Vietnamese traditional customes
In general, Vietnamese clothing is very diverse. Every ethnic group in Vietnam has its own style of clothing. Festivals provide an opportunity for the various ethnic groups to wear their favorite clothes. Over thousands of years, the traditional clothing of all ethnic groups in Vietnam has changed, but each ethnic group has separately maintained their own characteristics.
For formal ceremonies men would have two additional items, a long gown with slits on either side, and a turban, usually in black or brown made of cotton or silk. In feudal times, there were strict dress codes. Ordinary people were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white. Costumes in yellow were reserved for the King. Those in purple and red were reserved for high ranking court officials, while dresses in blue were exclusively worn by petty court officials. Men's dress has gradually changed along with social development.
The traditional set of a long gown and turban gave way to more modern looking suits, while business shirts and trousers have replaced traditional long sleeved shirts and wide trousers. Traditional costumes still exist and efforts are increasingly being made to restore traditional festivals and entertainment which incorporate traditional costumes.
Young women wear light brown-colored short shirts with long black skirts. Their headgear consists of a black turban with a peak at the front. To make their waist look smaller, they tightly fasten a long piece of pink or violet cloth.On formal occasions, they wear a special three layered dress called an "ao dai", a long gown with slits on either side.
Different regions of the country have their own styles of flowing tunic. In the north, Vietnamese women usually wear the four-part flowing tunic, refers to as "Ao Tu Than", with a long skirt. The hat is called "Non Quai Thao". On the right, instead of wearing "non quai thao", Nothern women just simply wear a scarf as a variety.
In the Central Region, and in the South of Vietnam, "ao dai" is worn.
It is a long flowing tunic that consists of only 2 parts and is worn over a loose-fitting pair of either white, black, or colored pants. However, the white pants are usually preferred over the others. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. It is also buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist. There are many stylish variations in color and collar design. White, or violet ao dai is also worn by Vietnamese students as their uniforms. The cone-shaped hat is called "non la". Non la in these two pictures is more for posing and decorating. In reality, non la is more functional than decorative. It is used indeed like a hat to protect one from the heat and the sun in everyday life situation. However, in weddings (brides), festivals, or any formal event, a headdress (a diadem - as in the middle picture) is usually preferred. Note: neither non la, nor the headdress is required to be worn with ao dai.
In the mountain areas, people live in houses built on stilts, wear trousers or skirts and indigo vests with design motifs imitating wild flowers and beasts. In the northern uplands and the Central Highlands, the young women have made skirts and vests with beautiful and coulourful decoration in a style convenient for farm work in terraced fields and to travel on hilly slopes and mountain gorges.
If you would like to see more styles, please come to http://www.aodaiminhthu.com/
Vietnamese Culture
The richness of Vietnam's origins is evident throughout its culture. Spiritual life in Vietnam is a grand panoply of belief systems, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Tam Giao (literally 'triple religion'), which is a blend of Taoism, popular Chinese beliefs, and ancient Vietnamese animism.
The most important festival of the year is Tet, a week-long event in late January or early February that heralds the new lunar year and the advent of spring. Celebration consists of both raucous festivity (fireworks, drums, gongs) and quiet meditation. In addition to Tet, there are about twenty other traditional and religious festivals each year.
Vietnamese architecture expresses a graceful aesthetic of natural balance and harmony that is evident in any of the country's vast numbers of historic temples and monasteries. The pre-eminent architectural form is the pagoda, a tower comprised of a series of stepped pyramidal structures and frequently adorned with lavish carvings and painted ornamentation. Generally speaking, the pagoda form symbolizes the human desire to bridge the gap between the constraints of earthly existence and the perfection of heavenly forces. Pagodas are found in every province of Vietnam. One of the most treasured is the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, founded in 1601 and completed more than two hundred years later. In North Vietnam, the pagodas that serve as the shrines and temples of the Son La mountains are especially worth visiting. In South Vietnam, the Giac Lam Pagoda of Ho Chi Minh City is considered to be the city's oldest and is notable as well for its many richly-carved jackwood statues.
As a language, Vietnamese is exceptionally flexible and lyrical, and poetry plays a strong role in both literature and the performing arts. Folk art, which flourished before French colonization, has experienced a resurgence in beautiful woodcuts, village painting, and block printing. Vietnamese lacquer art, another traditional medium, is commonly held to be the most original and sophisticated in the world. Music, dance, and puppetry, including the uniquely Vietnamese water puppetry, are also mainstays of the country's culture.
Although rice is the foundation of the Vietnamese diet, the country's cuisine is anything but bland. Deeply influenced by the national cuisines of France, China, and Thailand, Vietnamese cooking is highly innovative and makes extensive use of fresh herbs, including lemon grass, basil, coriander, parsley, laksa leaf, lime, and chili. Soup is served at almost every meal, and snacks include spring rolls and rice pancakes. The national condiment is nuoc mam, a piquant fermented fish sauce served with every meal. Indigenous tropical fruits include bananas, pineapples, coconuts, lychees, melons, mandarin oranges, grapes, and exotic varieties like the three-seeded cherry and the green dragon fruit.
HoChiMinh City
Ho Chi Minh is the name was given after the Vietnam War to replace Sai Gon. We use that name to dedicate our leader Ho Chi Minh, one of the world famous leaders. The city is worth bearing the name of the beloved president, who founded the Communist Party, army, front and revolutionary government, and who led the people and the country to a glorious victory. Bearing the name of Uncle Ho is a big honor for the city, but it also requires high responsibility for building and protecting the country.
Since liberation, HCM City has contributed a great deal to socialist and national construction and defense. Politburo’s Resolution 01 (1982) stipulates that HCM City has a political position just behind Hanoi, the capital. It is endowed with favorable conditions that cannot be found elsewhere. It has great potential for developing industry, exports, tourism and services. In coordination with other localities, HCM City is forming an agro-industrial economic structure for the country’s socio-economic development.
HCM City has contributed a great deal to the country, particularly in terms of economy. On the road to industrialization and modernization on the threshold of the 21st century, HCM City has connected with Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Binh Duong provinces to form a focal economic hub. It has also cooperated with the Mekong Delta provinces, the rice basket of the country; the southwestern provinces and the Central Highlands, with forestry potentials; and the central and northern provinces. HCM City is one of the country’s biggest venues to attract foreign direct investment. It is trying to become a sizable tourism and service center.
In the effort to achieve integration with the economies of Southeast Asia, and with those of the rest of the world, HCM City has been trying to contribute its part to the common cause. As part of the unified country, HCM City strives to realize the tasks set by the resolution of the 9th Party Congress, contributing its part to national construction and defense to be worthy of a city bearing the name of Uncle Ho.
Hoi An Ancient Town, The World Heritage
In Vietnam, the history is very enrich. I will talk about one of the most famous place in Vietnam,
Hoi An, the world heritage.
Hoi An is a small town 30 km south of Da Nang, Vietnam. Hoi-An also Known as Faifo, is one of the oldest cities in South-East Asia. During the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, HoiAn is one of major international ports for for the exchange of commodities between the West and the East.
Many merchants from China, Portugal, Japan, Holland, France... came to deal in valuable products: silk, fabrics, elephant tusks, jewelry, porcelain, pepper and cinnamon. Over past 500 years, Hoi-An still remains nearly intact with old harmonious combination of Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese architecture.
Thanks to fortunate opportunities, the old town of Hoi An, a unique concentration of architectural monuments of various forms: living house, assembly hall, communal house, pagoda, shrine, temple, water well, bridge, wharf, market...has been preserved rather intact. They are along the streets that cut one another, forming palaces and giving a good example of symbolic oriental cities in the Middle Age. So wonderful with its old aged and traditionally well kept habits and customs, the town is now an excellent model of a living museum of architecture and urban lifestyle
In 1999, the discovered cargo of a late 15th century Vietname shipmwreck at Cu lao Cham near Hoi-An is the most important discovery in Souheast Asian ceramic art history.
In April 2000, the 18th and 19th merchant quarters of the city are declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.
If you travel to Hoi An, you should spend at least 3 to 4 days. During the daytime, you can visit
Chua Cau, the Japanese Covered Bridge;
Quan Cong Temple,
Hoi An museum of history and culture, Quang Trieu, Phuc Kien, Trieu Chau Assembly. Aslo you can walk and shop around the old city . Most of goods are made by traditional handicraft such as sleeping - mats, fabric, potterry, lacquer, making converge... Everything is so cheap. Moreover, you can go to the beach and take the boat to the island. It is very beautiful...
Scene that you must go during visiting in DaNang
Hi guys,
To me,
Danang is the most beautiful place to live and visit. When you come to Danang, you will feel that you are at home. People are very friendly, and thus, place is very peaceful.
Danang has the high and dangerous Hai Van passwith full of perilous obstacles, engraved “the most grandiose beauty spots in the world”, Son Tra peninsula- an ideal rendez-vous for tourists. Surrounding Son Tra peninsula are Da stream, Bai But, Bai Rang, Bai Bac, Bai Nom - the beautiful alluvial plains which make interesting feeling for tourists on being ingulfed in splendid of dawn and the quietness of crepuscle in a picturesque land. The eco-tourism resort Ba Na - Mo Stream is considered as Dalat, Sapa of Central Vietnam and the legendary Marble Mountains - 'a beautiful landscape of the southern heaven and earth'. Mentioning Danang, you can not forget the poetic Han river and its bridge - the first swing one in Vietnam. This is the pride of Danang people. The Han River bridge - the symbol for new vitality and the developing desire of the city- was built with the contribution of all the city's people. It seems that all poetic features of the Han River can be only expressed deeply in the space of Han river bridge with full of wind and ventilation. It not only facilitates transport and potentials for tourism, awaking economic potentials of a vast area in the eastern city but is a cultural spot of Danang people today left behind for the future generations
From the center of city to the beach, it just take about 5 to 10 minutes to drive. The Forbes rates Danang beach is one of the most beautiful beach in the world.
Danang city, where I was born
Danang City is located in middle of Central Vietnam, between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, separated from Laos by the western Truong Son Mountains. It is surrounded by Thua Thien-Hue along the northern border and Quang Nam on the southern border. It is embraced by the East Sea with 150km of seacoast.Topography is rather complex. The south is impressive Hai Van Pass with Mang Mountain 1,708m, Ba Na Mountain 1,487m. The east is Son Tra Peninsula, an ideal site of yellow sand beaches, historical remains, and rare bird and animal species. The south is Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains). The seashore is Hoang Sa archipelago with a large fishery.
Danang is located in the zone of typical tropical monsoon, temperate and equable climate. The city’s weather bears the combination of the north and the south climate characters with the inclination to the former. There are two seasons: the wet from August to December and the dry season from January to July, cold waves are occasional but they are of average and short lasting. Average humidity is 83.4%.Average temperature is about 26ºC, the highest is 28-30ºC in June, July, August, the lowest is 18-23ºC in December, January, February. In Ba Na Mountain, the temperature is 20ºC. Average rainfall is 2,505mm per year that concentrates during October and November.
Danang is an ancient land, closely related with the Sa Huynh cultural traditions. Many imposing, palaces, towers, temples, citadels and ramparts, the vestiges from 1st to 13th are still to be seen in Cham MuseumDanang has other various interesting attractions as Ba Na Tourist Resort, Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) as well as the Linh Ung Pagoda, Han River, and My An, Non Nuoc beaches, stretching on dozens of kilometers ...
Lang Co Beach
Ha Long Bay, an hour away from Hanoi
Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.
The end of the Vietnam war, and the advent of "Doi moi", Vietnam's policy of opening its economy to foreign trade, means that Westerners and South Vietnamese now have a chance to visit Ha long. Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi.
Ha Long literally means descending dragon(s) and according to local myth, the story goes as follows: Long ago when their forefathers were fighting foreign invaders from the north, the gods from heaven sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The locals were able to keep their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam. The Dragon family fell so much in love with this area for its calm water and for the reverence of the people of Vietnam that they decided to remain on earth. Mother dragon lies on what is now Ha Long and where her children lie is Bai Tu Long. The dragon tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi known for the miles of white sandy beaches of Tra Co peninsula. (see map)
This myth is in line with the Vietnamese myth of their origin Con Rong Chau Tien. This myth describes the union between a king (representing the dragon) and his bride (representing a goddess) giving birth to 100 children which are the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. The Ha Long myth illustrate the Vietnamese belief of their origin and the fact that throughout their history, they are aided by their ancestors, the dragon and the gods, in the defense of their land.
Vietnam economy
Today, I would like to talk about
Vietnam economy.
Vietnam is a country with rich natural resources and a well educated (literacy rate is over 90%), diligent population of 80.4 million. Since 1986 the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam has committed itself to economic reform, or "Doi Moi" (New Changes) a move from a centrally planned economy to a multi-sectored one based on open market principles, and thus opened the door to foreign investment. The Government has abolished price control, devalued the Dong, legalized private ownership, freed the private sector, withdrawn support from a number of loss making state enterprises, opened up the country for foreign investment and has begun to introduce a modern legal framework and pursued monetary and fiscal policies. These reforms were introduced in an attempt to double Vietnam's GDP and to becoming an industrialized nation by 2020. The pace of reforms has been slow, but must be looked at in context that Vietnam has only been open to the west for less than 20 years. Its growth has therefore been remarkable. Vietnam's economy has weathered the global economic slowdown of 2001 better than most other Asian economies, largely due to the fact that it is less integrated into the world economy and less vulnerable to declines in demand for its exports.
Ho Hoan Kiem( Ho Guom), Lake of he returned of Sword
Now I will tell you some more history of
Hanoi. And the place that I want to talk about is Ho Hoan Kiem.
Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake of the Returned Sword was once a part of the Red river (song Hong). Through thousands of years of changes in the geography, the lake moved eastward to its present position many kilometers from the river. The lake was once called Luc Thuy or Green Water because the water was green year round. In the fifteen century, the lake was named Ho Hoan Kiem, based of a legend that is quite similar to King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake's legend. While fighting against the Chinese, King Le Thai To has in his possession a very valuable sword. After 10 years of continuous struggle, the King finally defeated the Chinese and reclaimed Vietnam's independence. One day, while sailing on lake Luc Thuy, a large turtle appeared. The king drew his sword and pointed at the creature. The turtle immediately grab hold of the sword with its mouth and submerged. The king mourned the lost of such valuable sword, demanded that the lake be emptied and dredged. Both the turtle and the sword were not found. The king realizing that the gods must have lent him the sword to drive back the enemy, but now that Vietnam is free, the sword must be returned. King Le Thai To named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem or Lake of the Returned Sword.
Since the reign of king Le Trung Hung (XVI century), every king in the Le dynasty, and Lord Trinh have all contributed to the beautification of the lake. Lord Trinh Giang built Khanh Thuy shrine on Ngoc island on the north end of the lake. He also had the two man made hills built across from Ngoc son Shrine. At the end of the Le Dynasty, Khanh Thuy was destroyed by Chieu Thong. A philanthropist named Tin Trai built Ngoc Son pagoda. Ngoc Son pagoda was renamed Ngoc Son shrine during the reign of Thieu Tri III (1843) because it was no longer a Buddhist shrine. Instead, Ngoc Son is a shrine to Van Xuong, a deity, in charge of literature and the various tests required to become a mandarin. It is also a shrine to general Tran Hung Dao, a national hero responsible for many victories against the Mongols.
Since then Ngoc Son has gone through many renovations, one of which was the addition of Thap But (Pen Tower) on the hill which was once called Dao Tai. Three words inscribed on the tower "Ta Thien Thanh" or "write on blue sky". Inside the gate a pool resembling the shape of an ink well was added. Beyond the ink well is The Huc bridge or "where the sun light is absorbed". The bridge leads to Dac Nguyet Lau or "Moon Light tower" - Ngoc Son shrine. Beyond the gates to the shrine, there are two walls called bang Rong and bang Ho (dragon and tiger slate) where the names of those who passed the national test are inscribed. On the southwest end of the lake is Thap Rua. It was rumored that king Le Thanh Tong used to fish here. Lord Trinh also built the structure to house his entourage while visiting the lake.
Chua Mot Cot, Hanoi
Hi Mederith, and everyone!
The picture that you saw on top of the last posting is called Chua Mot Cot, one of the most famous places in Vietnam. Chua Mot Cot or the One Pillar Pagoda has become the symbol of Vietnamese rich culture and history. The pagoda was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054). According to legend, in his dream, in 1049, the king saw a vision of Phat Ba Quan Am - Kwan Yin. She led him to a shrine in the middle of a lotus pond. When he woke up, he consulted with his court and decided to replicate the shrine in his dream to dedicate it to Kwan Yin. It was built of wood on a single stone pillar 1.25 m in diameter, is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, symbol of purity, rising out of a sea of sorrow. It was rebuilt in 1955.This small pagoda, which surrounds a garden courtyard, is one of the most delightful in Hanoi. The old wood and ceramic status on the altar are very different from common in the south. An elderly monk can often be seen performing acupuncture on the front porch of the pagoda.
Hanoi, capital of Vietnam
Viet nam is a country of long history and rich culture. Today, let me take you to learn about Vietnam history. Ok, let go from the North of Vietnam first. I will tell you about Hanoi, capital of Vietnam.
In the fall of 1010, King Ly Thai To (Ly Cong Uan) moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Dai La. On the way, the king saw a vision of a golden dragon ascending from the Red river ( song Hong). The King decided to change Dai La to Thang Long (Ascending Dragon). Thang Long remained the capital city until the end of the Tran dynasty when in 1397, the capital city was moved to Thanh Hoa -Tay Do (Western Capital) and Thang Long became Dong Do (Eastern Capital). Vietnam was invaded by China in 1407, and the city was renamed Dong Quan. In 1428, after ten years of fighting, Le Loi liberated Vietnam and renamed the city Dong Kinh. In 1527, the city was renamed Thang Long. In 1802 when King Gia Long (Nguyen Dynasty) moved the capital city to Hue, the name Thang Long remained but, Long no longer means dragon, Long in this case means prosperity. Ha Noi, was the name given to the city by King Minh Mang in 1831. Ha means river and Noi means within - Ha Noi means within the river.
Most Vietnamese and Westerners are familiar with the phrase Ha Noi ba muoi sau Pho Phuong or Ha Noi 36 districts. This phrase often causes much confusion for most people since, on the one hand Pho means a street or a place for merchants to gather to do business, on the other hand Phuong means a district or a guild of artisans specializing in a particular trade (phuong cheo, phuong tho, etc.). In any case, there is some truth to the use of both descriptions.
Similar to the Guilded age of Europe, Ha Noi's 36 districts is Vietnam's version of the guild concept. Long ago, as artisans moved to the capital city to do business, they gathered together in an area as a way to share resources. As a result, many of the streets are named after the crafts that were sold on that street. Pho Hang Bun (Vermicelli), Pho Hang Ma (paper product), Pho Hang Bac (Jewelry) are a few of the streets carrying the name of the products sold on the street. Today, the 36 pho or old district remains in Vietnamese literature as a quaint and familiar description of this part of Ha Noi. Although many of the streets no longer have the products for which they were named, some still do. Today, on many of the streets, there are still shrines dedicated to the individual diety of the trades for which the streets are named.
Tour to Asia, Vietnam
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my blog! At first, I want to introduce a little bit about myself. My name is Nguyen Dinh and I am a senior. Four years ago, I came to America as my first trip that I had never been so far from my family. I came to California for a year and then moved to Delaware. So, now Delaware is likely my second home. One extremely important thing I really want to tell you that English is my second language. Therefore, if I have made any mistakes, just bear with me. From here, I will take you to another land of the Earth. Have you ever been to any places in Asia? Through my blog, I will take you to discover Asia. It will help you to understand and get to know more about their cultures, people, economies, and famous sceneries. Firstly, I will introduce
Vietnam, where I came from, to you. Well, talking about Vietnam, there has so many things I want to tell you. All right, I think I will go ahead with the Vietnam's geography. Let take a look at the Vietnam map and let GUESS where this is!!!!!
Ok, now is the time for the answer. Vietnam is a long and narrow country, lying completely in the tropical zone. Its landmass forms the shape of the letter S on the east side of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Vietnamese eastern border consists of more than 3,000 km of coastline, facing the East Sea and the Pacific Ocean. To the north, Vietnam shares its border with China, while to the west, with Cambodia and Laos. To discover and read more about this, let go to this
link...(be continue)
It is a long flowing tunic that consists of only 2 parts and is worn over a loose-fitting pair of either white, black, or colored pants. However, the white pants are usually preferred over the others. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. It is also buttoned down on the 1eft side to the waist. There are many stylish variations in color and collar design. White, or violet ao dai is also worn by Vietnamese students as their uniforms. The cone-shaped hat is called "non la". Non la in these two pictures is more for posing and decorating. In reality, non la is more functional than decorative. It is used indeed like a hat to protect one from the heat and the sun in everyday life situation. However, in weddings (brides), festivals, or any formal event, a headdress (a diadem - as in the middle picture) is usually preferred. Note: neither non la, nor the headdress is required to be worn with ao dai.
