Marriage and Family

Traditionally, marriages were arranged by parents, but now people choose their own partner. On average, men marry at age 25 and women around age 23. The government is trying to reduce population growth through family-planning policies, which include providing incentives for later marriages and smaller families.

Family members maintain strong ties and provide one another with assistance and support as needed. In rural areas it is normal for the extended family to share the same home, while in urban areas it has become more common for only the nuclear family to live together. The average household has six members.

Eating

Rice is the staple food of Vietnam. A fermented fish sauce called nuoc mam is the main seasoning used to flavor dishes; special foods are also dipped in it. Vietnamese cuisine encompasses a wide variety of dishes, and regional specialties are often served to guests.

The Vietnamese use spoons for eating soup, and chopsticks for other dishes. It is usual for people to help themselves from dishes in the center of the table and place the food in their rice bowl; they always hold their rice bowl in their hand while eating from it. Tea, coffee, and beer are common beverages, but are often not served until after the meal.

Socializing
Vietnamese generally shake hands when greeting and parting. Using both hands shows respect, as does a slight bow of the head. In rural areas, elderly people who do not extend their hand are greeted with a slight bow. Women are more likely to bow the head slightly than to shake hands. Vietnamese names begin with the family name and are followed by a given name. For example, in the name Nguyen Van Duc, Nguyen is the family name. People address one another by their given names, but add a title that indicates their perceived relationship to the other person. These titles are family related rather than professional. Among colleagues, for example, the younger of the two might combine the given name with the title of Anh (“Older Brother”). A basic greeting combined with the given name and title is Xin chao (“Hello.”). Classifiers for gender and familiarity are also combined with the greeting. In formal meetings, business cards are sometimes exchanged on greeting.

Vietnamese have a strong sense of hospitality and feel embarrassed if they cannot show their guests full respect by preparing for their arrival. Therefore, it is inappropriate to visit a home without having been invited. Gifts are not required, but are appreciated. Flowers, incense, or tea may be appropriate gifts for the hosts. Hosts also appreciate a small gift for their children or elderly parents.

Recreation

The Vietnamese enjoy team sports such as volleyball and soccer. Badminton, table tennis, swimming, and tennis are also popular. In urban areas, it is common to see people of all ages out early in the morning for exercise such as jogging, t’ai chi ch’uan (a form of shadowboxing), yoga, or group calisthenics.

Holidays and Celebrations

By far the most important Vietnamese holiday is Tet, the lunar New Year, which comes in late January or early February. On this day, everyone becomes a year older. Tet lasts for three days, during which the Vietnamese spend their time feasting and visiting family and friends. Before Tet, people clean their houses, refurbish ancestral graves, settle debts, and mend strained relationships.

Trung Nguyen, or Wandering Souls day, is a Buddhist holiday that falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and is the second most important holiday after Tet. People all over the country worship and offer prayers in temples, homes, and even offices.

Thanh Minh, which means “pure and bright,” is an occasion on the fifth day of the third lunar month to honor the dead. Graveyards are visited with flowers and other offerings. Phat Dan Day in April or May is a celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.

Doan Ngu, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, is a celebration of the summer solstice. Death is the overwhelming presence around which the rituals for this holiday are based: people make offerings to the God of Death—as well as to ghosts and spirits—and human effigies are burned to help bolster the ranks of the God of Death’s army.

Besides Tet, Vietnamese public holidays include International New Year’s Day (1 January); 30 April, which commemorates the defeat of the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese government in 1975; Labor Day (1 May); National Day (2 September); and the Anniversary of Ho Chi Minh’s Death (3 September). Christians celebrate Christmas Day (25 December) and Easter.

Take a peasant's common conical hat, add a touch of this and a little of that, and you will have the idea, but not quite an authentic Non Bai Tho or "Poetical Leaf" from Central Vietnam. Just a few simple arrangements added to the conical form are enough to give the Vietnamese leaf-covered hat unique features found nowhere else among Asia’s various types of conical hats.

The legend of the conical hat is related to maternal love and the history of rice growing in Vietnam.

Once upon a time, the legend says, when a deluge of rain was falling there descended from the sky a giant woman wearing on her head four huge round leaves as large as the sky itself and stitched together by bamboo sticks. The leaves protected humankind, then still naked, from the rain. The giant messenger from the sky twirled round the leaves on her head to dispel clouds and rains. Those who followed her were taught by her how to grow crops. One day mankind dozed off as they listened to stories narrated by her.

When they woke up the goddess was gone. The Vietnamese built a temple in her memory and honored her as the Rain-shielding Goddess. Following her example, people went into the forests to fetch broad and round leaves (palm) which they stitched together on a bamboo frame. This was to become an indispensable headwear for the farmers on the fields, boatwomen carrying passengers across rivers, travelers under the blazing sun...

However, Vietnamese girls do not like just any conical hat they come upon. The dearest to them is inevitably the one called the "Poetical Leaf "for they become milder, more elegant and more delicate when once they put on a hat, which gives shelter to their blushing cheeks like a crowing bud protected from sun, rain or rough wind. Vietnamese women also use the conical hat to fan off the heat of summer, as a container for a bunch of vegetables, and even as a bowl to relieve the thirst when passing by a well, etc. Romantically, young couples can veil their kisses behind this traditional conical hat during their dates.

The shape as well as the size of the conical hat has evolved greatly. As a rule, the broad-rimmed hat was reserved for women while men wore hats with a higher cone and smaller rims. Then, there were hats made specifically for wealthy and powerful people, hats for children, hats to equip the army, hats for the Buddhist clergy, for the mourners..., more than 50 types in all. Undoubtedly, the two best known and best liked are the conical hat of Chuong village in Ha Tay province, north of Hanoi, and the "Bai Tho", hat of Hue, the old imperial city.

The prototype of Lang Chuong hat is a large disk-like bamboo frame covered with palm leaves and perpendicularly bent on its rim to form a band of about four inches. At the centre is placed a small bamboo frame to fit the head. The strap is usually very elaborately made of silk, adorned with yellow tassels also made of silk. This hat used to be worn by upper-crust families during visits to pagodas or festive occasions.

The present conical hat is, however, patterned on the "Bai Tho" hat originating in the old capital city of Hue and the birthplace of many eminent literary men. It is true that the place where the hat comes from has been romantically famous with its peaceful Huong (Perfume) River and its majestic Ngu Binh (Peace) mountain. Moreover, Hue has been famous for her attractively sentimental, soft-voiced and long-haired girls who often gave inspiration to poets whose creative works have been handed down to the present day. And the "Poetical Leaf" has a prominent place in all that poetical, dreamy and yet scholarly diet of the ancient city. It is so called because the artisan takes great pains to cut the characters of a verse out of a palm leaf and insert them between two layers of palm leaves before stitching them together. The characters will be easily readable when the hat is seen against sunlight. Nowadays the characters are usually replaced by a decorative figure such as a flower, a dragon or even a landscape.

The making of a conical hat is a one-hundred-percent handicraft. The leaves used to cover the hat are brought from the forest. Then they are exposed to the dew for one night to soften them. When the leaves become dry but still soft they are flattened either by hand or by ironing. Only young leaves are selected. Old or dark ones are discarded. A hat usually consists of 16 to 18 rims made from a special kind of bamboo. In order to have a well-made hat, it must be knitted together with a peculiar kind of thread called "doac" made from the leaves of a special kind of reed. Finally, the hat is trimmed and painted with a coat of attar oil to keep it clean and smooth.

The skill of the craftsman (who in this case is more likely a woman) can be judged by the regularity of the leaves arranged on the hat. The roundness of the rim and particularly the fineness of the stitches which must be so done as to reveal no knot.

Although the conical hat is no longer the cities women's everyday costume, it remains the ubiquitous headwear in the countryside. And a young girl with her conical hat, quite charming in her four-flapped long dress, is always a popular image of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.

The beauty of women dressed in ao dai always leaves a deep impression on foreign visitors to Vietnam. Girl students dressed in white long robes take to streets on the way to schools or back home, or gracefully sail on their bikes along streets. Female secretaries in delicate pastels greet you at an office door and older ladies in deep shades of purple, green or blue cut a striking pose at a restaurant dinner. The ao dai appears to flatter every figure.

Its body-hugging top flows over wide trousers that brush the floor. Splits in the gown extend well above waist height and make it comfortable and easy to move in. Although virtually the whole body is swathed in soft flowing fabric, these splits give the odd glimpse of a bare midriff, making the outfit very sensual.

Ao dai is made individually to fit each customer's shape to create the most graceful possible look. The pants should reach the soles of the feet and flow along the floor.

Comfortability is always taken into account for fashions and beauty. Tailoring must ensure the wearer's freedom of movements. Despite it is a long robe, ao dai must be cool to wear. Synthetic or silk fabrics are preferred as they do not crush and are quick drying, making the ao dai a practical uniform for daily wear.

The color is indicative of the wearer's age and status. Young girls wear pure white, fully-lined outfits symbolizing their purity. Older but unmarried girls move into soft pastel shades. Only married women wear ao dai in strong, rich colors, usually over white or black pants. However, ao dai is rarely seen in places where manual work is practiced. The nineties saw a real resurgence of ao dai. It has become standard and common attire for girl students as well as female staff at offices and hotels. Traditionally, ao dai has become the most preferred dress on formal occasions.

Early versions of the ao dai date back to 1744 when Lord Vu Vuong of the Nguyen Dynasty decreed both men and women should wear an ensemble of trousers and a gown that buttoned down the front. However, not until 1930 did ao dai appear partly similar to its look today. Vietnamese fashion designer-cum-tailor Cat Tuong, called as Monsieur Le Mur by the French at that time, lengthened the top so it reached the floor, fitted the bodice to the curves of the body, and moved the button line from the front to the left side of the body. Men wore it less, generally only on ceremonial occasions such as weddings or funerals. But it took another 20 years before the next major design change was incorporated and the modern ao dai emerged. During the 1950s two tailors in Saigon, Tran Kim of Thiet Lap shop and Dung of a tailoring shop of the same name, started producing ao dai with raglan sleeves. This creates a diagonal seam running from the collar to the underarm and this style is still preferred today.

Today, ao dai has been a bit modified. Its length is cut shorter usually just below the knee. Variations in the neck, between boat and mandarin style, are common and even adventurous alterations such as a low scooped neckline, puffed sleeves or off the shoulder designs are appearing as ladies experiment with fashion. Color patterns are no longer rigidly controlled and accesses to new fabrics have generated some dazzling results. However, most visitors to Vietnam have highly appreciated local tailors' skills when making ao dai. It is hard to think of a more elegant, demure and charming outfit, that suits Vietnamese women of different ages, than ao dai.

Images of graceful girls in national charming long dress have been a symbol of Vietnam. However, looking back the historic development of national dress, Vietnam not only has ao dai but also ao yem – the indispensable dress of ancient girls.

In the old days, ao yem was called yem. It is an age-old dress which is maintained until today. Ao yem was used by all levels of society from working class to upper class. It also was used widely in traditional festivals therefore it was the national traditional clothes of ancient ladies.

Ao yem appeared in Vietnamese life in a very old day but until Ly dynasty it was basically in shaped. Through the stream of history, ao yem was changing incessantly and improving its design. However the revolutions of ao yem only happended at the beginning of the last century while western trouser and skirt were entering Vietnam. In 17 century, ao yem did not have any big change of model. In 19 century, ao yem has a square piece is cloth with one corner cut away to fit under the woman’s throat. This scrap of fabric is secured across the chest and stomach with thin strings. There were three common models of ao yem: ao yem co xay, ao yem co xe, ao yem co canh nhan.

Entering 20 century, ao yem was used widespread with many of rich designs and models. Ao yem which has brown color and was weaved by rude cloth was for labor. Urban women favored white, pink or red ones, while women in the countryside wore ao yem in brown or beige, colors suited to their rustic environment. On special occasions, like the Lunar New Year or festivals, rural women would also wear brightly colored ao yem.

There is one kind of ao yem which was often wore by ancient ladies was called “yem deo bua”. The name was “yem deo bua” because it has a small pocket of musk beside and it was an advantage weapon of ancient ladies…furthermore, ao yem made many original love stories.In the old day when a girl had a date with her darling, she usually put a piece of betel inside her ao yem; it was called “khau trau dai yem” and maybe there is no kind of betel more supernatural than this kind of betel.

Today, the ao yem is appreciated for its cultural and artistic values. And on festive occasions, women throughout Vietnam are embracing the ao yem and other traditional clothes with renewed enthusiasm.

Overview

Well situated in the shadows of Sai Son Mountain, Thay Pagoda lies in a tranquil and beautiful village, which is only around 40km west of Hanoi. The festival, officially held annually on the seventh day of the third lunar month and lasting for at least a week, pays homage to folk hero Tu Dao Hanh.

The festival begins with Buddha worshipping and platform running, a religious performance accompanied by traditional music in a solemn atmosphere. Numerous traditional games are played during the festival, the best-known of all the activities is the traditional water puppet show given on Long Tri pond, in front of the Thuy Dinh Temple.

After ceremonies for Buddha, you can take a hiking trip through the picturesque countryside which characterizes the region. Moreover, this is the time for you to enjoy hearing many famous legends that enrich the traditional value of this beautiful region.

The legend behind…

The festival takes place in the elaborate pagoda said to be built on the ashes of a Vietnamese folk hero and is especially famous for the performances of traditional water puppetry. It is said that Tu Dao Hanh was a Buddhist monk during the rule of the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225 A.D).

Leading a religious life and dying in this very pagoda, he had outstanding merits to the the religion popularization, illness treatment, and water puppetry creation. According to the legend, what makes him mysteriously sainted is that at the end of his life, the Buddhist monk sat in meditation for several months without food and drink and died in that posture. Thereafter, the people put his withered corpse in the building of the Genius for the purpose of worship.

Let’s enjoy the festival!

Several days prior to the festival, Buddhist followers and pilgrims here and there flock to the pagoda, further adding to the boisterous atmosphere of the festival. The Pagoda is cleaned with scented incenses, glistening lighted candles, bringing about a charming scene. (Venue)Many cultural games and art performances are held during the festival, including Tu Dao Hanh's statue bathing, incense sticks presenting, tablets escorting procession, Cheo (popular opera) performance, chess games, water puppet shows, recital of the feats of Tu Dao Hanh and so on.

In particular, you have a great chance to enjoy a water puppetry show portraying the tales of Thach Sanh and Tam Cam, cultural activities and features of rural life such as farm work, duck tending and wrestling.

The Thay Pagoda festival is actually a joint festival of four villages (Thuy Khe, Da Phuc, Khanh Tan and Sai Khe). Although this area has numerous pagodas, the festival is held mainly in Thay Pagoda, which comprises three buildings: ante-chamber, Buddha's Building and Building of the Genius.

The statue bathing ritual takes place before the opening of the festival. Buddhist monks and the people participate in the ritual. Pieces of red cloth are used to clean the statues. Those who stand around solemnly hold their hands in front of their chests, whispering Buddhist sutras. When the ritual ends, the holy water the Buddha bestows will be scattered all over the pagoda to wish for bumper crops and prosperous life. The cloths are also torn into smaller pieces to grant attendants as they are thought to have the power of warding off the evils.

The two most noteworthy events and distinctive features of the festival are the procession of the tablets and the water puppet show. The procession of Tu Dao Hanh’s worshipping tablet takes place on the 7th day of the third lunar month. The local population believes that Tu Dao Hanh first learned supernatural powers and became a genius, and later on, embraced Buddhism. Therefore, at the start of the procession, his tablets must be wrapped in a piece of yellow cloth (the colour of the robes worn by priests endowed with supernatural powers) and, on the return trip the same tablets should be wrapped in the brown frock of a Buddhist monk.

During the procession, Buddhist nuns take a walk recounting the feats of Tu Dao Hanh, first in learning supernatural magic and then in leading a religious Buddhist life. Noteworthy is that in the procession the tablet and white horse of Da Phuc must go ahead those of the Thuy Khue. Normally the procession comes to the pagoda at twilight. This timing is considered as propitious as it is the time when night takes over from day, when darkness and night come into contact with each other.

Among fascinating games in Thay Pagoda Festival, water puppetry seems to be the most outstanding. The game is the second noteworthy item, a traditional cultural activity related to wet paddy cultivation in the Red River Delta. It is performed in front of the pagoda, on a pond called Long Tri. Tu Dao Hanh is said to be the founder of this artistic performance. This item comprises two basic components: puppets and water. The puppets are products of traditional popular wood sculptures and lacquer painting.

The place for the puppet performance is a lake or a part of the river. With its fluid nature and reflections, water can mirror efficiently the numerous changes in the colour of the sky, the mountains, trees and leaves and give a mythical air to the performance. The artists must usually stay inside the water and direct the movement of the puppet through sticks and strings connected. The water puppet shows reflect productive activities - paddy cultivation, duck breeding, fishing, cloth weaving, etc. The shows also draw from folk or classical theatrical plays. Apart from the water puppetry, you'll catch firework spectaculars (mostly bangers), folk singers crooning into microphones and sporting events such as mountain-climbing and rowing.

The Thay Pagoda festival is attractive to many visitors because of the myth surrounding Monk Tu Dao Hanh and his feats, the beautiful scenery and the water puppet shows. They fill the spectators with surprise and pleasure, who also pride in the rich imagination and dexterity of the performers who create in this art. Going to Thay Pagoda Festival is really worth, pilgrims will have an opportunity to revere the relics imbued with the imprints of outstanding monks and men of the past.

Whoever coming to Vietnam and most Southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia) is much fond of a special condiment - Fish sauce (or nuoc mam in Vietnamese). It is a staple ingredient of numerous food like curry and sauces, and is derived from fish that is allowed to ferment.

The origin of fish sauce in Vietnam dates back to ancient times as a primary source of protein. Early fishing boats were unable to venture into the deep ocean to catch larger fish for more fish meat. Instead, they mostly stayed close to the shore and net small fish. Later on, it was found that they could produce a richer protein sauce by layering these small fish in barrels with salt.

Since then, there appeared such a delicious sauce!
Ingredients and production process: Only the fresh small fish makes good-quality fish sauce, which is found in clear color and good smell. In Vietnam, fish sauce is very popular and can be any of various mixtures based on the liquid of salted, fermented fish. First, small fish and salt are put in wooden boxes to ferment. Then, it is slowly pressed so as to yield the salty, fishy liquid.

This extremely pungent, strong-flavored and salty liquid can range in color. For the pure fish sauce, fresh anchovy fish sauce is selected and mixed with salt by applying the unique Vietnamese traditional process. Fermentation is started once a year, during the fishing season. After about 3 months in the barrel, the liquid drips from an open spigot, to be poured back into the top of the barrel. Six months under the sunlight will make the fish sauce of much better smell.

The unique characteristic of fish sauce is salty flavor and fishy smell. An interesting characteristic of fish sauce is that it loses its fishy odor once mixed with other ingredients. It is commonly used for cooking and dipping seafood and many other Vietnamese foods as well. In Vietnam, it is generally called nước mắm (well known by these brand names: nước mắm Phu Quoc or Phu Quoc fish sauce, and nước mắm Phan Thiet or Phan Thiet fish sauce).

The long history…

In ancient days, there was a street selling paints, called the Paints Street. The Doan family, located at house No, 14 of this street, hit upon a new idea that sold fried fish pie served with soft noodles and seasoning.

Encouraged by the appreciation of customers, the family specialized in this trade and the shop was called as "Cha ca La Vong store" as a wooden statue of an old fisherman (La Vong) holding a fishing rod and a string of fish stands at the door. As the specialty grew famous with every passing day, the street was renamed by the people as Cha Ca Street (fried fish pie street).

Imagine that you are one of the guests…
While you sit down at the table, the waiter starts laying there some seasonings includes a bowl of well - stirred shrimp paste sauce mixed up with lemon. After dropping the liquor, he will decorate the bowl with a few slices of red fresh pimento, a plate of grilled ground nuts of gold yellow color, various species of mint vegetables o­nions in small white slices.

To many customers, the sight of such seasoning already greatly stimulates their appetite. A few minutes later, fried fish, yellow in color and flagrant in smell put o­n a plate of anethum vegetable, is brought in. But that is not all. A few seconds more, as soon as a cauldron of boiling fat is brought in, the waiter starts pouring it o­n each bowl of grilled fish, thus producing a white smoke and sputtering noise.
Now, this is the time for picking and choosing what you like from the dishes on the table; sticking them into your bowl. Everything in all dishes should be eaten together. Let’s taste…
In the whole of Vietnam, there are 3 suggested Cha ca La Vong restaurants:

* N014, Cha Ca street- Old Quarter in Hanoi
* N087 Nguyen Truong To street, Hanoi
* N03 Ho Xuan Huong street, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC