Introduction
I first came across Vietnamese garden pottery when I was working for a small Minneapolis importer in 2013.
At that time, I was helping import garden products to US retail suppliers and realized the growing demand for Vietnam pottery.
Our small importing company was helping US companies in California, Arizona and Illinois source big, beautiful and colorful garden pottery.
During that era, one of my colleagues happened to be operating a pottery manufacturing business in Vietnam, and while traveling to Asia in 2018 I visited him and his pottery business.
Where it’s made
Vincent, my pottery business contact, was based in Binh Duong, a manufacturing industrial town about 45 minute drive north from Vietnam’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City in south Vietnam (formerly Saigon).
While I was based in HCMC working as a Vietnam sourcing specialist, most of my manufacturing visits would be conducted in Binh Duong.
Binh Duong is made up of industrial and foreign trade zones with Singaporean, South Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese companies and investors.
Other than manufacturing and industrial zones, there’s not much site seeing attractions in this remote area; just a lot of semis driving along the highway between large global factories manufacturing everything from furniture, textiles, shoes, cabinetry, home and garden products, etc.
How it’s different
One truly unique aspect of Vietnamese pottery that is different from its neighboring countries is the hand-made process each pottery undergoes.
Unlike in China where most pottery is mechanized, Vietnamese pottery is drawn from local clay dredged from local waterways and hand tossed, fired, and painted by highly skilled technicians.
The result is high quality, colorful, and stunning-looking garden pottery.
Enhancing gardens and homes
Nowadays with efficient logistics and supply chains, Vietnamese pottery can be purchased and exported around the globe.
Here in Florida, it’s great to see many garden centers carrying these beautiful works of art.
It’s even better to see my neighbors displaying their Vietnamese pottery, enhancing and beautifying their homes.
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