Bau Truc pottery products are famous worldwide for their quality and diverse and unique designs reflecting the renowned Cham culture. In the past, the village’s traditional outdoor kilns did not ensure an ideal temperature for firing ceramic products, which reduced their durability. Surveys and research conducted in a number of ceramic villages convinced the Ninh Thuan provincial Agricultural and Trade Promotion Center to apply the firing model of Thanh Ha ceramic village, Quang Nam province to Bau Truc’s pottery production. Two households were selected to pilot new kilns with local government support and a lot of their own money. The kilns have cut production costs and contributed to environmental protection. Dang Xem’s family was one of the two households selected to build new kilns in late 2014. Dang Xem told VOV: "The new closed kilns reduce product breakage to about 2%. Now we can fire our ceramic products rain or shine at a constant temperature that ensures better quality."

Bau Truc ceramic products. Photo: VOV

Dong Van Loc, head of the Bau Truc Ceramic Collective, said: "With traditional firing methods, Bau Truc ceramic producers had a 50% chance of creating substandard products, which has been reduced significantly now. The new kilns have improved our product quality."

Vo Viet Hieu is Director of the Ninh Thuan provincial Agricultural and Trade Promotion Center: "Closed kilns do not create as much smoke as open kilns do, which helps protect the environment. They also save energy and materials because closed kilns maintain consistent heat, which ensures product quality and durability."

Local authorities want to build more closed kilns in Bau Truc Pottery Village to boost productivity and contribute to the national new rural development program.