Bat Trang is famous for its traditional porcelain and pottery. But the village is equally famous as the birthplace of several illustrious scholars. Bat Trang may be famed internationally for its ceramic exports, but it also continues to pay tribute to its long-standing academic traditions. It's villagers would often compete in the examinations held in the former capital at Thang Long, present day Hanoi.
Despite being located in a narrow area with no rice fields, Bat Trang like many other villages within the Red River Delta has its own spiritual meeting points including a temple devoted to Confucius along with other pagodas and shrines.
Bat Trang communal house was originally constructed centuries ago, but went renovation during the reign of King Bao Thai in 1720 on a much larger scale. Currently, the communal house still keeps 44 title conferrals dating back to the Le, Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties.
The Confucian temple in Bat Trang was set up at the back of the communal house. Except for spring and autumn, this acted as the place for literary and poetry discussions and praised successful local people. Local pupils would take their primary examinations before entering official competitions. Bat Trang Village also has a "Hao chi", a place to hold activities of those excluded from literary circles but who were still involved in the village's administrative activities.
Among 364 graduates from the village, nine people graduated from Doctor to first doctoral candidate levels. Local people were proud of Giap Hai (1538-?), the first doctoral candidate under the reign of Dai Chinh during the Mac Dang Doanh Dynasty. Giap Hai had literary talent and was also good at maintaining diplomatic relations with other states. In 1574, Giap Hai was appointed by Mac Dang Doanh to deal with the Chinese Minh Dynasty that was threatening to invade. Through his talents, Giap Hai made the rival withdraw his troops and prevent war. In the minds of the local people, Giap Hai was also the one who began examination sessions in their native village.
In addition to the nine doctors, many other local people passed inter-provincial examinations and received degrees. Among the graduates at the time, Pham Van Bich was one of four famous personalities in the northern region that included Nguyen Van Sieu, Nguyen Gia Thieu, Pham Van Bich and Cao Ba Quat. Pham Van Bich left a series of collected anthologies and poems which many local people still remember to this day.
Nowadays, in a bid to follow this fine local tradition, people living in Bat Trang strive to study and work in creative ways to develop the village's economy. But it's not just about earning money, they also want a decent and cultured way of life. Tourists continue to visit Bat Trang Village as it remains a prime example of a Red River Delta traditional craft village.