Breathing New Life into Traditional Cham Pottery
The Cham pottery craft of Binh Duc–Binh Tien in Bac Binh Commune is being integrated with community-based tourism, helping preserve the UNESCO-recognized heritage while creating sustainable livelihoods for local residents.
Preserving the Spirit of Heritage
In the sunlit and breezy setting of Bac Binh Commune, the Binh Duc Cham Pottery Village strives to maintain the traditional cultural heritage handed down through generations. Unlike many other pottery communities, the local craftsmen do not rely on potter’s wheels. Instead, they meticulously shape each item entirely by hand utilizing clay sourced from the area, producing pots, jars, water containers, and crafts that reflect the unique cultural essence of the Cham people.
Luong Thi Hoa, a Cham pottery artisan, stated that the practice of pottery making has been a fundamental part of Cham life for many generations. From a young age, she learned every phase of the craft from her family's elders. Although life has evolved considerably over the years, the traditional methods have remained largely unchanged.
What makes Binh Duc Cham pottery unique is its simplicity and its almost entirely handmade production process. From selecting clay and kneading it, to shaping, sun-drying, and open-air firing, every step relies on knowledge accumulated over generations.
The combination of earth, fire, wind, and sunlight creates products with natural colors, ensuring that no two pieces are exactly alike. More than a means of livelihood, pottery making also preserves the cultural values, spiritual beliefs, and folk knowledge of the Cham community.
Nevertheless, like many traditional crafts, Cham pottery faces several obstacles. Many skilled artisans are getting older, while the number of young successors remains limited. Production areas are shrinking, and handcrafted items must compete with more affordable and accessible industrial products. These difficulties highlight the urgent need for innovative strategies to preserve and promote the value of the craft village.
Developing Community-Based Tourism
In late 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism initiated a project aimed at preserving and promoting Cham pottery by connecting the intangible cultural heritage of “Cham Pottery Making” with the Binh Duc–Binh Tien tourism route in Bac Binh Commune.
Artisans and local community members have participated in training courses that provided them with skills in heritage promotion, storytelling, and documentation to aid in the preservation of heritage and the development of tourism.
After the completion of the training programs, various activities like apprenticeships, product exhibitions, and cultural showcases have persisted, encouraging younger generations to engage in the preservation of this traditional craft. Several artisans have also taken the opportunity to present their products and share the stories behind the pottery tradition with visitors, gradually making this heritage more accessible to the broader community.
Connecting the pottery village with community-based tourism is creating new chances for development in the area. Tourists visiting Binh Duc can not only explore the craft village but also take part in the pottery-making process, guided by skilled artisans. These genuine experiences allow visitors to cultivate a greater understanding of the importance of traditional craftsmanship while providing extra income for local residents.
Nguyen Quoc Thang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Bac Binh Commune, said that the project has contributed to the effective preservation and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of “Traditional Pottery Making of the Cham People,” which has been inscribed by UNESCO on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. At the same time, the project has encouraged local residents to participate in community-based tourism development, increase their incomes, and preserve their traditional craft.
Building on these initial results, the model of integrating Cham pottery with tourism is emerging as an effective approach to preserving and promoting cultural heritage. When local people actively participate in safeguarding and benefiting from their traditional craft, Cham pottery is not only preserved but also transformed into a distinctive cultural tourism product that creates livelihoods, improves incomes, and supports sustainable development. In this way, the long-standing cultural values of the Cham community continue to be preserved and shared in modern society.