Bat Trang is a working pottery village on the bank of the Red River, about 40 minutes by car from Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Families there have fired glazed ceramics for centuries, and most households still make pottery in their own courtyards.
Entry to the village is free. A good visit takes half a day: the old village behind the market street, a family workshop at work, an hour at a potter’s wheel and the Bat Trang Ceramics Museum. The market street on its own takes an hour and needs no planning.
The old village, a workshop and the wheel, in one morning
Your own car and a licensed local guide, a family workshop at work and an hour at the wheel beside a potter.
★Bat Trang Pottery Village: Old Kilns, a Family Workshop and Your Own PieceThe old village and its kilns, a family workshop that still makes pottery, and an hour at the wheel with a potter, with your own guide and car. · 4.5 hoursSee the tour →Bat Trang and Old Hanoi: Pottery, a Village Banquet and Hoan Kiem LakeA morning in Bat Trang with a pottery class, lunch of the village banquet in an old house, then the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake with your own guide. · 9 hoursSee the tour →Two villages under one name
Most first-time visitors see one Bat Trang: the ceramics market and the long street of shops that sell bowls, vases and tea sets by the crate. It is lively, easy to reach and worth an hour, but it is the shopfront of the village rather than the village itself.
Behind it, across a few lanes, is the old village: narrow brick alleys, merchant houses with dark wooden doors, a communal house where the founders of the craft are honoured, and an old wood-fired kiln kept from the days before gas. This is where the families live and where much of the pottery is still shaped, dried, painted and fired.
Knowing that the two exist, and that the second is a five-minute walk from the first, changes the whole visit.
What to see, in the order that works
| Stop | Time | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The old village lanes | About 45 minutes | Brick alleys, old houses, the communal house and an old wood-fired kiln |
| A family workshop | About 45 minutes | Clay being shaped, moulded, hand-painted and glazed; the craft as it is practised today |
| A pottery class at the wheel | About 1 hour | You centre the clay and raise a small bowl or cup with a potter beside you |
| Bat Trang Ceramics Museum | About 40 minutes | The story of Vietnamese ceramics, in a building shaped like stacked potter’s wheels |
| The ceramics market | As long as you like | Leave it for last, so you shop knowing what handmade work looks like |
Mornings are best. Workshops are busiest before lunch, the light in the lanes is softer, and the weekend crowds from Hanoi arrive later in the day.
The craft, in a few lines
Bat Trang pottery is shaped in two ways today. Some pieces are thrown on a wheel; many more are cast in plaster moulds, which is how a village supplies half the country with tableware. After drying, pieces are painted, often in cobalt blue under the glaze, then glazed and fired.
The glazes are what people recognise: the cracked finish known as crackle glaze, the blue-and-white ware, deep browns and pale celadon greens. The old kilns burned wood and later coal; most families now fire in gas kilns, which are cleaner and more even.
Local tradition traces the village’s potters back to Bo Bat, in present-day Thanh Hoa, who settled on the clay-rich bank of the Red River. Whatever the exact date, Bat Trang was trading its wares along the river long before Hanoi’s modern streets were laid out.
Getting there
Bat Trang lies across the Red River from central Hanoi. By car or Grab it takes about 40 minutes from the Old Quarter, longer at rush hour. City bus 47A runs from the Long Bien interchange to a stop by the ceramics market for a fare of a few thousand dong, and at weekends some river boats run from Chuong Duong pier.
Once there, everything is within walking distance. The museum and the market sit at the edge of the old village, and the lanes are flat.
A pottery class: what to expect
A class at the wheel lasts about an hour. A potter shows you how to wet and centre the clay, open it with your thumbs and draw up the walls, then trims the base for you. Most people leave with a small bowl or cup.
One thing surprises almost everyone: the piece cannot be fired the same day. It has to dry for several days first. A piece made at the wheel has to dry for several days before it can be fired. If you are staying in Hanoi for three more days, we bring the fired piece to your hotel; if you leave sooner, you take it home unfired and wrapped, as a keepsake rather than something to use.
Want the village, not only the market street?
Two private tours from central Hanoi, each with a licensed local guide, the pottery class and every ticket included.
Bat Trang Pottery Village: Old Kilns, a Family Workshop and Your Own Piece4.5 hoursSee the tour →Bat Trang and Old Hanoi: Pottery, a Village Banquet and Hoan Kiem Lake9 hoursSee the tour →Bat Trang village: quick answers
How far is Bat Trang from Hanoi?
About 15 kilometres from the Old Quarter, across the Red River. By car it takes around 40 minutes, depending on traffic.
Is there an entrance fee for Bat Trang village?
No. The village and the market are free to enter. The Bat Trang Ceramics Museum has its own ticket, from 60,000 VND (~$2) for the main floors.
How long do you need in Bat Trang?
Two hours covers the market and the museum. Four to five hours lets you add the old village, a family workshop and a pottery class without rushing.
Can you make pottery in Bat Trang?
Yes. Classes at the wheel are offered in family workshops, at stalls on the market street and at the museum. The piece you make needs several days to dry before it can be fired.
Spend a morning with the potters of Bat Trang
Choose your group size and the price you see is the whole trip: car, licensed guide, the class and every ticket. Free to cancel until 3 days before.
★Bat Trang Pottery Village: Old Kilns, a Family Workshop and Your Own PieceThe old village and its kilns, a family workshop that still makes pottery, and an hour at the wheel with a potter, with your own guide and car. · 4.5 hoursfrom$48/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$130BOOK →2 guests$150BOOK →3 guests$170BOOK →4 guests$190BOOK →See the full tour page →Bat Trang and Old Hanoi: Pottery, a Village Banquet and Hoan Kiem LakeA morning in Bat Trang with a pottery class, lunch of the village banquet in an old house, then the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake with your own guide. · 9 hoursfrom$89/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$225BOOK →2 guests$270BOOK →3 guests$315BOOK →4 guests$355BOOK →See the full tour page →Travel times, bus route and museum ticket checked in September 2026; our own prices and museum fees are pulled from our booking system.