Poet Duong Thanh Tu Brings Poetry and Yixing Teapot Art to Ho Chi Minh City

More than 100 tea lovers gathered at Ho Chi Minh City’s Idecaf library to hear poet Duong Thanh Tu discuss Yixing teapot art, bringing together literary exchange and the pleasures of tea.

The presentation formed part of the second Vietnam-China Literary Exchange series in 2026. The program was organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the China Writers Association, the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, Chi Culture Joint Stock Company and Idecaf, among others. Chinese Consul General Tang Li and representatives of Vietnamese departments and agencies attended the events.

For more than an hour, Duong Thanh Tu explained the origins and development of Yixing pottery, how to identify and distinguish different teapots, and their close ties to traditional Chinese culture. She brought several valuable teapots that she had made herself, describing how each work took shape. Audience members were invited to touch and examine the pieces, and her presentation received strong applause.

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Tea culture is a precious common asset of China and Vietnam. Although each country has its own ways of enjoying tea, we all seek joy in a cup of tea and use tea to make friends.

Tran Xuan Thuy, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Foreign Affairs, described tea drinking as a shared cultural asset. "Tea culture is a precious common asset of China and Vietnam. Although each country has its own ways of enjoying tea, we all seek joy in a cup of tea and use tea to make friends," he said.

Cultural figures of Chinese origin in Ho Chi Minh City said tea drinking had long been part of their family traditions, although owning a beautiful Yixing teapot for brewing fine tea remained difficult. Cultural researcher Do Quang Tuan Hoang said that, more than 20 years ago, seeing such teapots in Vietnam was rare, while a fine teapot today can cost several hundred million Vietnamese dong or more.

Nguyen Khac Huy, co-founder of Tử Sa Trân Ngoạn, said his interest began around 2010 while looking for tea to give his father-in-law. He later developed a passion for collecting Yixing teapots and helped establish the group. "When we understand the value behind a work, we do not merely own a teapot. We also have the chance to touch a part of history, culture and art passed down through the hands of artisans. For me, that may be the most beautiful thing tea and Yixing pottery have brought," he said.

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When we understand the value behind a work, we do not merely own a teapot. We also have the chance to touch a part of history, culture and art passed down through the hands of artisans. For me, that may be the most beautiful thing tea and Yixing pottery have brought.