USD a year. This is amazing.”
According to Minh, the association cares much about survival of pottery villages scattering in the province. The Vietnam-Binh Duong Pottery Festival 2010 created resonance; however, functional agencies should be caring for heating up the scale of household pottery facilities.
Can marvelous achievements make it?
Mr. Vuong Sieu Tin, Director of Phuoc Du Long Corporation and Deputy President of Binh Duong Provincial Association of Pottery, said that the association has been very supportive to traditional handicraft villages while functional agencies have proposed various flexible policies to revive the handicraft villages. However, the survival depends much on decision-making of the owners who should be more devoted to the career and more innovation of production line.
“In the age of information, I think that customer seeking is not difficult. We are ready for information sharing,” said Tin.
Minh Sang and Minh Cuong are such pottery companies that are implementing the models of pottery-making shows to attract visitors. Besides, those companies also offer the visitors opportunity of making their own products by hand on their visit.
Tin also disclosed of such tendency of attachment to tourism and he would be following this with suitable and serious partners at the soonest. And, such approach could be easily applicable to household producers to add up their income; however, to persuade tour organizers and visitors to visit and enjoy pottery making in Binh Duong Province is challenging enough.
To preserve and develop traditional handicraft villages, Binh Duong Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision No. 3530/QD-UBND dated November 14, 2011 on planning and developing rural industries in the province until 2020. For the past time, functional agencies and localities have made great endeavors to implement such decision. It is believed that by such efforts, pottery in Binh Duong Province should be revived soon enough.
Reported by Phung Hieu – Translated by Vi Bao
