Bat Trang pottery village and deep memories with Uncle Ho

Baoquocte.vn. During his visit 65 years ago, Uncle Ho advised: The new Bat Trang village must become one of the model villages in the new Vietnam, the socialist Vietnam.

Bat Trang village, Gia Lam district, Hanoi city was honored to welcome President Ho Chi Minh to visit on February 20, 1959. In the memories of many people, wearing simple khaki clothes and tire sandals, he visited several families and kindly asked about their lives.

President Ho Chi Minh visited and talked with Bat Trang commune members on February 20, 1959. (Photo courtesy of Ho Chi Minh Museum)

Impressions from the historic visit

Speaking to the people of Bat Trang, President Ho Chi Minh, on behalf of the Party and Government , welcomed the people of Bat Trang for their contributions to the construction of the great Bac-Hung-Hai irrigation project.

He praised the people and reminded members to pay attention to roads, traffic, and plant trees to improve the environment.

On this occasion, President Ho Chi Minh visited Minh Chau Ceramic Cooperative, chaired by Mr. Phung Ngoc Oanh (later a workshop of Bat Trang ceramics).

According to Mr. Vu Van Vinh - the youngest member who met Uncle Ho at that time, President Ho Chi Minh stopped to watch him manually printing bowls. Uncle Ho also asked and encouraged him to try to study and work hard to become a good worker to make more good products. After that, he went to the yard of the Cooperative to talk with the members.

At the talk, he advised: "We must pay attention to preserving and promoting the traditional profession. Now we not only make ceramic products for people's use, but we also have to make fine art ceramic products for export."

Following the advice of President Ho Chi Minh, the members of Minh Chau Cooperative have made many improvements in the production of traditional ceramic handicrafts. Many generations of artisans and skilled workers are promoting the tradition of the traditional craft village, continuing the heroic history of Bat Trang commune.

65 years have passed, Mr. Vu Van Vinh still remembers the kind advice of President Ho Chi Minh. Throughout his labor and production process, he always tried to train and build his hometown associated with the emulation movements of the Cooperative and Bat Trang Ceramic Enterprise such as: "Promoting technical innovation initiatives", "improving productivity, quality, and savings", "each person works as two"...

President Ho Chi Minh watched young cooperative member Vu Van Vinh hand-print bowls. (Photo courtesy of Ho Chi Minh Museum)

In the family, he always advised his children and grandchildren to learn from Uncle Ho's moral example and promote the traditional craft village. Currently, Mr. Vinh's three sons all follow their father's footsteps, owning a pottery kiln, taking charge of the family business, creating jobs for many local workers.

Preserving the "Soul of the Earth"

It can be seen that Uncle Ho's teachings are forever a source of motivation to encourage generations of Bat Trang cadres and people to strive, unite to build and develop the famous "Bat Trang Pottery" brand at home and abroad, becoming a bright spot in new rural construction in Hanoi and the whole country.

Recently, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024) and the 65th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to Bat Trang (1959-2024), Ho Chi Minh Museum coordinated with Bat Trang Ceramic Joint Stock Company and Vietnam Fine Arts Association to organize the exhibition "Soul of the Earth"

Dr. Vu Manh Ha - Director of Ho Chi Minh Museum, said that this exhibition is a community-based display activity, helping businesses, craft villages, and artisans participate and tell their own stories.

Opening of the exhibition "Soul of the Earth" at Bat Trang Pottery Village on October 8. (Photo: Ha Anh)

With more than 300 photo documents, a collection of paintings, porcelain vases, and ceramic artworks of various types and colors, the exhibition introduces to the public typical artworks with content and images of President Ho Chi Minh and the capital Hanoi, by famous painters and sculptors of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, along with typical Bat Trang ceramic and porcelain products created by artisans.

The ceramic works displayed at the exhibition all have high historical, cultural and artistic values, expressing love for Uncle Ho, the capital Hanoi and the Fatherland, helping the public at home and abroad to better understand and appreciate traditional cultural values, raising awareness of preserving and promoting national cultural and historical values...

The exhibition consists of three parts: "Uncle Ho visited Bat Trang and collected porcelain works about President Ho Chi Minh", "Collection of porcelain works commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital" and "Introducing ceramic works of high artistic value".

Notably, the exhibition introduces typical works such as porcelain paintings of the historical event of the 70th anniversary of the Capital Liberation Day, a collection of porcelain vases of famous landmarks of Hanoi: Long Bien Bridge, The Huc Bridge, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam...

The exhibition "Soul of the Earth" will last until the end of October 2024. (Photo: Ha Anh)

Especially the work "Hanoi Tu Quy" - preserving the four seasons of Hanoi in an aquaria... helps the public see a capital Hanoi with a thousand years of history of civilization, heroic, indomitable, as well as a beautiful, elegant, graceful and friendly capital Hanoi.

Besides, the works of art also convey messages of peace, national cultural traditions, love for people, love for family, love for homeland and country... that generations of artists and sculptors desire, aspire to, and send to future young generations.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/lang-gom-bat-trang-va-ky-niem-sau-dam-voi-bac-ho-289556.html