The Pottery Making Craft of the Cham people in Bau Truc Village, Phuoc Dan town, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan province is a pottery production craft village with a long tradition and is typical not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia. Bau Truc Pottery has existed since the end of the 12th century until now, this is considered one of the very few ancient pottery villages in Southeast Asia that still retains the primitive production method from thousands of years ago. The Traditional Pottery Making of the Cham in Bàu Trúc Village is done by hand, with the main materials being clay and sand taken from the village. The Traditional Pottery Making process of the Cham people includes many interconnected stages. The first is choosing and taking the soil. The treatment of the soil before making pottery determines the quality and efficiency of the product after firing. After taking the soil, people break it into small pieces to filter out the impurities, taking only the yellow clay and then incubating it to keep it soft. Taking a sufficient amount of clay, the Cham woman gracefully kneads it until it becomes soft, then places it on a large jar to create a block. The ceramic product is completely handmade, “shaped by hand, without a turntable.” The artisan walks backwards around the pottery-shaping table and uses the unique Cham pottery-shaping technique of straight strokes (different from the horizontal strokes in pottery villages that use turntables). After that, they use a “circle” to brush around the body of the pottery, then use a wet cloth to wrap around their hands, and rub the outside of the pottery until it is shiny. Next comes the step of decorating the pattern. After shaping, the product is left in the shade for 24 hours, then rubbed thinly and continued to dry for another 7 days until completely dry, before being fired. Thanks to this, the product will be “ripe” thoroughly and will not crack. The product is fired in the open air after being crafted. Depending on the conditions of sunlight and wind, combined with the process and technique of spraying colors (extracted from cashew nut oil, dong tree ...) will produce products with characteristic colors such as red-yellow, pink-red, gray-black, strange and beautiful brown streaks, clearly showing the ancient Cham culture. Products serving daily life, decoration and beliefs, religions such as: ceramic vases, tea sets, animals, reliefs ... Natural colors through the firing and incubation process. Each Cham ceramic product shows the style, craftsmanship, and ingenuity of each craftsman. In addition to household ceramic products, Bau Truc ceramic craft also promotes the development of decorative ceramics, fine art ceramics, souvenir ceramics with aesthetic content, giving high economic value such as: decorative ceramic lamps, night lights, flower vases, water bottles, teapots, vases, water towers, .... The Traditional Pottery Making of the Cham in Bàu Trúc Village contains the secrets and ingenuity of the craftsmen, creating products imbued with the cultural identity of the Cham people. The Pottery Making Craft of the Cham people in Bau Truc Village plays an important role in the economic, cultural and social life. Pottery products are indispensable in the daily life of each family and in the cultural beliefs of the Cham community. With its unique values, the Traditional Pottery Making of the Cham in Bàu Trúc Village has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage (in 2017), and this Heritage has also been listed by UNESCO in the List of "Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding" (in 2022).

Viet Nam 2022

Fire dance ceremony (Fire bridge) or "Po Dinh họn a tờ" in Pa Then language takes place on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month, in My Bac village, Tan Bac commune, Quang Binh district, Ha Giang province, when the season comes. membrane has been harvested. Traditionally, Fire dance is associated with the "Poc Quo" ritual - the ceremony to transmit the profession of a sorcerer - which is held for shamans to receive students and pass on the profession. The ceremony is organized by the clans in the village. Offerings to the gods include roosters, rice, incense, wine, votive coins, etc. The main ritual master includes the shaman and his subordinates or students. When sitting in the ceremonial chair, the shaman holds and shakes a bracelet in his hand and at the same time pats the bamboo stick on the iron lute of the Pa Then people. He chanted while his body swaying in rhythm with jingle bells and claps of hands. His subordinates lit a fire as directed by him. The shaman would then chant to take his soul to heaven, calling the spirits of the gods to enter the bodies of young men waiting nearby. Gradually, the boys will enter a trance state. Their bodies will naturally sway, and they will begin to jump into the fire with their bare feet and hands. Some dancers are even able to play burning coals with their bare hands or chew them in their mouths without injury. The Fire Dance Festival of the Pa Then has a long history and has been preserved and maintained for generations. The festival not only reflects the role and status of shamans in the previous society, but also evidences the cultural elements, primitive beliefs, beliefs in the spirit world and supernatural forces.