Experience making pottery in Bien Hoa

Bien Hoa, located in Dong Nai Province near Ho Chi Minh City, is one of Vietnam's oldest pottery-making regions, with a tradition that dates back centuries. Pottery in Bien Hoa has a distinctive character, blending traditional Vietnamese techniques with modern designs influenced by both local and international styles. 

Bien Hoa is known for producing a variety of ceramics, including large decorative jars, vases, bowls, and more recently, modern home decor pieces. A visit typically begins with a brief history of the Bien Hoa pottery industry, emphasizing its evolution and unique features.

Visitors can experience making their own pottery with local artisans guiding the process. You’ll learn traditional techniques such as wheel throwing, hand-molding, and basic glazing. This hands-on experience lets you get a feel for the clay and shape your own piece.

After molding, you’ll have the opportunity to paint or glaze your pottery. Artisans often use locally-sourced materials, which gives Bien Hoa pottery its earthy and rustic tones. You can either follow traditional designs or try your hand at creating a custom look.

Bien Hoa is home to several pottery factories, and many offer tours. During these, you can see how pieces are mass-produced and the firing process in industrial kilns. This is a great way to witness the scale of pottery production and the intricate steps involved.

After glazing, the pottery needs to be fired. Some places offer quick-dry methods, while others require a few days for the piece to be kiln-fired and set. Many workshops can arrange shipping if you’re unable to wait for your piece to be completed.

Bien Hoa's pottery scene provides a rare opportunity to connect with Vietnamese culture, and participating in a workshop there can be a memorable part of any trip to southern Vietnam.

Volunteer painting in Y village

After months of rigorous preparation for school exams, I proposed to my family that we take a meaningful trip, much like our previous summer adventures. My father suggested, “Why don’t you take a first aid course? It might be useful someday, especially when you’re away from home.” And so began our 5-day, 4-night journey to Ngoc Minh Medical Village in Long An Province.

Inspired by the quiet beauty of this rural setting, I designed the mural to convey a message of resilience and hope, especially for the local children, whose journey to education is often far more challenging than my life in the city. This village, though lacking in material abundance, possesses a serene beauty—from its genuine people to its untouched nature and refreshingly clean air.

The village offered invaluable first aid and emergency care courses, and the experience was even more memorable thanks to a wall-painting initiative I introduced. Together with the new friends I made on the trip, we organized brainstorming sessions to design a mural. After two online meetings, we decided on a massive wall painting carrying an inspiring message. The scenery of lush coconut trees, calm canals, and ducks swimming peacefully filled me with an extraordinary sense of tranquility.

After three days of focused work, we completed the mural. Following its unveiling, we shared a heartfelt conversation with the local children and villagers. Their words of gratitude, the children’s honest reflections, and the villagers’ well wishes filled me with a deep sense of joy. I felt fulfilled, knowing my art had brought joy and encouragement to this community.

Volunteer at Mai Tien Shelter

One of the most impactful volunteer trips I have ever taken was to Mai Tien Shelter. This project was the result of a month-long journey of preparation, planning, and careful coordination by my team and me. I learned about this remarkable place through a fellow student who introduced me to it, emphasizing the profound message that the shelter’s director, a dedicated priest, hopes to impart: "Protect Life."

One of the most moving aspects of my visit was the memorial dedicated to the unborn, where more than 25,000 small souls never had the chance to see the sunlight or experience the many colors of life. We carefully prepared small gifts for this sacred space, including succulents and pinwheels, as tokens of remembrance.

For over 14 years, Mai Tien Shelter has rescued and cared for more than 3,000 infants and young children, offering them a chance at life despite the challenges and pitfalls of this world. Here, I had the opportunity to witness the heart-wrenching stories of those who, if not for fate, could have enjoyed a life as fulfilling as anyone else's. The experience stirred in me a sense of responsibility to help spread the shelter’s noble message and advocate for “protecting life” more widely.

Inspired by this experience, my team and I decided to create an awareness campaign or organize a contest through paintings and posters, hoping to carry this noble message far and wide. We aspire to help foster a community that cherishes and safeguards the sanctity of life 

Learn about culture and history -
Tran Bien Temple of Literature

I am drawn to places with magnificent natural landscapes or the tranquility of rural villages for painting, but I wish that I had discovered the historical, majestic, and sacred beauty of Tran Bien Temple of Literature sooner.

Listening to the guide's stories, I felt transported back through history, reliving the triumphs of past generations who reshaped our nation’s destiny. Although I have long held a passion for history, I couldn’t help but feel a profound reverence for the sacrifices and contributions of the heroes commemorated here. The words of our ancestors echo in my heart:

Upon entering the grounds of the temple, I felt immersed in the longstanding tradition of Vietnamese scholarly devotion. The names etched on the doctor’s steles and the couplets inscribed on the main pillars reflect the unyielding spirit of our people. Tran Bien’s architecture not only symbolizes this spirit but also embodies the exquisite craftsmanship of conventional villages. The temple’s green-glazed roofs and Biên Hòa ceramic bricks, covering the walls, showcase the unique legacy of the region’s 300-year-old pottery village—a distinct beauty found nowhere else.

Standing on Khue Van Pavilion, where ancient poets once admired the moon and composed verses, I could take in a panoramic view of the entire temple, fully appreciating its heroic grandeur as a site embodying the Vietnamese soul. How could such a monument preserve the essence of Vietnam’s history while embracing a vivid sense of realism?

These lines remind my generation of our duty to continue the path of learning, to cultivate knowledge not only for ourselves but also to bring honor to our homeland. Tran Bien Temple of Literature is more than a historical site; it is a symbol of the Vietnamese spirit, pride, and love of learning.

"Nguyen Huu Canh established Tran Bien,
Generations of talent, six provinces stand.
Vo Truong Toan built Gia Dinh schools,
Forever scholars, three families blend.”