(VOVWORLD) - The art of pottery making of the Cham ethnic people was inscribed in the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding by UNESCO on Tuesday.
 Ninh Thuan Province's art of pottery making of the Cham ethnic people has been recognised as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding by UNESCO on Tuesday. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha |
The recognition was made at the 17th session of the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Cham pottery products are mainly household utensils, worship objects, and handicrafts such as jars (jek), pots (gok), food trays (cambak), and vases (bilaok).
Pottery making is considered a demonstration of Cham women’s creativity on the basis of their community’s knowledge.
Clay is sourced from the Hamu Tanu Halan field on the banks of the Quao River in Bau Truc village and the clay pit of Xuan Quang village, about 3km to the northwest of Bình Đức village, the central province of Ninh Thuan.
Despite preservation efforts, pottery making is still at risk of disintegration due to the urbanization process’s impact on access to raw materials, the slow adaptation to the market economy, and young people’s lack of interest in the craft.
The pottery making of the Cham people is the 15th intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam to be named in UNESCO lists.