Ondong Rossey

Northwestern Cambodia


The quiet village of Ondong Rossey, where the area’s famous red pottery is made under every stilted house, is a delightful 7km ride west of town through serene rice fields dotted with sugar palms, many with bamboo ladders running up the trunk. The unpainted pots, decorated with etched or appliqué designs, are either turned with a foot-spun wheel (for small pieces) or banged into shape with a heavy wooden spatula (for large ones).

The golden-hued mud piled up in the yards is quarried at nearby Phnom Krang Dai Meas and pounded into fine clay before being shaped and fired; only at the last stage does it acquire a pinkish hue. Pieces can be purchased at the Pottery Development Center in the heart of the village, although you'll get better deals buying directly from the potters at their houses.