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Nestled in Dak Lak, Vietnam, Yang Tao Ancient Pottery Village is home to a rich tradition of handcrafted ceramics. Known for its variety and artistry, this age-old craft is being preserved by local artisans and authorities alike. Through efforts to promote handicraft tourism, the village is not only preserving its heritage but also creating better livelihoods. Let’s join Asia King Travel to explore the timeless beauty of the Yang Tao pottery!
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Pottery-making is a traditional handicraft in the M’nong community, Yang Tao
Yang Tao Ancient Pottery Village is located in Yang Tao Commune, Lak District, Dak Lak Province. Although having a long tradition of making ancient pottery, this craft village used to face the risk of losing its traditional handicraft. Thanks to the policies of the local authority, Yang Tao Village is gradually becoming a model that preserves ancient pottery-making techniques while encouraging local tourism.
Yang Tao Village is nearly 50 km from Buon Ma Thuot City, the central city of Dak Lak Province. To reach the ancient pottery village, you’ll need to arrive in Buon Ma Thuot first. If you depart from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, traveling by plane seems to be the best option. You can take a flight from Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) or Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC) to Buon Ma Thuot Airport. It will take 1 to 2 hours.
From Buon Ma Thuot, there are several options to reach your final destination, Yang Tao Village. You can rent a vehicle, then follow the National Highway 27 for around 1 hour. On the other hand, if you’re not familiar with the traffic, just catch a taxi and relax for a bit before getting to Yang Tao.
A variety of pottery products
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You should visit Yang Tao in the dry season (November-April). During this time, the weather is mild and comfortable, along with lush and lively natural landscapes. Traveling in the dry season also limits the risk of encountering unexpected weather conditions like heavy rain or floods.
Ancient pottery making is a long-lasting traditional handicraft in the M’nong community in Yang Tao Village, Dak Lak. In the past, the local people didn’t have many utensils. They even used to use banana leaves to hold rice. This motivated their forefathers to create the first bowl by pottery making, which was the starting point of the ancient pottery custom.
Back then, due to the matrilineality and to show respect to the Upper, M’nong people obeyed some strict rules which no one could confront, or else they would be punished. For example, only single women aged 17 years old and above are allowed to make pottery. Before collecting clay to make pottery, they’re banned from interacting with males, and must not be on their period. Whoever breaks the rule will suffer from hand and leg shaking and cannot find their way home.
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The ancient pottery-making technique was recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage
Times go by, and these rules are getting looser. Now both men and women are allowed to create pottery products. On March 11, 2025, the ancient pottery-making technique of the M’nong community in Yang Tao was recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. This important event presents more opportunities to preserve and enhance this handicraft.
Yang Tao pottery is totally handmade, with the main ingredient being clay, an available resource in the village. After being collected, the clay is purified and rid of all impurities. Then, craftsmen pound it with a pestle until each grain of clay blends and becomes a uniform mass.
In the next stage, the clay is stretched into thin, long strands. These strands are scrolled or put one on another to create the form of the product. Unlike other handicrafts, Yang Tao craftsmen don’t use a wheel; instead, they place the clay on a large piece of wood. Artisans will move around the wood and use thinly shaved bamboo sticks, wet cloth, and bamboo rings to shape the pottery.
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M’nong artisans form clay on a large piece of wood
After the forming and shaping process, these semi-products are dried in the sunlight. When the ceramic surface is dry to a certain degree, craftsmen will use bamboo sticks or porcupine quills to draw on it different patterns like circles or stylized flowers and leaves.
Next, they let the pottery dry for a bit more, then use pebbles to continuously rub the surface to create a shine and smooth surface. The next stage is firing. Interestingly, M’nong artisans don’t use kilns but fire their products in the open air. These pieces of work are placed orderly on the ground, underneath is a layer of dry firewood.
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Craftsmen draw patterns on the surface
After being fired, pottery is buried immediately under the rice husks. These rice husks burn and create smoke, which gets into the pottery and blackens it. Thanks to being carefully polished in the previous stage, when it is smoked, pottery will have a natural shiny black appearance, looking like metal.
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Within the frame of preserving the traditional handicraft and encouraging local tourism, Yang Tao Village offers ancient pottery-making classes for the local people and tourists. Participants can observe the sophisticated process to create a handmade product and experience making pottery themselves under the guidance of professional artisans.
If you’re interested in this traditional handicraft and want to support the local people, buy some souvenirs from local stores. There are plenty of choices, varying from kitchen utensils to decorated items like horse or buffalo pottery figures. Each product is completely handmade with highly skilled techniques and good quality, conveying the dedication of the creators.
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Tourists experience making pottery
You will have an opportunity to try unique dishes of the M’nong community when visiting Yang Tao Ancient Pottery Village. One of the signatures is ash soup, which is only served on special occasions like Tet, weddings, the new rice festival, etc.
The main ingredient is ‘ash water’, which is made from banana peels. Other ingredients include bamboo shoots, young pumpkin, meat, pork bones, and some vegetables. You can add fish, shrimp, and snails to have more flavours. Take a sip of the soup, you will taste the slight saltiness from the ash of banana peels at the tip of your tongue, then all the tastes stretch out in your mouth: the fattiness of pork, the bitterness of fresh bamboo, and the spiciness of chili.
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Simple but delicious dishes in Yang Tao
Ancient pottery-making technique plays an important role in the daily and cultural lives of the M’nong community. Yang Tao Village is not only the place to produce high-quality ceramic products, but also contains the symbol of talent and creativity of the Tay Nguyen ethnic people. If you’re interested in crafting and minority culture, don’t miss out on this beautiful village! Contact Asia King Travel now to schedule your adventure together!
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