Getting Started-Listening
A visit to a traditional craft village
Nick: There are so many pieces of pottery here, Phong. Do your grandparents make all of them?
Phong: They can't because we have lots of products. They make some and other people make the rest.
Nick: As far as I know, BatTrang is one of the most famous traditional craft villages of Ha Noi, right?
Phong: Right. My grandmother says it's about 700 years old.
Mi: Wow! When did your grandparents set up this workshop?
Phong: My great-grandparents started it, not my grandparents. Then my grandparents took over the business. All the artisans here are my aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Mi: I see. Your village is also a place of interest of Ha Noi, isn't it?
Phong: Yes. People come here to buy things for their house. Another attraction is they can make pottery themselves in workshops.
Nick: That must be a memorable experience.
Phong: In Viet Nam there are lots of craft villages like Bat Trang. Have you ever been to any others?
Mi: I've been to a conical hat making village in Hue!
Nick: Cool! This is my first one. Do you think that the various crafts remind people of a specific region?
Mi: Sure. It's the reason tourists often choose handicrafts as souvenirs.
Phong: Let's go outside and look around the village.
