(VOVWORLD) - Nguyen Van Buoi (commonly known as Tu Buoi) is an artisan deeply passionate about red ceramics in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long. The 60-year-old man built his own traditional house with three central rooms and two side wings made entirely of red ceramic. This house represents his commitment to safeguarding and reviving the local craft of red ceramics.
 Tu Buoi’s red ceramic house (Photo: the Vietnam Records Organization) |
Born in Cai Ke hamlet, Mang Thit district, Tu Buoi said he feels a deep bond with the clay of his native land. In 2005 he began building a red ceramic house, determined to revive the red ceramic village of Vinh Long beside the Co Chien river.
“I was born and raised in a hamlet in Vinh Long which created unique pottery products, unlike anything else. I nurtured the idea of building a house made entirely from red ceramic to retain the spirit of the clay. This house can last 200 years and be a legacy to future generations,” he said.
Tu Buoi’s ceramic house was recognized by the Vietnam Records Organization as the largest red ceramic house in Vietnam. Built in a traditional style with three main rooms and two side wings, the entire structure is made of Vinh Long red ceramic, including the beams, rafters, columns, roof beams, and roof tiles.
The pillars are intricately designed to reflect themes of southern Vietnam, such as rice farming, traditional festivals, and the early settlement period. The pillar beams were inspired by patterns found on ancient Dong Son bronze drums, and the joints connecting the beams to the columns are decorated with shrimps, crabs, chickens, fish, and monkeys.
“This is the first time I’ve visited this ceramic house. Every detail was designed by the owner himself. I’m really impressed with Mr. Tu Buoi’s talent,” Quach Tuyet Hoa, a visitor from Ninh Binh province, said.
 Tu Buoi (second from left) receives a certificate from the Vietnam Records Organization for his ceramic house. (Photo: the Vietnam Records Organization) |
Tu Buoi has also created in his hamlet a display of ceramic tools and equipment used for brick and ceramic production.
Although many of the century-old ceramics kilns in Vinh Long have stopped operating, Tu Buoi’s kiln is still running, producing about 20 types of ceramic columns, beams, bricks, and tiles. He has built two ceramic houses for clients in neighboring Tra Vinh province and has supplied ceramic columns and beams for villas throughout the Mekong Delta.
“Many visitors to Tu Buoi’s red ceramic house are astonished and impressed. Nowhere else in the Mekong Delta produces red ceramic for house construction, and this durable type of ceramics adds a unique charm to Vinh Long,” Phan Van Giau, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vinh Long province, said.
Tu Buoi is developing an integrated tourism chain called “Tu Buoi’s Ceramics Village,” scheduled to open in 2025.
“The Vinh Long ceramics region has existed for four generations, but materials are now running out, so I’m taking a new direction. I hope I can continue to produce as many ceramic products as possible,” said Tu Buoi.
The ceramics craft in Vinh Long province began in the 1980s and flourished in the 1990s. Vĩnh Long’s artistic ceramics, with thousands of unique designs, are now exported to Europe, the United States, Australia, South Korea, and Japan, thanks largely to Tu Buoi’s efforts.