Pipeline | Broccoli Magazine
“A fifth-generation ceramicist from a family lineage dating back to the very first ceramic artisans to arrive in Bát Tràng 23 generations ago, Minh Le’s journey to bong-making was one of exploration and return.”
In the dark of night, the hot kiln sings. Father, uncle, grand- father, and son work together to control air and gas flow, adjusting the chimney, checking the color of the fire and the sounds of the gas burning. If the night is damp or windy, they’ll make adjustments. It’s a dance of intuition and expertise, honed across centuries. “I can still remember seeing the blue color of the flame, feeling the intense heat coming from the kiln, hearing the pinging and tinkling of glaze cool- ing and taking shape,” says Minh Le, the 24-year-old founder of Minh Le Studio, thinking back to the first time he watched his dad perform a glaze firing in their family’s ceramic studio. “To see a plain chunk of clay transformed into a beautiful, vibrant piece of art that can last more than a lifetime—it felt like my dad gave these pieces a soul, a new life.”
Heirloom may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of a bong. And yet, in the hands of this Vietnam-based studio’s skilled artisans, that’s what is offered. Minh Le Studio’s creations—with their finely hand-painted and embossed surfaces, gleaming glazes, graceful proportions, and accents of brass—could pass as pristinely preserved vessels dating back to antiquity.