Preforming on leather hard clay of cooking pots (trà) in Phù Mỹ village, step 1 : shaping from the inside

These cooking pots (trà) have been left to dry for a whole night. They are already stronger but still plastic. Nguyễn Thị Phương, squatting in front of the drying pots, uses the external face of her bent index finger to smooth the inside of the pot. She starts by rubbing her finger on the sides, while her left hand acts as a support on the outside, turning the pots with her hands when needed. Then, she smooths the bottom. She calls this action "bào", which can be translated as smoothing, shaving or flattening. It does not only smooths the inside of the pot, but the pressure also pushes the walls outwards, making them more round. She moves around from one pot to the other, leaving them on they drying plank.