Lullabies - The deep impression in the heart of Vietnamese people

When we were babies, our mom and our grandmom used to sing the Vietnamese lullabies for us. It was just not to lull us to sleep but also was the way they connected to our heart. At that time, we could not understand the meaning of the lullabies but we could feel the warmth and sweetness of our mom and our grandmom. And we grew up with these lullabies…

Lullaby songs are a sort of folk music often heard in Vietnam, especially in the countryside. They are used not only to lull small children to go to sleep but also to express human feelings such as homesickness, wife missing her husband...

Vietnamese lullabies often consist of two or four six-to-eight meter lines. They are usually based upon a characteristic frame of melody, and use slow, free rhythms. They also contain many inseted words such as "à ơi", "ầu ơ", "ơ", "hỡi"...

As the function of a lullaby song is to make the child slowly fall into sleep, the song is quiet, the tones stretched and melodious.

The melody of  lullabies vary from regions to regions.

In North Vietnam, lullabies are sung in five notes, do-re-fa-sol-la. For example,

“My child, sleep well,

So mom can carry water to wash the elephant’s back,

            If anyone wants to see, go up to the mountain                   

To see Lady Trung, Trieu riding the elephant’s golden backs”

 The song from central Vietnam lies only in three notes, la-re-fa,  with nonsense syllables "ơ" inserted:

                   “Baby, sleep well,                     

So mother can go to the market to buy an earthen saucepan, 

If she goes to the southern market,

 She will buy you a long and bent sugar cane”

In Southern Vietnam, most of the lullabies begin with the word "ví dầu" (imagine):

 “Imagine you’re walking on a board-bridge fastened with nails,

It is hard as walking on an unstable bamboo bridge”

Although the habit of lulling children in Vietnam nowadays is gradually less popular than in the old days, these lullabies never disappear but become a holy part in every Vietnamese soul who was brought up by maternal love and sweet songs.

Source: vietnamtourism.org.vn

Xoe Dance in the Northwest

Ten centuries ago, Xoe was a popular dance performed on the occasion of the establishment of the hamlets and villages or during the festivals of the Thai ethnic people. Now, it has developed into 36 dances and has become the symbol of solidarity among the ethnic groups in the northwest.

Muong So, homeland of Xoe dance of the Thai ethnic group

According to the legend of the Thai people in the northwest, in the 10^th century, Lac Truong, the chief of the Muong Lo area (in Yen Bai Province today), led the villagers to Muong So area (in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province today) to reclaim land for farming and building their hamlets. It was the place where the Xoe dance of the Thai people in the northwest originated.

Initially, the Xoe dance was performed by the boys and girls in the hamlets, who held hands to form a circle and danced together. The musical instruments for the dance included gourd lutes, drums, two-chord fiddles, gongs and cymbals.

Buddhism in Vietnam

In theory there are three main religions in Vietnam: Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism; but in fact there is “tripple religion”, which is an amalgamation of these three doctrines, each of which represents a particular aspect of the whole. And now Buddhism still is main religion in Vietnam.

Buddhism spread first from China to Vietnam's Red River Delta region in approximately the second century A.D., and then from India to the southern Mekong Delta area at some time between the third and the sixth centuries. The Chinese version, Mahayana Buddhism, became the faith of most Vietnamese, whereas the Indian version, Theravada (or Hinayana) Buddhism, was confined mostly to the southern delta region. The doctrinal distinction between the two consists of their differing views of Gautama Buddha: the Mahayana school teaches that Gautama was only one of many "enlightened ones" manifesting the fundamental divine power of the universe; the Theravada school teaches that Gautama was the one-and-only enlightened one and the great teacher, but that he was not divine. The Mahayana sect holds further that laypersons can attain nirvana, whereas the Theravada school believes that only ordained monks and nuns can do so.

At the 13 century, during the Tran dynasty (1225-1400), the first 3 Kings Trần Thái Tôn, Trần Thánh Tông, Trần Nhân Tông and many high-ranking mandarins and royal members were Zen Buddhists. Among them King Trần Nhân Tông was the most prominent, being the founder of Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Zen School after his retirement from the throne in 1299. The essence of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen school is to “live the dharma” and Trần Nhân Tông’s life is the illustrated example. Trần Nhân Tông’s Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen School marked the beginning and foundation of Vietnamese Buddhism, which is exemplified by the tenet, “Dharma applied to worldly life,” all of the characteristics of which are outlined in the verse Cư Trần Lạc Đạo. In this interpretation of Buddhism, practicing Buddhism is not limited to ritual activities, worship, and meditation, but right within daily activities. There is no need to search for enlightenment and peace anywhere outside of self and of the environment one lives in.

Vietnamese Buddhism continues to hold this supremacy in our own time. It is therefore easy to understand how great an influence the Buddha has had on the Vietnamese mind, and the generous contribution it has made to the moral and spiritual training of a people whose gentleness and simple outlook on life predisposed them to accept the «Religion of Compassion.»

Source: vietnamtourism.org.vn

Bamboo Tree

Bamboo tree is a significant symbol in both Vietnamese culture and daily life. It exists almost everywhere in Vietnam, though mainly in rural areas. The solid, straight and high bamboo trees represent the resilience, indomitability and bravery of the Vietnamese people. Also, as the bamboo trees often grow in clusters with a strong vitality, it represents the solidarity of Vietnamese people as well as their diligence and loyalty to their homeland.

Bamboo tree clusters are also popularly known as the emblem of Vietnam's rural areas, together with banyan trees, rice paddy field or village pond. These symbols always recall a peaceful, rustic village in the mind of Vietnamese wherever they are.

Bamboo tree is also used widely in Vietnamese everyday life. The body of the tree is often treated as a valuable material to build houses and make household equipments such as table, chair, bookshelves or agricultural tools such as shovels, hoes or plows. It has also become a material for interior decorations such as lamps, plates, chopstick and other souvenirs.
In the resistance against invaders, the body of the bamboo tree was sharpened to make bamboo thorns and traps. In addition, bamboo tree has nutritional values as bamboo shoots are commonly found in Vietnamese kitchen.
Bamboo trees position themselves in the mind of Vietnamese people as an inspiration for cultural and artistic works. Vietnamese children are familiar with many fairy tales involved a bamboo tree like “Cay tre tram dot” (The hundred portion bamboo) or “Thanh Giong” (The story of Giong). Bamboo tree is also used to create many traditional instruments likes flutes, T' Rưng. The famous bamboo dance is well known both in Vietnam and internationally. Until today, bamboo tree remains closely connected to Vietnam's culture.

Source: vietnamonline.com

Nom Character

From an early period a special ideographic script known as chữ nôm was also devised for transcribing spoken Vietnamese.

According to annals dating from the late 13th century, the poets Nguyễn Thuyên and Nguyễn Sĩ Cố were the first to write in chữ nôm. At the turn of the century King Hồ Quý Ly (1400-1407) himself translated the Confucian classic Kinh Thi into nôm. Thereafter an increasingly large number of other works were composed in the new script.

The era of the Lê kings (14th and early 15th centuries) was a significant period of development for chữ nôm literature. Of particular note were the works of Nguyễn Trãi, scholar and strategist to Lê Lợi (later King Lê Thái Tổ, 1428-1433) during the resistance war against the invading Ming Chinese. Trãi, whose Bình Ngô Đại cáo ('Proclamation of Victory over the Ngô') remains one of the finest works of Vietnamese national literature, left an important collection of 254 poems written in chữ nôm known as Quốc Âm Thi Tập. Though chữ Hán was the official the language of the Vietnamese royal court, two Lê monarchs - Lê Thái Tông (1434-1442) and Lê Thánh Tông (1460-1497) - are remembered for their poems written in nôm; some 300 works of great historical and literary significance written by Lê Thánh Tông may be found in the anthology Hồng Đức Quốc Âm Thi Tập ('Collected Poems of the Hồng Đức Period'). However, nôm poetry did not really begin to break free from Chinese influence until the 16th century, a process signalled by the appearance of 100 remarkable works in nôm by Confucian scholar Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm (1491-1585), brought together as the Bạch Vân Thi Tập ('Compilation of Bạch Vân's Poems').

Xoan singing or Hat Xoan

Xoan singing, which is in a list of 23 cultural heritages that needs urgent protection and preservation under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a folk cultural product of Phu Tho province.

The last point of time that Xoan accompany still sang in communal houses of the villages in spring was in 1945. Fortunately, we still had an opportunity to meet singers and instrumentalist who used to sing in the Xoan accompany in the old days when we conducted to investigate, study on Xoan singing in the late August.

It can be said that Xoan singing is still engraved in the memory of folk artists who up to now canperform it in the communal house whenever having the festival. Previously, the Xoan singing belonged to four villages, An Thai, Thet, Phu Duc and Kim Đai of Hac Tri district, Phu Tho province. After the innovation, An Thai village belongs to Phuong Lau, Viet Tri city, and Thet, Phu Duc and Kim Dai villages belong to Kim Duc, Phù Ninh district, Phu Tho province. According to folk artists, of those four villages, the singing style of Xoan accompany of An Thái village is similar to that of Thet village and Phu Duc village similar to Kim Dai. However, it is the difference of order of repertoire, words and thenumber of dancer, etc, that also creates the own style of each village.

In 1998, together with the establishment of the club of Xoan singing in Kim Duc communes and An Thai village, Phuong Lau commune brought about new vitality for Xoan singing. The generation of elderly folk artists in the old days always tried their best to hand down offspring compositions in the old style of singing in the activity of Club. On the last August 18th, People’s Committee of Kim Duc commune opened a festival of Xoan singing competition to rise up the passion and pride of villagers to the special art of the locality. When we coming, villagers of each Xoan village were actively practicing and perfecting compositions to be able to found Xoan accompany of each village according to the policy of the Department of Culture and Information of Phu Tho province. The concern of authority and enthusiastic contribution of the villagers are good news of art of Xoan singing in today’s life.

Nowadays, most tourists join tours in Vietnam because they want to learn more about the traditions and cultures of the country in general and each ethnic minority in particular. Therefore, preserving traditional cultural heritages as Xoan singing helps Vietnam promote its image to the world and attract more tourists in Vietnam tourism in the near future.

Source: vietnamtourism.org.vn

Hung Kings’ Temple Festival consolidates national solidarity

VGP – Millions of Vietnamese people gathered in Hung Kings’ Temple on April 9 to join the national festival to honor the Hung Kings, the founders of the Vietnamese nation. 

Continuous lines of people coming to commemorate the Hung Kings - A symbol of national solidarity - Photo: Vnexpress.net

Duong Coc - A Tuong Village

For hundreds of years, Duong Coc Village in Dong Quang Commune, Quoc Oai District, Ha Tay Province has engaged in agricultural production. The villagers are assiduous farmers who work all day long in the fields. However, few people know that they have a great passion for the Tuong (Classical drama) art. 

The traditional musical band ofDuong Coc Village. Nguyen Kim Hue plays a role in a Tuong extract. The Tuong play “Trung Nu Vuong” performed by the Tuong Troup always attracts a large number of audiences. Nguyen Huy Thuong, Vice Chairman of the Tuong Club in Duong Coc Village talks with the actors and actresses before the performance. The Tuong Troupe’s activities are familiar to the villagers. 7 For hundreds of years, Duong Coc Village in Dong Quang Commune, Quoc Oai District, Ha Tay Province has engaged in agricultural production. The villagers are assiduous farmers who work all day long in the fields. However, few people know that they have a great passion for the Tuong (Classical drama) art. Having love for Tuong After a long and tiring day in the fields, and when night falls, Duong Coc villagers become real artists who perform Tuong plays. Farming and performing seem unrelated activities but have become a routine in Duong Coc Village. Nguyen Van Ly, Chairman of the Tuong Club in Duong Coc Village said: “People in the village became aware of Tuong by chance. In 1967 when the war was fiercely gripping the country, professional artists from the Central Tuong Theatre evacuated to Duong Coc Village and their passion for this art spread to the villagers. Since then the locals’ love for this art has become greater and they are devoted to it”. At that time, every evening, local farmers flocked to watch the plays performed by the Central Tuong Troupe. On New Year Holidays and festive occasions, it wasn’t necessary to travel to other localities to enjoy Tuong as it was being performed in their own village. nbsp;Their joys doubled when they established their own Tuong Troupe and made tours to perform in other areas in service of the mass artistic movement. Whenever on the stage, the members of the Tuong Troupe in Duong Coc Village put aside all their concerns of daily life to live the character’s life. At most national amateur theatrical festivals, the troupe has left a great impression on Tuong lovers. So far, the troupe has staged and performed more than 40 plays, including classical and modern plays, such as “Trung Nu Vuong”, “Tran Quoc Toan Leads an Army to March to the Battlefield”, “Tran Binh Trong”, “Sunshine Reflects on Pang Poi Stream”, “Ngheu So Oc Hen”, “Love between Fish and Water” and “A Militiawoman in an Economic Zone”. They have won hundreds of certificates of merit and gold medals. In late 2006, the troupe was awarded first place for the performance “Sunshine Reflects on Pang Poi Stream” at the national Tuong amateur theatrical festival held in Binh Dinh Province.                                                        The Tuong Troupe in Duong Coc Village often performs                                                              in the communal yard, the traditional stage of the village.

The Custom of Worshipping the Nation’s Ancestors

Many researchers say that there are very few countries in the world that have a worshipping ceremony for their ancestors like Vietnam. The custom of worshipping the Hung Kings has existed for thousands of years and has spread widely. It deserves to become a heritage of mankind. 

Historical books and legend have it that about 2000 BC, Lac Long Quan, a dragon, and his fairy wife, Au Co gave birth to 100 children, 50 of them followed their father to the sea and 50 followed their mother to the mountains. The eldest son, who went with his mother, stayed in Phong Chau (now Phu Tho Province) and founded the country of Van Lang. He took the title of Hung Vuong (Hung King). From then on, all succeeding kings also took this title. The story of the “Dragon-Fairy” race and the history of the beginning of the Vietnamese people and the nation were formed.

On March 10 of the lunar calendar, millions of Vietnamese people both from home and abroad came to the Hung Kings’ Temple in Phu Tho Province to attend the Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary. Photo: Hoang Quang Ha This year’s festival attracted about six million visitors both from home and abroad. Photo: Trinh Van Bo

Hue - A City of Festivals

Today, talking about Hue City many people not only think of a World's Cultural Heritage Site with magnificent and splendid temples, shrines and tombs, but also have a memory of a renowned city of cultural festivals of Vietnam and the world as well.

A FESTIVAL OF A HERITAGE SITE

After the initial success of the Vietnam - France Festival co-organised by Hue City and Codev City (France) in 1992, Thua Thien - Hue Province had an idea to organize a festival on a larger scale with the aim of creating an opportunity and favourable conditions to popularize Hue, a cultural and tourist city of Vietnam.

In October, 1998, the Vietnamese Government allowed Thua Thien - Hue Province to organize Hue Festival 2000. Since then, Hue Festival has become a great cultural event of national and international stature. It has been held seven times, attracting people from Vietnam and other places around the world.

Hue Festival 2012 with the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development – A Rendezvous of Historical Cities” was held from April 7-14, 2012. It featured many traditional cultural ceremonies, such as the Nam Giao Ritual, Imperial Palace Nights, Ao dai Festival and Oriental Nights.

In an ancient illusory atmosphere at the Hue National School Square, an Ao dai fashion show with the theme “Lotus in Painting” was held with the participation of 20 designers with 300 samples. The traditional Ao dai with delicate lotus patterns was presented by 150 professional and amateur models from all parts of the country. Among them there were Miss Vietnam 2008 Thuy Dung, Miss Vietnam 2010 Ngoc Han, and the former school girls of Dong Khanh School (Hue).

The "Peace for the Country" ceremony at Hue Festival 2012. Photo: Viet Cuong The Nam Giao Offering Ritual, a court ceremony is reproduced at Hue Festival 2012. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang

Thang Long Imperial Citadel – An Invaluable Cultural Heritage

The central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi, which has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage, covers about 18,000m2, consisting of the archaeological site at No. 18, Hoang Dieu Street and the area of the old Hanoi Citadel. It contains an invaluable cultural treasure which not only symbolizes the national cultural quintessence but also has values of global significance

The heritage site consists of relics on the ground, including the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace from the Le So Dynasty, with stone steps and balconies carved with dragons made in 1467; Doan Mon Gate, the southern gate of the forbidden city of Thang Long; and relics of Hanoi Citadel from the Nguyen Dynasty with Cua Bac (Northern Gate) and the Flag Tower. There still remain some military architectural works of the French from the late 19th century, such as the command office of the French artillery built on a part of the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace. Obviously, due to deterioration from weather, the destruction of wars and human devastation, only a few relics of the millennial Thang Long – Hanoi remain.

Fortunately, many relics and artifacts of different historical periods have been found underground, so many historians and archaeologists said “there is an underground Thang Long – Hanoi”. Although these relics are ruined because they were in the earth, they are full of candour. Notably, the special values of the underground Thang Long – Hanoi” are specifically shown in the central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi”, a world cultural heritage.

The northern city gate, one of vestiges kept intact from Thang Long Imperial Citadel

Some of valuable artifacts found at the relic site of Thang Long Imperial Citadel

The central sector of Thang Long Imperial Citadel, listed as the World Cultural Heritage, consists of relics on the ground, including the foundation of KinhThienPalace from the Le So Dynasty, with stone steps and balconies carved with dragons made in 1476.

The map of the relic site in the imperial Thang Long – Hanoi.

Professor of history Phan Huy Le at an international seminar "Identification of the values of the relic site of Thang Long Imperial Citadel after 5-year research and comparison (2004-2008)".

the central sector of Thang Long Imperial Citadel is not huge, but it contains invaluable cultural heritage of mankind

In 1998 an exploration excavation at Doan Mon, Cua Bac and Hau Lau found many relics and artifacts from the Ly and Tran Dynasties. In 2008 another excavation at the site between Doan Mon and the foundation of Kinh Thien Palace found vestiges of the court in front of the royal palace from the Le Dynasty, which was built with wooden bricks, a typical type of that time. Particularly, from December 2002 to 2004 an archaeological excavation was carried out at No. 18 Hoang Dieu Street and found a complex of relics and artifacts on an area of 19,000m2 which date back to the pre-Thang Long time before the 11th century through Thang Long to Hanoi time. Later, the excavation area was expanded to 33,000 m2 where overlapping cultural layers with relics of architecture, sewerage systems, water wells, foundations, pillars and walls and vestiges of old rivers and lakes were discovered. All these show the continuous history and culture with diverse layers of a palace area which had existed through different historical periods. The centre sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi has three outstanding characteristics:
Firstly, although the heritage area is not large, it was a centre of power and culture for 13 consecutive centuries (from the 7th century up to now), including over eight centuries (from the Ly Dynasty in the 11th century to the Le Dynasty in the late 18th century) as a political and administrative centre of a nation, which developed early in Southeast Asia, until today. This is a unique characteristic rarely seen in the history of other imperial cities in the world.

Secondly, as a centre of power and a centre of the imperial citadel, the heritage area contains a fusion of historical and cultural values of the nation. The forbidden city served as the working place of the court where political, cultural, religious and diplomatic ceremonies of the royal dynasty were held, and was the residence of the royal family. So it was home to palaces, castles with architectural art and technique, construction plans and landscape building which were carried out by talented people. The excavation has found relics of many large-scale palaces of different types, beautiful decorative items and utensils of high technical and artistic value of the royal family. It may be said that the heritage site reveals the cultural quintessence of a nation.
Thirdly, when setting up the capital city in Thang Long, King Ly Thai To considered this place as “a position between the earth and the heaven”, “a position between the North and South, East and West”, which “overlooks the river and leans against the mountains”, “an essential meeting place of the four directions”, etc. In terms of natural conditions, Thang Long was the centre of the Red River delta, a cradle of the wet rice civilization of the Viet people and the hub of domestic and international water-way transport system via the Red River axis. It was due to this favourable position and the construction efforts of the royal dynasties, Thang Long has become an eternal capital city until now. It was this position that helped the heritage site have broad contacts and interactions with the world, which is shown in the fact that many artifacts coming from West Asia, China, Japan, Korea, etc., were found in the archaeological relic site.
From these outstanding characteristics, the central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi bears not only the quintessence of national cultural values but also of globally significant values, meeting the criteria (2, 3 and 4) of the world cultural heritage.
For these reasons the heritage site was classified as a relic of national-level on December, 28, 2007 and of special national-level on August 12, 2009. In particular, on July 31, 2010 (August 1, 2010 of Vietnamese time), at the 34th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee held in Brazil, the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi was list as the World Cultural Heritage.

Story: Prof. Phan Huy Le (President of the Vietnam Association of History Science)

Photos: Hoang Ha – Nam Suong – File

Source: vietnam.vnanet.vn

The Culture of Betel and Areca

In the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people, chewing betel is not only a habit and a custom but also an element of the traditional cultural values. Betel and areca are indispensable gifts in the engagement and wedding ceremonies as well as during conversations.

An age-old custom


Legend has it that the custom of chewing betel in Vietnam has existed since the reign of the Hung Kings. It is associated with the “Legend of Betel and Areca” about the faithfulness of a wife for her husband and the love between two siblings. Betel and areca are used to start talking and help people become closer and more open with each other. They serve as offerings in the important traditional ceremonies, such as the offering rituals, engagements and weddings, funerals and burials. They are a symbol of love, brotherhood, family and happiness.

Chewing betel is a popular practice of people from all walks of life, from normal people to the court and it has become a beautiful characteristic of the traditional culture. It is the custom of not only the majority Kinh group, but also other ethnic groups, such as the Tay, Nung, Dao, Thai, Muong and San Diu in the northern areas, the Khmer, Bru, Ede and Cham living along the Truong Son Range and in Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands), and the Khmer in southern areas. Apart from similarities, due to their different habitations and cultural spaces, the ethnic groups have their specific ways of chewing betel. The Muong, Thai and Ede people use the betel to entertain their guests while the Tay and Nung people use the betel in the ceremony of “tying the thread around the wrists of the bride and bridegroom”.
 

A betel quid consists of four materials: a wedge of an areca nut (which has a sweet taste), a betel leaf (spicy taste), a piece of bark of a special tree (bitter taste) and a little lime paste (hot taste). All of them are chewed together, providing a delicious taste with red juice and freshness. The high areca tree symbolizes the heaven (Yang). The lime symbolizes the earth (Yin). The custom of chewing betel is popular throughout Southeast Asia and the making of the betel leaves and areca wedges into beautiful shapes as well as the betel-inviting practice have become a form of artistic activities full of national identities.

A quid of betel with "Phonix wings". Photo: Tran Huan Some elements of a quid of betel. Photo: Tran Huan Betel and areca are indispensable in important ceremonies and show the behavior culture of the Vietnamese. Photo: Tran Huan Betel and areca have an important role in the traditional cultural life of the Vietnamese. Photo: Tran Huan Areca trees grow in many areas in Vietnam. Photo: Files. Betel trees creep up house’s wall. Photo: Tran Huan A traditional betrothal ceremony in Hanoi. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang Betel and areca are important offerings in the engagement and wedding ceremonies of the Vietnamese. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang, Tran Huan Artisan Vu Thi Tuyet Lan turns the betel leaves and areca wedges into beautiful shapes. Photo: Tran Huan

Eternal fragrance and beauty
The custom of chewing betel in Vietnam is mainly reflected in the betel kits since the Ly (1010 – 1225) and the Tran (1225 – 1400) Dynasties. They include a knife for splitting the areca nuts and shaping the betel leaves, a pot of lime, a tube of lime paste, a little stick used to spread lime on the betel leaf and all of them are diverse in variety. There are also trays, containers, baskets, boxes, bags and handkerchiefs to contain the betel, areca and small items. For the elder people with weak teeth, there is a little spatula and a mortar to pound the betel and areca. In the betel kit, the lime pot is an important and indispensable item. In the past, it was respected as a god, so it is called “the Lime God”.  

A set of betel trays is inlayed with delicate patterns. Photo: Tran Huan A Quan ho singer in Bac Ninh invites foreign guests to enjoy a quid of betel. Photo: Tran Huan Billionaire Bill Gates enjoys a quid of betel. Photo: Hoang Ha Betel inviting, a Quan ho song, is performed at  Lim Festival in Bac Ninh Province. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang Areca is a familiar image in the rural areas in Vietnam. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang

The betel and areca not only serve as offerings in the traditional ceremonies, but also have become a typical image of Vietnamese culture. They usually appear in the folklore, folk verses, folk songs and festivals. Cao Nhan Village in Cao Nhan Commune, Thuy Nguyen District in the northern city of Hai Phong is known as an areca village. During harvest time, bunches of areca nuts are piled up and the village is busy with many trucks carrying areca to many parts of the country. In Phu Le Village, Lam Kiem Commune, Thach That District, Hanoi, plates of betel and areca and lime pots can be seen everywhere, from the houses to the communal houses and the fields. During the Lim Festival in Bac Ninh held when Spring comes, the local girls wearing a kerchief (tied in a triangle on the forehead), a four-flap gown and a pink brassiere open their betel handkerchiefs to invite the men with betel and areca.

In the South, 18 betel garden villages were established in the beginning of the 17th century, associated with the time of reclaiming land to build the villages. They specialised in growing betel to provide for the six southern provinces. The betel and areca market on Le Quang Sung in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City which provides the specialties from Ba Diem, a garden in the noisy and beautiful urban area, is a unique cultural feature beautifying the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

Story: Vinh Hung - Photos: Tran Huan, Tran Thanh Giang, Hoang Ha, Files

Source: vietnam.vnanet.vn

Don ca tai tu Receives UNESCO's Certificate

On February 11, a ceremony to receive UNESCO’s certificate recognizing Vietnam’s Don ca tai tu (southern folk music) as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity was held at Thong Nhat Hall in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.

Originating from Hue court music and folk music of the southern region, Don ca tai tu has been developing since the 19^th century and changing according to local taste. It thrived in the early 20^th century and remains crucial to the country’s traditional culture. The music is performed at festivals, death anniversary rituals, and celebrations by farmer-artists.

This genre of Vietnamese traditional music was announced as one of the 11 new inscriptions on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, held in Azerbaijan on December 5th of last year. Don ca tai tu is the 6^th Vietnamese art form to have won UNESCO recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The others include the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho Province (2012); the Giong festival of Phu Dong and Soc temples in Gia Lam District, Hanoi (2010); Quan ho (love duets) singing in Bac Ninh Province (2009); Nha nhac (Court music) in the imperial city of Hue (2003); and Gong culture in the Central Highlands (2008).

Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, Katherine Muller-Marin, presents UNESCO's certificate honouring Don ca tai tu to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh (Source: VNA) Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung addresses the ceremony. Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, Katherine Muller-Marin, congratulates Vietnam on receiving UNCESCO’s certificate honourning Vietnam’s Don ca tai tu as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, Katherine Muller-Marin, presents UNCESCO’s certificate honouring Don ca tai tu to representatives from 21 provinces and cities where the art form is popular.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that UNESCO’s recognition of Don ca tai tu reflects the appreciation and respect of the international community for the Vietnamese art form, stressing that the acknowledgement not only brings pride to Vietnamese people in general and southerners in particular but also contributes to the preservation of the cultural treasures of the world.

He called for joint efforts from the MoCST, local authorities, artists, particularly those living in the homeland of Don ca tai tu, to uphold their responsibility in protecting and promoting the art form.

Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi, Katherine Muller-Marin highly appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in protecting intangible cultural heritages of humanity and pledged that UNESCO would accompany the Vietnamese Government on the journey of protecting intangible cultural heritage.

After receiving UNCESCO’s certificate honouring Don ca tai tu, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourists announced a national action programme to call for every Vietnamese citizen to make joint efforts to preserve and develop the music form.

At the ceremony, a special show of Don ca tai tu was held with the participation of famous artists, such as People’s Artists Bach Tuyet, Minh Vuong Phuong Hang and Don ca tai tu artists and orchestras from 21 provinces and cities nationwide.

The stage of the ceremony to receive UNCESCO’s certificate recognizing Vietnam’s Don ca tai tu as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity reproduces the southern cultural space. A scene reproduces the performance of Don ca tai tu on a moonlit night. The performance of Don ca tai tu attracts the participation of famous artists from 21 provinces and cities nationwide. A scene of Don ca tai tu performance in the watery area. Don ca tai tu artists wear bandanna, a traditional shawl of southerners. People’s Artist Bach Tuyet performs at the ceremony to receive UNESCO’s certificate recognizing Vietnam’s Don ca tai tu as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The space of performing Don ca tai tu is closely matched to the simple natural scenery in the South. Don ca tai tu artists perform at the ceremony. A performance of Don ca tai tu by young artists. The show of Don ca tai tu entertains the audience with many famous ancient songs

Story: Nguyen Vu Thanh Dat - Photos: Nguyen Vu Thanh Dat, Phuong Vy

Source: vietnam.vnanet.vn