Da Nang (VNS/VNA) - Thanh Ha Pottery Village, one of Vietnam’s oldest ceramic communities with a history spanning more than 500 years, will host its annual Ancestors Commemoration Festival on August 31 and September 1st.
This longstanding celebration pays tribute to the founders of the craft and showcases the village’s enduring ceramic tradition.
Held in the village nestled along the Thu Bon River, just 2km west of Hoi An Ancient Town in Hoi An Tay ward, Da Nang, the festival showcases a vibrant mix of ceremonial rites and community activities that embody the region’s cultural heritage.
The festivities begin at 8am on August 31 at the junction of Duy Tan and Pham Phan streets, with a formal ceremony marking the start of the event. Earlier that morning, the inauguration and unveiling of the 'Pottery Road' project will take place on Nguyen Khuyen street, adding a new cultural landmark to the village.
On September 1, the day starts off with a traditional palanquin procession honouring the craft’s ancestral spirits. Beginning at 6am from the Lum Ba Dang shrine in Thanh Chiem, the procession moves toward the Nam Dieu shrine, where a ceremonial offering is conducted according to age-old customs.
Throughout the two-day event, visitors can engage with the pottery-making process first-hand. Local artisans will guide participants through each step, offering a rare opportunity to shape clay using traditional techniques – by hand or foot-powered wheel, without moulds or glaze, and fired in wood-burning kilns. A pottery-making contest will also be held, featuring skilled craftsmen from the village demonstrating their artistry.
In addition to ceramics, the festival includes a children’s painting competition on the afternoon of August 31, encouraging young participants to express their view of the world through art. A curated display of pottery works and a food court titled Huong Vi Hoi An Tay (Flavours of West Hoi An) will be open to guests, offering a taste of local cuisine.
Cultural performances and games round out the programme, including bài chòi folk singing, human chess, a clay pot rice cooking contest and a boat race, each adding to the festive atmosphere while preserving traditional practices.
ꩲ Recognised in 2019 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Thanh Ha Pottery Village remains one of Vietnam’s oldest pottery communities. Its commitment to preserving manual production methods and cultural rituals continues to draw interest from both locals and visitors, making the Ancestors Commemoration Festival a meaningful event in the region’s cultural calendar./.
If pottery villages now mainly use molds, artisans in the Thanh Ha ancient pottery village in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, have kept their traditional method of making pottery - hand made and wheel thrown.
Bat Trang Pottery Village, along with Van Phuc Silk Village, has been recognised as a member of the global Network of Creative Craft Cities at a recent ceremony in Hanoi. Located beside the Red River, Bat Trang has been renowned for its pottery craft for over 500 years. Bat Trang ceramics are not only refined in appearance but also diverse in design, increasingly attracting the interest of both domestic and international consumers.
Quang Duc pottery is known for its wide range of forms, including wine bottles, jars, lime pots, vases, plant pots, incense burners and candle stands. Decorative motifs are equally rich, featuring mythical creatures, pastoral scenes, floral patterns, deer, peacocks, bats and more.
VTN Architects delivered a 14.8-metre-high bamboo megastructure spanning 1,460 sq.m. The exposed bamboo frame is a work of art, etched with “lotus” and “bronze drum” motifs – classic Vietnamese symbols – carved into intricate lattices that blend tradition with a modern twist.
Hanoi is set to stage its first world cultural day this October, featuring a world cultural festival, Hanoi international cuisine showcase, film screenings, an international folk-dance programme, an international fine arts exhibition, an international costume and ao dai festival, and an international book fair.
Billed as one of Vietnam’s most challenging races, the 100km event is set to spark intense competition among top-tier runners. Among them is Peiquan You, a standout Chinese trail athlete and two-time champion of the Hong Kong 100, another World Trail Majors race.
Vietnam welcomes some 4-5 million Chinese visitors annually. In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam hosted more than 3.5 million Chinese. Vietnamese travellers, meanwhile, are increasingly drawn to China’s cultural and natural attractions.
On the evening of September 15 (local time), Algerian audiences enjoyed the Vietnamese film “Dao, Pho va Piano” (Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano). Vietnam was invited as the guest of honour at this year’s festival. In addition to the feature film, the country also introduced the documentary “Dien Bien: Land and People” and another featuring the 1954 Dien Bien Phu Victory for competition at the event.
Divided into three chapters with dozens of meticulously staged performances, the programme created a vibrant and emotionally rich atmosphere. The blend of tradition and modernity, powerful voices, and the solemn resonance of the symphony orchestra gave the show its distinctive hallmark.
The photo collection, which features typical landmarks and landscapes as well as the culture and lifestyle of Da Nang people, aims to introduce the image of Vietnam's central city to Korean friends.
Held on September 13-14, ManiFiesta – the annual festival of solidarity organised by the Workers' Party of Belgium – drew tens of thousands of participants from across Belgium and neighbouring countries. Alongside music, debates and cultural exchanges, Vietnam made a strong impression with a booth rich in national identity.
Vietnam’s top female badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh, ranked 18th in the world, was unable to defend her title after losing 0-2 to Cai Yan Yan of China (world No. 107) in the women’s singles final of Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2025.
At Nhan Dan’s pavilion, visitors encountered a vivid chronicle of Vietnam’s milestones under the Communist Party of Vietnam and the late President Ho Chi Minh’s leadership, from the struggle for independence and reunification to modern development and global integration. Special publications marking Vietnam’s 80th National Day, coupled with performances by Vietnamese artists, intricate handicrafts, and fragrant dishes, had foreign visitors lining up in droves.
Vietnamese singer Duc Phuc will be among 23 artists from 23 countries participating in Intervision 2025, an international music competition often described as the “Eurovision of Eurasia", in Russia.
The event aims to promote solidarity among ethnic minorities, particularly the Cham people, in southern and south-central Vietnam, following the recent merger of provincial-level administrative units.
The animated feature Buffalo Kids, hitting Vietnamese theatres on September 12, is developed from the record-breaking short Strings (2024), which holds the Guinness World Record for the most awarded short film in history.
The national achievement exhibition, themed “80 Years of Independence – Freedom – Happiness,” is the largest of its kind held in Vietnam so far, bringing together 28 ministries and central agencies, 34 localities, 16 state-owned economic corporations, and 94 leading private enterprises.
Victory Vietnam by Swedish film director Bo Öhlén is a deeply moving and authentic documentary, officially premiered in April 2025 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification of Vietnam (April 30, 1975 – 2025).
The LION Championship 26 (LC26) will take place at Tay Ho Gymnasium in Hanoi on September 13, with the spotlight on the debut of World WBC Muay Thai Champion Truong Cao Minh Phat, who will square off against Irish fighter Aaron Clarke in the 61kg MMA Striking category.
The archives consist of administrative records, maps, and technical drawings from 1911–1955 left by French coal companies, along with images capturing coal mining, colonial architecture, miners’ lives, and the local community. These materials not only carry historical value but also offer vivid insights into Quang Ninh’s socio-economic landscape before 1955.
Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage and stunning landscapes are taking centre stage at the third photo exhibition “Vietnam Through the Lens of International Photographers”, which opened in Hue city on September 10.
