Since then, Bien Hoa pottery products were shown in many large exhibitions both at home and abroad, such as Nagoya (Japan – 1937), Hanoi (1938), Sai Gon (1942), Bangkok (Thailand – 19) and PhnomPenh (Cambodia – 1957). However, not until an international exhibition held in 1933 in Paris, did Bien Hoa Pottery really affirm its position in France and other pottery markets. All the pottery products were sold out and the school received many orders from customers.Īt that exhibition, Bien Hoa pottery was awarded the honorary certificate by the French Government and a golden medal from the exhibition’s organization board. In 1925, the pottery products from the Bien Hoa Fine Arts School were displayed at an international exhibition held in Paris and were a huge success. In the early 20th century, Bien Hoa fine art pottery was well-known in both Asia and Europe.

Then, Mariette Balick and her Vietnamese colleagues created successfully some glazes, such as blue-speckled copper and celadon glaze from natural materials, such as rice straw ash, sand in Da Nang and laterite. Working as Head of the School’s Pottery Board, Mariette Balick devised a plan for developing the pottery craft in the area with a focus on producing pottery with different colours, delicate patterns and unique glazes. In 1923 when the couple, Robert Balick and Mariettee Balick, managed the school, they marked a milestone for Bien Hoa pottery. In 1913, the school was renamed the Bien Hoa Fine Arts School. Today, the craft is only done in the wards of Buu Long and Tan Van in Tan Hanh and Hoa An Communes where there are about 400 small and large production workshops of families.īien Hoa is the place where the Bien Hoa Vocational Training School, the first pottery vocational training school of Indochina, was founded in 1903. Located along the basin of the romantic Dong Nai River, Bien Hoa City has been known for the traditional pottery making craft that has existed for about 300 years. So far, the types of pottery products made in Bien Hoa during that period are still invaluable and rare for those who are keen on collecting ancient pottery. Few people know that pottery products in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai Province were famous both at home and abroad from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

Bien hoa