Vietnam Travel » Festivals

Waving the red flag

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:26:11 +0000

The Red Dzao of Mo Si San commune celebrate a special festival that honours and protects the villagers from tigers.

Mo Si San commune is on the side of 1,800m mountain peak in the northwest province of Lai Chau . The local inhabitants belong to the Man Co hill tribe – a branch of the Red Dzao ethnic tree. High in the mountains the landscape is nearly always hidden by a thick layer of mist and cloud. In the late afternoon, the air is chilly, sometimes cold. In Mo Si San village there are around a hundred households. The people here are friendly, hospitable and joyful.

Sitting in the village I admire the costumes of Man Co, which are a variation on a theme most people will recognize from the Red Dzao of Sapa. The Man Co choice of garb is also a striking ensemble: cloth conical hats with scarlet flags attached, embroidered trousers and black tunics with embroidered cuffs and red lapels, red seams and red and yellow tassels and a bright red belt.

Women in Mo Si San often sew in silence all day long to avoid misfortune.

When we arrive the village is celebrating Forbidden Tiger Day and we are immediately welcomed to join the party.

That would be not the case if the village was holding its Forbidden Village festival when strangers are not allowed to enter the commune for three days.

The Forbidden Tiger Festival also runs for three days. A series of feasts will be held. The old share their experiences to help the younger generations gain success in the New Year. The kids play traditional games or go hunting. Young teenagers will wear their best outfits when singing songs or trying to woo a potential lover. Everyone smiles all day and all night. Men will guzzle plenty of alcohol (mostly rice liquor) and a boisterous atmosphere quickly becomes the norm.

Houses are laden with smoked pork in the hope of a prosperous year ahead.

Inside the simple earthen houses of Mo Si San everyone is smoking pork or buffalo meat. With a smoking shelf laden with meat the locals will be happy believing that they will have an excess of food for the New Year ahead.

At the far end of the village we find the house of the local shaman, Ly Phu Hin, who is busily writing calligraphy sentences in Dzao script. Each sentence simply wishes for a New Year of Happiness, Prosperity and Good Luck. Villagers come to the house to ask for his lucky sentences, which will then be hung on their altars at home.

According to Ly Phu Hin the Red Dzao of Mo Si San believe that a tiger will always appear on the “first tiger day” of the first Lunar month of the year to catch cattle and poultry or to attack the local people. So during these days, the locals do not work in the field or hunt in the forest.

“ We have to store farming tools and buffalo horns in a corner or under the altar. Nobody is allowed to use them or make loud noises at home. If someone breaks the law, we will all meet with misfortune all year around,” says Hin.

The shaman of Mo Si San commune writes down a wish for prosperity in Dzao script for a fellow villager.

All the pigs in the village are also wrapped in bamboo leaves so that they don’t damage gardens or fields while they are not being looked after. Every village in Mo Si San commune – Seo Ho Tha, Tan Seo Phin and To Y Phin villages – will also be celebrating simultaneously, although villagers will not frequently travel between villages as the roads are in such bad condition. But if anyone does make the trip, they are sure to be warmly welcomed to the party.

By Duc Hanh.

Dalat Flower Festival 2010

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:15:24 +0000

Say it with flowers - The Dalat Flower Festival 2010 will see the capital of Lam Dong province in full bloom once again.

The Dalat Flower Festival 2010, scheduled to take place from January 1-4 next year, promises to be the biggest and most flowery festival yet! As ever the festival will promote Dalat’s stunning beauty and help promote the city’s as a brand.

The former French colonial hill station is one of the country’s most popular holiday resort towns offering visitors a cool, temperate climate and a stunning landscape that is endowed with precipitous mountains, waterfalls, pine forests and bountiful flora and fauna. Often dubbed Vietnam’s honeymoon capital it’s no surprise newly-weds are lured to this romantic and awe-inspiring destination.

Dalat Flower Festival

The festival is an opportunity for flower traders, farmers, florists and botanists to come together and share knowledgs and experiences.

This year the Dalat Flower Festival 2010 organising committee has elected to strip back some of the superfluous pomp and curtail the ceremonial aspect of the event. As a result the festival is a bona-fide ‘flower festival’ for the people of Dalat and visitors from beyond the pale.

The organisers have also launched a campaign to cultivate more flowers, trees and ornamental plants throughout the city so Dalat will truly be in full bloom come January.

The flower festival this year will not be confined within the city limits and includes Duc Trong district so that once visitors arrive at Dalat airport or enter from the Lien Khuong – Prenn expressway they will literally be engulfed in flowers.

Besides the showcasing of Dalat’s flowers there will be an exposition on flowers and ornamental plants, a flower arranging contest, a flower trade fair and a scientific workshop entitled ‘enhancing competitiveness and developing the flower industry’.

According to Nguyen Vu Hoang, the general director of the Dalat Flower Festival 2010, there will be a number of flower spaces around the city that will “enthrall tourists”.

The Dalat Flower Market Day and the “flower roads” such as the one that will encircle Xuan Huong Lake promise to be eye-catching affairs that will dazzle both locals and tourists.

There will also be “flower islands” and “flower towers” and even a 108-metre-long flower dragon next to Xuan Huong Lake. There might also be a new entry for the Guinness Book of Records – a flower vase designed in the shape of an old kettle-drum to be made by 1,000 florists and tourists will be on display.

Other associated events will bring plenty of colour and fun to Dalat. A bicycle race will help promote environmentally friendly vehicles. The Dalat Open Golf Championship tees off on January 2.

For those looking for love, well sign up for ‘Dalat: a love Rendez-Vous’ on New Year’s Eve and you never know, you might find your other half!

An international trade fair with over 400 stalls featuring goods from Vietnam, Japan, China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia will also be held at the same time as the flower festival.
Source: Timeout (Vietnam’s leading magazine for travel, lifestyle, leisure and culture)

Da Lat (0)

Long Bien Bridge past and present

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:57:41 +0000

Designed by Gustave Eifel, the Long Bien Bridge was built in 1898 by the Daydé and Pillé Company, and inaugurated in 1903. At that time it was the longest bridge in Indochina and one of the four longest bridges in the world. In the 19th century, the bridge was called the Doumer Bridge in the name of the Governor General of Indochina.

With a length of 1,682m including 19 steel spans, the bridge is a fine example of the engineering concepts, metal work and architecture also featured in Paris Eiffel Tower. The bridge is also a survivor having being bombed during two wars. Today it stands as a symbol of Vietnam’s courageous fight for liberty. During this era of peace and development, the bridge serves as a connection between Hanoi’s past and the present.

Long Bien Bridge

On October 10-11, the Long Bien Festival of Arts will take place on the bridge, an event marking the 55th anniversary of Hanoi’s liberation, and 2009 as the year of Cultural Diplomacy. The staging of an annual arts festival centered on and around this bridge will help to affirm Hanoi’s place as an artistic capital.

Memories of Long Bien Bridge will be expressed through a variety of artistic mediums including paintings, photos, sculptures, music, film, and food. For 48 hours the bridge and its neighbourhoods will be exclusively pedestrian. People can stroll and explore the city’s history and arts. Hundreds of artistic works by Vietnamese and foreign artists will be on display.

More than 100 paintings of Long Bien Bridge by over 80 artists were displayed at a special auction at Melia Hotel, Hanoi held as a pre-event gala to help promote the upcoming Long Bien Festival of Arts. The Long Bien Bridge of My Heart by Nguyen Duc Can and The Bridge of Love by Bui Trong Du fetched the highest total of the night with a winning bid of $5,500.

A number of activities are scheduled to take place during the festival, including a walk on the theme of Green Hanoi, Peaceful Hanoi’s to mark the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s designation of Hanoi as a City of Peace. Silk calligraphy will also be hung on the bridge.

Documentaries about the bridge will be aired. And a parade of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups will celebrate their colourful fashions, dances and songs. Local artisans will be able to showcase and sell their handicrafts. Offerings will include ceramics, bamboo wares, silk, Dong Ho folk paintings, fans, handmade paper, medicinal herbs and conical hats.

The festival will close with a mass for all those killed in warfare and the release of 999 candle-lit lanterns onto the Red River. Initiated by Nguyen Nga, the Vietnamese- French director of Maison des Arts, the festival has received support from many foreign and local artists. This festival itself promises to be a memorable event in Hanoi’s history. Further information can be found at www.longbienfestival.com

Source: Timeout (Vietnam’s leading magazine for travel, lifestyle, leisure and culture)

Human Chess And Martial Arts

admin — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:25:51 +0000

Among the many festivities taking place during the lunar new year or Hue Festival, human chess in Thuong Bac communal house always attracts many spectators because it is lively and entertaining. The game involves the cunning of the two players and the performance of traditional martial arts students.

Human Chess

Human chess follows the general rules of Chinese chess, however, the pieces are all people: 32 people in all. The two players sit on high platforms behind their respective chessmen.

Each chessman holding his own weapon takes position according to the players “moves”. Each piece has its special strength and is used strategically by the players.

The special feature of human chess is the balance between the “intelligence” of Chinese chess and “bravery” of traditional martial arts. Along with a resounding drumbeat, the players try to direct the pieces. Though there is much shouting and screaming during the game, they play for amusement more than competition.

There is a large ground in the middle of the temple for spectators to gather. Whoever wins, regardless of it’s the blue or red team, the spectators shout and cheer for the victor. The chessman in the position of the King may be the most pitiable piece on the board; he just stands in the narrow square and watches his guards move about. He only moves a few steps and waits to see whether he or his counterpart is knocked down.

Human chess differs among regions in Vietnam . In the north, one team consists of 16 boys and the other of 16 girls. The two players stand on the ground and direct each piece to move while someone beats adrum next to them. The player who has their king checkmated will lose.

In the centre and south, people in the chessboard are young martial arts students. Accordingly, each team wears a different colour and holds a weapon. The chessboard is marked by paint on a large carpet on an open field. A pawn can move by traditional kickboxing or by weapons followed by the sound of drums. When a piece is take, the chessmen perform beautiful martial arts. The party that has the king taken will lose.

Martial Arts

The differences of human chess among regions reflect the diversified culture. Along with other folk games, human chess contributes to preserve and develop the traditional cultural values of Vietnam .

Further Information

The students performing martial arts at Thuong Bac communal house belong to the traditional martial sect Vo Kinh which was created by Thoai Dinh Hau Nguyen Huu Canh under the reign of King Gia Long. This martial sect was originally passed to the soldiers and officers in the citadel of the Nguyen dynasty. Vo Kinh is one of the two

remaining sects of traditional Vietnamese martial arts (the other sect is Binh Dinh martial arts). During festivals the Vo Kinh martial arts performances always attract a lot of tourists. In the Hue festival in 2008, Vo Kinh was examined to add to the package tour: Cham tower Phat Tich village – Vo Kinh by travel agents.

Vo Kinh martial arts have its unique characteristic. A fabric fan is used as a weapon only in Vo Kinh martial arts. The students manipulate the fan skillfully. The fans opens, closes, flashes forward and backward, slashes up and down with opening and closing snaps.

The basic aspect of Vo Kinh martial arts is the spirit of Vo Kinh. It’s different from Chinese kung fu. But Vo Kinh and Binh Dinh martial arts don’t use a series of moves to attack their rivals and to imperil them. They just use each separate move aimed at unprotected points to prevent their rivals from hurting them.

To see the beautiful moves of Vo Kinh martial arts, visit Thuong Bac communal house to watch the human chess. The martial arts students will perform whenever the player moves a chess piece.

How to get Hue City?

There are many convenient means of transportation to travel from Hanoi and HCMC to Hue city. You can go by air, train or car. Book a tour to Hue and then visit Thuong Bac communal house at 150 Nguyen Trai, Tay Loc Ward, Hue City .

If you like to study Vo Kinh martial arts, visit Vo Kinh Van An Club at 7/106 Hai Trieu, Hue City .

Source: Vietnam Travellive Magazine

Tet Doan Ngo (Doan Ngo Festival)

admin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:01:37 +0000

Tet Doan Ngo (Doan Ngo Festival), also called “Tết giết sâu bọ” (translated as Festival for “Killing the persons’ inner insects”), is the second most significant festival (to the Lunar New Year Tet Holiday) of Vietnam.

What does these names mean? Literally, Tet refers to festival, Doan means the start, Ngo is the seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac- the horse. Doan Ngo festival is also known as Tết sâu bọ (sâu bọ = worms, pests) or Tết tháng 5, to be celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

Com Ruou

The name “Tet sau bo” derives from the fact that farmers, on this day, get rid of all pests to start growing their crops for the new season. Therefore, creatures and people must become stronger in both their health and their souls to overcome this. On this occasion, the whole family have to get up early and eat fermented sticky and fruits. The worshipping is held at noon, hour of Ngo. The tradition of eating dumplings, especially lye water dumplings, extends from the belief that the dumplings will cleanse one’s body of any unwanted “parasites”.

Two irreplaceable dishes

The two traditional types of food to be eaten on this holiday are banh u and com ruou. Banh u is pyramidal sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves. They are often stuffed with beans and banana leaves’ essence, creating its dominant flavor.

Com ruou, which literally translates as “rice wine,” are little balls of fermented rice bathed in wine. Com ruou is associated with the myth telling that a long time ago, there were two orphan brothers living together in a small village. They were popular among the locals for their intelligence and kindness. Also, in that village, there were two snakes Thanh Xa and Bach Xa, which after long lives, turned into spirits. Falling in love with the brothers, they transformed themselves into beautiful ladies to lure the men. Their desire soon became true, Thanh Xa got married the older brother and Bach Xa the younger.

They lived happily together until the men grew unhealthy each passing day, scared of daylight and lived in festering darkness. The locals suspected the presence of a bad spirit, and one day, luckily, a Taoist hermit passed by the village. After being told the affliction, he conducted some spirit type tests and found out that the men’s house had a case of the evils. Brewing a wine potion, he told the locals to feed it to the men. The brothers must eat the potion’s solids and liquids in the early morning of the next fifth day of the fifth lunar calendar. As soon as the men tucked into their special breakfast, their wives were turned into their real appearance of snakes, before disappearing in a puff of smoke, freeing the brothers. Since that day, people have eaten “ruou nep” on Killing the Insect Day, in the hope of driving away bad spirits.

The process of making Com ruou is not quite complicated but time-consuming. In order to have good com ruou in Doan Ngo Festival, the famers must harvest the reaped rice from a paddy, dried and pounded carefully to keep the most nutritious part of the rice. At first, the rice is steamed twice for about 30 minutes and left for a while to get cool. After that, It is mixed with yeast, before being left for two or three days to ferment, depending on the weather. Com ruou is eaten early on this day to fight the “worms” in one’s stomach.

Just try it, you will see that Com ruou brings you a strong and quite delicious taste. In the Vietnamese traditional concept, com ruou can kill any parasites in the body. Vietnamese people, from adults to kids, mostly like eating com ruou, yet, adults are more inclined to gain its curing effects with a grain of salt.

Up to now, besides the Lunar New Year Holiday, Doan Ngo Festival plays a significant role in every Vietnamese life for practical and holy meanings. Enjoying the atmosphere of Doan Ngo Festival, you will get to know more about its value and spirits.

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Mid-Autumn Festival

admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:08:58 +0000

The Mid-Autumn festival is named “Tet Trung Thu” in Vietnamese.
Tet Trung Thu is formerly autumn festival, and then becomes tet trong trang (moon looking festival) of children. On this day, the moon is the brightest and roundest in the year, cool weather. The festival involves the custom of trong trang, procession of lights (parading with lanterns shaped as moon and stars), lion dance and eating pasties and fruits.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Vietnamese version of the holiday recounts the legend of Cuoi, whose wife accidentally urinated on a sacred banyan tree, taking him with it to the Moon. Every year, on the mid-autumn festival, children light lanterns and participate in a procession to show Cuoi the way to Earth.

In Vietnam, Mooncakes are typically square rather than round, though round ones do exist. Besides the indigenous tale of the banyan tree, other legends are widely told including the story of the Moon Lady, and the story of the carp who wanted to become a dragon.

One important event before and during Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival are lion dances. The dances are performed by both non-professional children group and trained professional groups. Lion dance groups perform on the streets go to houses asking for performing. If accepted by the host, “the lion” will come in and start dancing as a wish of luck and fortune and the host gives back lucky money to show thankfulness.

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Chol Chnam Thmay Festival

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:22:43 +0000

Khmer people’s new year festival lasts three days and four days in leap years. Each of these days has its own name. Apart from worshipping the Buddha, Khmer people believe that every year the heaven sends a god called Tevoda to the earth to look after human beings and their life. At the end of the year, the god returns to heaven and another one will replace him. Therefore, in the new year’s eve, every family prepares a party, burns incense and lights up lamps in a ceremony to see off the old Tedova and greet the new one. They also pray to this god for good luck.

Preparing temple ceremony

Khmer people always prepare for the new year ceremony very carefully. They clean and redecorate their house and buy necessary food for the holidays. They stop all farm work, relax and set free their cattle. The three official festival days are held in a joyful and exciting way.

The first day is for the ceremony to receive the great calendar. Moha Sang-Kran is considered a calendar which gives a detailed account of dates and festivals in a year and a forecast of rainfall so the villagers can foresee if they get a good or bad crop that year. On this day, at a selected hour no matter it is in the morning or afternoon, people take a bath and put on their best clothes in anticipation of the new year. They take incense, lamps, flowers and fruits to a pagoda where they do the great calendar-receiving ceremony. At the pagoda, Moha Sang-Kran, put on a red-lacquered, gilded tray, is placed on a palanquin and carried three times round the main sanctuary. This rite is to welcome the new year and wait for omens for a bad or good new year. Then the official ceremony is carried out inside the sanctuary. After that, every participant prays to the Buddha and chant prayers for a happy new year. Young males and females walk out to the pagoda yard and join in fun activities until late at night.

The second day is for the ceremony to offer boiled rice and heap up a sandy mountain. On this day, every Khmer family cooks rice and offers it to Buddhist monks at the pagoda in early morning and at noon. The monks chant prayers to thank those who make the food and bring it to their pagoda and say good luck to them.

On the afternoon the same day, people start to heap up a sandy mountain in search of happiness and luck. They make small mountains looking to eight directions and one in the middle which represent the universe. This custom originates from an age-old legend. It displays people’s aspirations for rain.

The third day is for the ceremony to wash the Buddha’s statue and Buddhist monks. After giving boiled rice to the monks in the morning, they continue to listen to Buddhist teachings. In the afternoon, they burn incense, offer sacrifices and use scented water to wash the statue in order to pay tribute and gratitude to the Buddha. This is also to get rid of the old year’s misfortunes and wish all the best for the new year. The monks do a ceremony to pray for peace in the dead’s souls. After that, the people return to their house and wash the Buddha’s statue at home. They offer dishes, confectionery and fruits to ask for happiness for their parents and grandparents and being forgiven for their mistakes made in the old year.

During these three days, Khmer people go to visit each other and wish good health, good luck and prosperity to each other. They also join in fun activities.

Chol Chnam Thmay festival shows Khmer people’s aspirations, like many others ethnic groups, to forget about the old year’s misfortunes and look for a better new year.

Time: From the 1st to the 3rd day of Chet month (according to Buddhist calendar, equivalent to the 12th to 15th day of April by solar calendar).
Objects of worship: Welcoming the God of the New Year, Buddha and ancestors.
Characteristics: The traditional Tet (New Year) of the Khmer community, seeing the old year off and welcoming the New Year.
Participator: The Khmer people in the southern provinces.

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Waving the red flag

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