A village in south-central Vietnam has thrown its first festival dedicated entirely to clay. The Bàu Trúc Chăm Pottery Festival 2026 just wrapped up in Ninh Phước Commune, Khánh Hòa Province, timed to run alongside the Kate festival — the most important annual celebration of the Chăm people. The goal: put a centuries-old craft on the tourism map while it still has living masters to teach it.
Visitors got a hands-on programme rather than a static market. Alongside displays of vases, jars, pots and decorative pieces, artisans worked live, and travellers could sign up for a 'One day as a Bàu Trúc potter' experience. The festival also folded in other local traditions — Mỹ Nghiệp brocade weaving, OCOP local products, Chăm cuisine and nearby attractions — painting the village as a full-day community tourism stop rather than a souvenir shop.
What makes Bàu Trúc pottery special is the technique. There are no wheels and no moulds. Chăm women shape clay, water and fire by hand alone, a skill mothers pass to daughters over generations — children in the village grow up watching the whole process, from preparing the clay to firing the finished piece. UNESCO recognised this in 2022, adding Chăm pottery to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. That 'urgent' label is the point: many artisans are elderly, and the craft's survival depends on young people choosing to learn it.
Local officials are trying to make heritage pay. Ninh Phước plans to back artisans who train the next generation, support cooperatives in improving quality and diversifying products, and tie the pottery to brocade weaving, Kate celebrations, food and community stays. The idea is jobs and income for villagers — and a reason for the craft to keep existing outside a museum case.
The closing highlight gave a taste of what travellers can expect at future editions. Under the theme 'The soul of Bàu Trúc pottery', performers staged Chăm instrumental music, folk songs and dance, capped by a 'Bàu Trúc flame' ceremony: a ceremonial fire lit to the beat of Ginang and Paranung drums and Saranai horns, with dancers pulling visitors into the circle around it. For the artisans, the whole event was as much about meeting customers and telling the stories behind each piece as it was about sales.
Why it matters to travellers: Bàu Trúc is one of Southeast Asia's oldest pottery villages, and this is a rare chance to see (and try) an endangered craft in the hands of its last traditional practitioners. If you're heading to southern-central Vietnam — Nha Trang's beaches are the usual draw — a detour to Ninh Phước pairs easily with Kate festival season for a genuinely local experience, complete with brocade, food and music you won't find in the resort strip.
