The origins of blue-and-white ware in Vietnam remain obscure; however, the addition of this type of ceramic to the repertory is often linked to the brief Chinese occupation of the early fifteenth century. The design of peonies in the center of this dish, and the way in which the peonies are painted, reflect an awareness of earlier Chinese traditions. Vietnamese potters, who continued fourteenth-century Chinese styles well into the sixteenth century, often competed for markets, particularly those in Southeast Asia, with the kilns at Jingdezhen.