Recognizing Chu Dau Ceramic Village as a top 5 tourism attraction in Nam Sach district of Hai Duong province, a ceremony was held on December 17 to announce Decision No.3009/QD-UBND and attach a signpost for the site in Thai Tan commune.

Chu Dau officially becomes a tourism attraction. Photo: Chi Cuong

Chu Dau Ceramic is an ancient ceramic line in Vietnam, originating from as early as the 12th century but fully developing in the 14-15th centuries. With this long history, Chu Dau Ceramic plays an important role in the history of the country’s handicrafts and is currently being preserved and promoted by Chu Dau Ceramic JSC - a member of BRG Group.

According to many documents, the first female entrepreneur in Vietnamese history was Bui Thi Hy - the grandmother of Chu Dau Ceramic. From seeing her signature on a Hoa Lam ceramic pot displayed at the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, it was established that the ancient Chu Dau Ceramic was discovered during the 1980s.

Madame Nguyen Thi Nga, chairwoman of BRG Group, is among people preserving and developing Chu Dau ceramics. Photo: Chi Cuong

Recognizing the meaning and value of Chu Dau Ceramic, in 2001, Hanoi Trade JSC (Hapro), a member of BRG Group, decided to establish Chu Dau Ceramic JSC with the mission of restoring the lost ancient art as well as building Chu Dau into a high-class ceramic brand consumed at home and abroad, together with promoting the village as a traditional tourism site.

Along with current focus on restoring and making efforts to develop the ancient ceramic, Chu Dau Ceramic JSC has made significant contributions to the construction of the ceramic village. After nearly 20 years of development, the company has restored hundreds of ancient designs and achieved success in developing new and valuable ceramic products which satisfy customers.

Under the development orientation of BRG Group and the business network throughout the country, Chu Dau ceramic products including spiritual items, daily consumption items, and gifts are trusted and loved by Vietnamese consumers.

Chu Dau artisans. Photo: Chi Cuong

Along with Hapro's strength in the import-export business across over 70 countries and territories, in addition to Chu Dau Ceramic pieces displayed and preserved in 46 famous museums in the likes of Tokyo and Istanbul, Chu Dau ceramic articles have been exported to more than 30 countries and territories worldwide. Besides that, the products are selected to be gifts for the leaders of foreign countries during important diplomatic events, which has contributed to bringing the Vietnamese culture to the world.

Further to the success and development of Chu Dau Ceramic under the leadership of BRG Group, on 9th September 2019, the company was honored with a world record for a dish with 1,000 versions of the Vietnamese word for “dragon” written in calligraphy style under ceramic glaze. The dish not only honors the talents of Chu Dau artists but also glorifies the Vietnamese ceramics profession which was found worthy of 10 golden words presented by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc: “Chu Dau Ceramic - Vietnamese national character, shining over five continents.”

In recent years, the Chu Dau showroom and workshop have become an attractive destination for tourists. As a result, the Hai Duong People's Committee issued the decision to declare the village as among the most valuable tourism sites of the province.

Recently, Chu Dau village has attracted over 500 local laborers, with turnover estimated at VND400 billion annually. In addition, Chu Dau also has developed other trade and service sectors, making a positive contribution to restructuring the local economy.

Being recognized as a top tourism destination is great encouragement to Chu Dau Ceramic JSC, Hapro, and BRG Group in the restoring of the ancient Chu Dau ceramic style as well as the ceramic village itself. In addition, it also draws attraction from tourists as well as financiers wishing to invest in tourism activities in both Nam Sach district and Hai Duong province as a whole.