23Aug

Think differently about ceramics

(TBKTSG) – Dong Gia ceramics production facility officially “launched” the domestic ceramics market at the end of 2010. Since then, although market consumption has somewhat declined, Dong Gia is still confident in its business plan.

Husband and wife in harmony…

While living in France, four years ago, Phan Thi Thuy Mai and Francois Jarlov, an artisan with more than 30 years of experience in ceramic production, returned to Vietnam to produce Dong Gia brand ceramics.

During their years in France, the couple spent a lot of time traveling and researching typical ceramic lines from Italy, Spain, Japan and Thailand. Looking at others and thinking about ourselves, Ms. Mai believes that although Vietnamese ceramics have appeared a lot on the market, they do not have a brand and have not created high-value handmade products. That is a gap in the market that needs to be filled.

The value of ancient Vietnamese ceramics is known throughout the world, but the secret to making them has been lost. Meanwhile, in China and Japan today, there are still courses on craft pottery production that attract young people to study and make a living from the profession. That is why handmade ceramics produced by these two countries are recognized and honored by the world.

In Vietnam, there are many types of ceramics, from the South to the North. However, their commercial value is not large, because they have not reached consumer tastes, are mass-produced, have poor designs, and are of poor quality. Ms. Mai said: "The US, European, Singaporean markets... value ceramics and glazed earthenware five times higher than porcelain because this product line produces beautiful, natural colors. Meanwhile, Vietnam has a lot of experience in making these products, but has left the market open."

The couple had to travel far and wide to research and learn about the experience of producing traditional Vietnamese ceramic products. Traditional ceramic villages across the three regions, museums displaying ancient ceramic artifacts were all visited by the couple to see with their own eyes and touch with their own hands. After two years of field surveys, they found raw material areas for ceramic production in Phu Quoc, Binh Duong, Go Cong... "The land used to make ceramics and porcelain is money, a resource, but they are being exploited indiscriminately or left to waste," said Ms. Mai.

Increasing the value of ceramics For the next two years, Ms. Mai and her husband cooperated with people in Giang Cao commune, Gia Lam district (Hanoi) to practice their skills with ancient Vietnamese ceramic glazes. Mr. Jarlov did the crafting, mixing the glaze, making hand-turned objects... to produce ceramics. Meanwhile, Ms. Mai was in charge of foreign affairs, exploring ceramic consumption trends in both domestic and foreign markets.

During the market survey, Ms. Mai realized that the disadvantage of most ceramic manufacturing establishments and enterprises is that mass-produced industrial products are sold at very cheap prices, resources are gradually being depleted but the profits are not worth much.

“Vietnamese tea sets (pots, cups) when leaving the factory are not worth much, but when they reach the hands of businesses selling them on the market, their value has increased ten or twenty times. Dong Gia does not accept that because the ceramic production process is very difficult, labor costs, raw material prices, and fuel prices increase every year, so it is impossible to choose the low-cost segment,” said Ms. Mai.

In addition to bowls, cups, and plates serving customers with average incomes, teapots and cups are the main product lines of Dong Gia. These products are fired at temperatures ranging from 1,280-1,300 degrees Celsius. This is the difference between Dong Gia ceramic products and other ceramic products that are fired at temperatures below 1,200 degrees Celsius. “The price of a teacup made entirely by hand by an artisan is 500,000 VND/piece. We consider that teacup as a work of art, no two are alike,” said Ms. Mai.

In addition to the pottery kiln in Giang Cao commune, Gia Lam district, Dong Gia also established another kiln in Vinh Binh commune, Go Cong Tay district (Tien Giang) - Ms. Mai’s hometown, because this place has a source of clay materials that were once famous in the Southwest region. According to Ms. Mai, because Dong Gia produces by hand, anything that can be done for customers is committed, not just said it can be done. “Small and medium-sized enterprises, when receiving large orders beyond their capacity, mostly accept them haphazardly, then produce them piecemeal or outsource them elsewhere. For Dong Gia, if the product is defective, it will never be delivered to the customer and will only accept orders within its capacity.”

At the end of 2010, Dong Gia ceramic products were officially launched in the domestic market after a year of penetrating the markets of France, Germany, Japan and Singapore. Ms. Mai said that although the domestic market is in a period of low purchasing power due to inflation and price fluctuations, Dong Gia is still confident in its branding and creating value for its products. As of June 2011, Dong Gia's sales averaged about 25,000 USD/month, of which 50% came from exports.

“If the producer knows how to appreciate the product, there is no reason why consumers cannot recognize the artistic value expressed from it. Vietnamese ceramics have been recognized by the world because of the talent of our ancestors and the manufacturing techniques that are very different from the Chinese and Japanese schools. Today, Dong Gia only has the task of combining many traditional ceramic schools to write a new page that has been blank for a long time,” said Ms. Mai.

Fate with Vietnam

In Vietnam, the fine arts and sculpture community in both the North and the South knows the talent of Francois Jarlov because he knows the secret to making ancient Raku ceramics (Japan) - a production art based on the spirit of Zen.

In 1998, he was invited by the French Government to Vietnam to instruct the Raku ceramic manufacturing techniques for lecturers of the Sculpture Department of the Hanoi University of Fine Arts. During his stay in Vietnam, Mr. Jarlov traveled throughout the three regions, learning about history and culture.

Emotions from the trips were expressed by him through brush strokes, sketches, and handwriting in the work Under the shadow of the green dragon, published in 2004, displayed at the Institute for Cultural Exchange with France (Idecaf), Ho Chi Minh City. Supporting the "French artist" to make the book was Ms. Phan Thi Thuy Mai, owner of Dong Gia book design facility. A year later, the two became a couple.

Dong Gia Ceramic Production Facility

342B Thien Chi, Vinh Binh Commune, Go Cong Tay District, Tien Giang Province ▪ Tel: (073) 3608274 – 0908 486440 ▪ E-mail: thuymai@dong-gia.com ▪ Website: www.dong-gia.com ▪ Product showroom 235 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (2nd floor, go into alley 206 Truong Dinh, District 1).