Awakening the potential of “Vinh Long Red Kingdom”

Viewed from above, the brick and tile villages in Vinh Long Province look like ancient castles.

Thousands of Along, kilns producing baked clay bricks, are gathered along the rivers and canals in Vinh Long Province. Due to many ups and downs, the trade of bricks and tile production in the locality have fallen into oblivion.

Facing the risk of the brick kiln being destroyed, Vinh Long provincial authorities have developed a project entitled “Mang Thit Contemporary Heritage”. The project affirms that the baked brick village area from Vinh Long City to the territory of Long Ho and Mang Thit districts is a valuable open-air treasure that needs to be preserved because its history has been developing for over 100 years, creating a unique architectural heritage and traditional craft.

The Nhon Phu and My Phuoc communes of Mang Thit District are home to the most brick production facilities in the locality. With talented hands, local craftsmen produce useful products for people from rudimentary soil.

The kilns viewed from the Thay Cai Canal. Awakening the potential of “Vinh Long Red Kingdom”

Stages of making red brick products in Vinh Long.

Vinh Long bricks are popular and favoured because their raw material is the local red clay.

In order to preserve the traditional trade and meet market requirements, the locals have bravely applied advanced new technology and techniques from the mechanical engineering industry into the production of baked bricks, aiming to reduce labour costs, emissions into the environment and production costs somewhat.

These unique kilns should be preserved as contemporary heritages.

Tourists are eager to experience the traditional handicraft in Vinh Long.

Nhan Dan

Ba Dung – Thanh Long