Thanh Ha Village Pottery-Making Workshop Hoi An

Thanh Ha Pottery Village

Thanh Ha Pottery Village lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River about three kilometres west of Hoi An Ancient Town. For more than 500 years its families have turned the local red clay into cups, bowls, jars, bricks and roof tiles, and in the days when Hoi An was a great trading port the village supplied many of the terracotta pieces used in its houses and temples.

Pottery here is still made by hand and foot pedal, never with moulds, so every piece is unique and carries the touch of its maker. Walking into the village you see stacks of jars drying in the sun, small kilns and craftsmen working in open-fronted workshops. Is Thanh Ha Pottery Village worth visiting? For anyone interested in traditional crafts, it is one of the most authentic half-hours you can spend near Hoi An, and far calmer than the busy Old Town.

Your pottery class with a local craftsman

The meeting point is a family pottery workshop in the village, where you are welcomed into the house of a local craftsman and can look at their creations before you begin. Then you roll up your sleeves for a simple hands-on session: your host shows you how to choose and prepare the clay, how to centre it on the wheel while a helper turns it with the foot pedal, and how to shape a small cup, bowl or vase.

The making part lasts around 20 minutes, and you can take extra time to finish your piece if you wish. Afterwards you paint and decorate it, receive a little gift and take your pottery souvenir with you. This is a fun introduction, not a professional class: your piece is decorative and not designed to hold water. The craftsman speaks only basic English, but gestures and a smile go a long way.

Xuan My Communal House and Nam Dieu Temple

After your class you are free to wander the village and soak up its peaceful atmosphere. Among the lanes stands Xuan My Communal House, a traditional village meeting hall where locals worshipped their guardian spirit and gathered for festivals, with a curved tiled roof, carved wooden beams and a quiet courtyard.

Nearby, Nam Dieu Temple is dedicated to the founders of the pottery craft and is where the village honours the ancestors who passed their skills down the generations. Both places are small and calm, perfect for a few photos and a moment of reflection, and they help you understand how deeply the craft is woven into local life. Dress respectfully when entering, keep your voice low and allow around half an hour to explore the village at an easy pace.

How to get to Thanh Ha from Hoi An

Thanh Ha is easy to reach on your own. From Hoi An Ancient Town it is about a 15-minute bicycle ride west along the river road, or a short taxi ride, and many hotels lend or rent bicycles. The ride passes rice fields and riverside houses, which makes the journey part of the experience. Hotel pickup is not included in this workshop.

When you arrive, stop at the village ticket counter on the way in: the entrance ticket is included in your booking, and you then continue to the Nguyen Sau pottery workshop near the Terra Cotta homestay, where your instructor waits. The best time to visit is in the morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft and the air cooler. Sessions start every hour from 08:00 to 18:00, so the class fits easily around other plans in Hoi An.