In four months’ time, the dossier for Hat Xoan (Xoan singing) will be submitted to UNESCO for its recognition as an intangible World Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

A special art form

A recent survey by the Phu Tho provincial Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism shows that although Hat Xoan still exists in 17 communes in Phu Tho province, the old Xoan songs have been heard only in four places, An Thai village in Phuong Luu commune and Thet, Phu Duc and Kim Dai villages in Kim Duc commune.

At present the number of famous Xoan singers is decreasing and most of them are very old. In addition, many young people, especially those who have left their native villages, are unfamiliar with the songs. So, it is no easy task to teach the young generation the old folk songs.

Researcher Dang Hoanh Loan, former Vice Director of the Institute for Vietnamese Music, says  Hat Xoan is also known as Hat Cua Dinh as it used to be performed in front of the village Communal House. It includes music, songs and dances and is performed in the village spring festival in Phu Tho.

Hat Xoan is considered professional and well-organised Vietnamese folk music. Singers in Xoan groups are usually members of an extended family.

Hat Xoan is organised to entertain villagers and honour the gods and the Hung Kings and also to pray for good luck and bumper crops.

The significance of Hat Xoan finds expressions in the way villagers welcome the Xoan singers with great fanfare young men wearing white clothes and red turbans and carrying small drums. They will start beating the drums when the singers cross the river and later hand the instruments over to them when they arrived in the village. And the troupe will continue singing love songs until they reach the door of the Communal House where they will perform to honour the gods.

Ways to preserve Hat Xoan

UNESCO has recommended a public preservation model to help raise public awareness of the need to maintain and develop this valuable cultural heritage. As Hat Xoan is part of Vietnam’s traditional village festivals, it should be given due credit.

Professor To Ngoc Thanh – Chairman of the Vietnam Folk Letters and Arts Association, says related offices should invest in costumes, musical instruments the recovery of original Xoan songs.

In addition, Vietnam should encourage secondary schools to include Hat Xoan in their curriculum and confer the official title of outstanding artisan, he added.

Dang Hoanh Loan says in order for Hat Xoan to be recognised by UNESCO as part the World Cultural Heritage, scientists should study the Hat Xoan in all of the 18 villages in Phu Tho province to understand the values created and passed passed down from generations to generations and to help preserve and develop this special art form.

VNN/VOV

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Tags: Hat Xoan, In Phu Tho, Phu Tho, Special Art Form

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Ta Hien street is an alleyway but in terms of tourism its something of a thoroughfare – especially in the evening. It’s no wonder why the locals refer to the street as Foreigner Street.

VnnNews - Ta Hien street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is virtually an alleyway but in terms of tourism its something of a thoroughfare – especially in the evening time. It’s no wonder why the locals refer to the street as ‘Pho Tay’ (Foreigner street).

Foreigners taste draft beer at night

The street is awash with souvenir shops, bars and small eateries catering for both local residents and backpackers. For those travelling on a budget, the local cuisine is a both a culinary as well as a fiscal delight with banh my trung (egg sandwiches) and bowls of noodles available for less than a dollar. And then there’s the beer.

At the crossroads where Ta Hien meets Luong Ngoc Quyen, you will find a bunch of small shops selling bia hoi, Vietnam’s so-called ‘fresh beer’, which is made daily and costs from VND3,000 – VDN6,000 depending on the brew.

The ultra-light beer is not an award winning beverage and your average Oktoberfest punter might turn up his nose at a glass, but in Hanoi’s hot and sticky climate, bia hoi is a simple and pleasing thirst quencher – and again, for those who are minding the pennies, it’s enticingly cheap.

In the evening time hordes of tourists with plenty of young expats and locals gather at the crossroads – the spot has even become known as ‘bia hoi corner’ in expat circles. Gulping down beer and snacking on peanuts or grilled squid, the punters sit on tiny plastic stools and watch the world go by. It’s a great meeting point for travellers or for anyone who is new in town and short on drinking buddies.

At VND3,000 a glass the bia hoi on Ta Hien is certainly amongst the cheapest brews in Hanoi but it’s also not the best in quality either. Not that anyone seems to mind. On any given night, the sidewalks are overflowing with drinkers. Vietnamese teach the tourists how to ‘tram phan tram’ while the foreigners return the compliment and teach the locals ‘bottoms up’ or ‘down the hatch’.

Bia hoi corner can get so popular that at times the local police will turn up to reprimand the shop owners for encroaching onto the streets and blocking traffic. It’s not uncommon for plastic chairs to be confiscated. But minutes after the sidewalks are cleared, they usually start to fill again, and so it goes, a continuing cycle of cat and mouse through the evening.

“We like this lifestyle and this sidewalk bia hoi,” says Cindy, a British tourist who has been in Hanoi for a week. “The beer tastes very good and it costs so little.” The most popular sidewalk beer shop might be Hai Loan Bia Hoi – it’s a small, grubby looking place and there’s barely enough room for everyone to sit down. Some customers will even stand while quaffing bia hoi.

Across the way Cool Beer Ngoc Anh and Cool Beer Thanh Thuy also do good business. There are no tables, just plastic chairs. The only place with a toilet is Thanh Thuy so if you’re drinking at one of the other places you have to pay a small fee.

Many of the shop owners speak little to no English. Drinkers communicate with simple hand gestures or pidgin Vietnamese. “Most of foreigners coming here know how to order in Vietnamese or understand when I ask ‘may coc?’ (how many glasses),” says one young woman working at Cool Beer Ngoc Anh.

Bia hoi has no additives or preservatives and is essentially made to be consumed on the day that it leaves the factory. So as a result, there is no stocking of bia hoi, and outlets must forecast accordingly in an effort to gauge how much they need for a day (We’ll have to guess what happens to the leftovers).

“Although the seats are small and there’s no space it does not matter because the bia is ngon (tasty) and comes quickly,” says another tourist, Kirk. “Drinking bia hoi is a great way to discover Vietnamese life, too.”

With the din of the traffic and sometimes a raucous atmosphere, understandably it’s not for everyone, but generally young backpackers seem to enjoy the cacophony of beeps and shouts.

“Vietnamese are a lot more animated than most races when it comes to boozing,” says Kirk. “You have to shout to hear yourself speak!” Tourists are invariably fond of the street life. As they drink, vendors come and go selling fruit or squid. Postcard sellers work the crowd. But eventually the shops have to shut up shop. After 11pm the kegs will be drained and the crowd will be drifting away, heading for home or in search of a late bar for a nightcap.

VietNamNet/Time-out

Tags: Bia Hoi, Rdquo Says

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A Muong man tries to preserve traditional gong music by offering free classes. But he can’t do it alone.

Bui Tien Xo’s small house in the mountains of Hoa Binh Province is filled to the brim with 34 gongs from different regions and peoples of Vietnam.

“My life is bound up with gongs,” Xo says. “Even if I wanted to, ridding myself of the gongs would be impossible.”

The lifelong love affair began forty years ago, and Xo says that ever since, he’s been traveling throughout the northern province hunting for gongs. But the more he travels, he says, the more he realizes that the art form is standing on the edge of an abyss.

Do anything

With some gongs over 400 years old, Xo and his collection are well known in his ethnic Muong community in Boi District’s Vinh Tien Commune. Many are in awe of his extreme dedication to finding and collecting the rare, obscure instruments.

In 1990, he rode his bicycle 100 kilometers to Tan Lac District in hopes of persuading a family to sell him a gong.

One of the family members said, “This was left behind by our ancestors. How can we sell it to you?”

But other families not longer care about their gongs. They often sell them for pennies to scrap collectors. But the same collectors know how valuable the metal instruments are to Xo, selling the pieces back to him for millions of dong each.

But Xo will do anything for gongs.

In 1987, he spent a month building a stilt house for a family in Mai Chau to receive a gong as payment. In 1993, he sold a herd of eight cows and oxen to buy some gongs.
Now, Xo’s gong collection is worth up to VND100 million (US$5,618). But he says he’ll never sell or give up the gongs, he’ll just keep collecting.

Like a lullaby

Xo not only collects the gongs, he plays them. Any visitor to his home is likely to be treated to an impromptu concert, with the clang and wail of the gongs filling the small house and indeed, the entire village.

He performs various styles of Muong gong music, each with its own unique rhythm and mix of high treble tones and low bass notes.

The gongs, usually between 20- 80 centimeters in diameter, are indispensable at Muong folk festivals. During celebrations for the New Year, crop planting, harvests and weddings, you can hear the gongs and the songs of the Muong throughout the region.

They often use the gongs to “welcome” the various events. A team of gong players usually wanders the village for communal celebrations, playing a song in each house. For weddings, the bride’s family plays on the way to the groom’s home.

The Muong believe they speak directly to the gods through the gongs, praying for health, luck, happiness, rain and good harvests. They also use the gongs to thank the gods for rains and healthy crops.

Xo says that each ritual has a certain recognizable style of gong song. Different styles inform the residents of a community social event, sad local news, elders discussing an important issue and news of a coming disaster, such as floods.

And the traditions are not exclusive to the Muong of Hoa Binh. Many other communities practice their own gong arts.

“Gongs from the Central Highlands create sharp sounds, while Muong gongs in Hoa Binh are bass instruments with louder echoes that travel farther,” he says. “A gong can in fact play as many tones as some string instruments,” Xo asserts.

Each of Xo’s gongs has its own tone and pitch. He uses different combinations of his 34 gongs to play familiar anthems from the northern, central and southern regions.
Vinh, Xo’s neighbor, says his family enjoys the gong music the best.

“Listening to Xo’s gong music, our children sleep well without needing a lullaby.”

Spread the love

Sadly for Xo, less and less people are passing knowledge of the music down to their children, he says.

So, for 10 years now, Xo has been teaching people how to play gongs for free. He travels far and wide into the Muong hamlets of Da Dac, Tan Lac, Mai Chau and Cao Phong gathering people who still want to learn to play and preserve gongs into informal classes.

Though Xo makes a meager living repairing motorbikes and bicycles to put his daughter through university, he travels around giving free gong lessons whenever he has free time.

But Xo worries that what he’s doing is not enough.

He says cultural management agencies in Hoa Binh do not have plans or programs to preserve and promote gong music.

In 2005, UNESCO recognized The Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage of Humanity, but funds from that preservation project will not reach Hoa Binh, as it is a northern province outside the Central Highlands region.

Bui Duc Tan, chairman of the People’s Committee of Vinh Tien Commune, praises Xo and says the committee supports what he is doing. However, he simply shakes his head when asked if the local government would fund the teaching of gong music.

“I cannot save the Muong people’s rapidly-vanishing musical treasure alone,” Xo says. “I can only pick part of it and teach what I know.”

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

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Tags: Gong Music, He Says, Hoa Binh, The Central Highlands, The Gongs, The Muong, Xo Says

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Vietnam participates in Int’l Book Fair Cuba 2010; Vietnam’s culture week launched in Cairo; Ancient capital to be excavated; Vietnam to take part in Asia-Europe exchange exhibition   

The offering table displayed cakes made in Hoc Mon and Cu Chi districts, winners of the first and second prizes at a competition to cook cylindrical glutinous rice cakes for the Lunar New Year festival (Tet).

The same day, municipal leaders offered incense and these cakes at the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Ton Duc Thang Museum.

The cake offering is one of several traditional cultural activities observed every Tet holiday to remember ancestors, who have made great contributions to national defense and construction.

Vietnam participates in Int’l Book Fair Cuba 2010
 
Vietnam is now taking part in the International Book Fair Cuba 2010 with many books published in Spanish by the The Gioi (World) Publishing House, particularly the Prison Diary poems by Late President Ho Chi Minh.

Also on display are famous books by General Vo Nguyen Giap and books about the country’s renovation process.

The fair this year opened on February 11 with the participation of Cuban President Raul Castro and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serguei Lavrov.

Over 600 literary publications from 40 countries all over the world and 6 million books are being exhibited for sale.

Many cultural activities such as art, ballet and circus performances will also take place during the event.

Vietnam’s culture week launched in Cairo
 
A Vietnamese culture week opened in Cairo, Egypt on February 9, drawing international guests, ambassadors, Egyptian people, Vietnamese students in Egypt and international reporters.

The cultural week is part of activities held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt in coordination with show room TOOT Cairo to promote the image of Vietnamese culture and daily life to international friends.

In an opening speech, Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Kaoru Ishikawa expressed his admiration for Vietnam’s cultural traditions and shared his impressions, “Vietnam is currently one of the most dynamic economies in the region. Many Japanese investors have come to open plants in Vietnam. I believe that Egypt and Vietnam will cooperate efficiently in the future,” said Mr Kaoru.

From Feb 9-24, there will be diverse cultural activities including a photo exhibition, song and dance performances, a culinary festival and a display of fine arts and handicrafts.

Ancient capital to be excavated
 
A project to excavate the central remains of the former Vietnamese capital of Hoa Lu, in the northern province of Ninh Binh, has started in an effort to estimate and preserve the historical value of a site that was host to the capital of the Dinh, Le and Ly dynasties for 42 years ending in 1010.

Archaeologists previously studied an area of 500sq.m and discovered a variety of valuable objects related to the three dynasties. The excavation will take place simultaneously with the display of any recovered artefacts to the public.

The project was launched under the auspices of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Museum of History.

Vietnam to take part in Asia-Europe exchange exhibition
 
Vietnam will participate in the sponsoring committee for the “2,500 years of Asia-Europe exchange” exhibition in Belgium to promote its image internationally.

The government has assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and work with the concerned agencies of Belgium to implement the committee’s activities.

As one of the founding members of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Vietnam has played an active part in inter-continental cooperation in politics, economy and other fields, including culture and education, to serve its national development.

PV

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Tags: Ho Chi Minh

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Vietnamese rice exporters will not be significantly affected by the AFTA, which zeroed out tariff on exports among six member countries of ASEAN, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The tariff reduction will not have much impact on Vietnamese rice production and trading as the countries does not have many rice export contracts with ASEAN countries, except for the Philippines, said deputy head of MARD’s Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and strategy.

Five other ASEAN member, including Vietnam, would apply the zero tax rates on the other members in 2015.

At that time, farmers would benefit from the lowered prices of fertilizers and other materials from ASEAN countries, Thi said, adding that the exporters should attach great importance to the improvement of the quality and the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice on regional and world markets,

Vo Tong Xuan, former rector of An Giang University, said Vietnam cannot meet demands of either the domestic or foreign markets as the areas under cultivation with high-quality rice varieties still remained limited.

Nguyen Van Dong, director of the Hau Giang provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, meanwhile, attributed the poor quality of rice to the cultivation of too many hybrid varieties. The MARD, therefore, has directed provinces to focus on two or three key varieties for the 2009-2010 winter-spring crop.

Some provinces with favourable conditions would be able to grow high-yield varieties both for domestic consumption and export.

Hau Giang province would plant one or two high-quality rice varieties on an area of 20,000 ha out of the province’s total 82,000ha rice growing acreage for this year.

He also recommended the State invest in high-quality seed, better infrastructure for agricultural production, and a commodities trading floor for rice, adding that close cooperation among the States, enterprises, scientists and farmers would benefit growers, exporters and consumers.

It is not easy to forecast the rice export volumes and prices due to unpredictable factors like bad weather in other rice-growing countries, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

This year, Vietnam has signed contract to export 2.3 million tonnes of rice to the Philippines by September. Exporters, however, found it difficult to expand their markets.

Last year, the country exported 6 million tonnes of rice, accounting for 15 percent of the world rice market. VOVNews/VNS

VietNamNet/VNS

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Tags: Agriculture And Rural, Agriculture And Rural Development, And Rural Development, Of Agriculture And, Of Agriculture And Rural

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Hoan Kiem Lake, which is the heart and soul of Hanoi, means “Lake of the Returned Sword”, in reference to the legend surrounding fifteenth century Vietnamese hero General Le Loi

Hanoi’s 20 lakes are renowned for bringing the city a sense of beauty and an old-world atmosphere.

As the capital continues to develop, with mega-shopping complexes and fast food chains popping up left and right, Hanoi’s lakes have retained their peace and quiet. Even those in the center of town are surrounded by old trees, parks, zoos or centuries’ old villages. Both lively and charming, the lakes give Hanoi its style and ensure that the bustling city with a quickly expanding population never seems too crowded.

Some say Hanoians owe their lifestyles, which exemplify an appreciation of history and culture, to the old capital’s lakes.

Jewel of the capital

“Proximity to water in a city is always a very nice thing to have,” said David Milliot, a former advisor from the European Union. “Lakes have a relaxing effect as they make city life less stressful. I like Hoan Kiem Lake because despite its central location, it is a spot of ancient, interesting history.”

Like most of the lakes in Hanoi, Hoan Kiem – lined with beautiful weeping willows in the center of town – has an alluring and mysterious legend that tells the history of its name.

Hoan Kiem Lake means “Lake of the Returned Sword”, in reference to the legend surrounding fifteenth century Vietnamese hero General Le Loi. After ten years of hard fighting (1418-1428), the Lam Son insurrectionists led by Le Loi swept the Chinese invaders out of the country, ending the Ming Dynasty’s 20 years of domination over Vietnam. Le Loi became a national hero, proclaiming himself King Le Thai To and establishing the Vietnamese capital in Thang Long, present-day Hanoi.

On a beautiful afternoon following the victory, the king and his entourage took out a dragon-shaped boat to enjoy the peace while cruising Luc Thuy (Green Water) Lake, which was located in the center of Thang Long. As the boat glided across the smooth surface of the lake, legend has it that a Golden Tortoise suddenly appeared, telling the king: “Your Majesty, the great work is completed. Would you please return the sacred sword to the King of the Sea?”

A peaceful morning in Hanoi. “In the morning, it’s great to take a walk on the nice, shaded sidewalks around Hoan Kiem Lake,” said David Milliot, a former advisor from the European Union.
 
The precious sword Le Loi used to fight the Chinese had been lent to him by the King of the Sea, according to the story. At the time the Tortoise spoke, the sword hung at the king’s waist. It then moved out of its sheath and flew toward the giant reptile. The tortoise took the sword in his mouth and dove under the water as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Since then, Luc Thuy Lake has been called Lake of the Returned Sword or Sword Lake (Ho Guom) for short.

Hence, on a tiny island in the middle of the lake stands Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower), a centuries-old three-tiered pavilion in memory of the legendary tortoise. On another islet to the north, inside the fourteenth century Ngoc Son Temple, a giant preserved turtle encased in glass keeps the legend alive. Rua Tower and Ngoc Son Temple are some of Hanoi’s most-beautiful landmarks.

“In the morning, it’s great to take a walk on the nice, shaded sidewalks around Hoan Kiem Lake,” said Milliot. “It is so relaxing to feel the breeze coming from the center of the lake.”

Local legend still has it that if you’re lucky, you’ll see the grand old tortoise raise its head above water for a brief moment.

Local boon

Truc Bach Lake, a lake separated from West Lake (Hanoi’s largest watery body at 5.5 square kilometers) by the sliver of land that is Thanh Nien Road, has greatly influenced the life of local people. Truc Bach was part of West Lake until the 17th century when the inhabitants of the surrounding villages built a dyke cordoning off West Lake’s southeast corner in order to raise fish. During the reign of Lord Trinh Giang (1711-1762), Truc Lam Palace was built for worship and later was converted into a prison for prostitutes. These poor women were forced to weave silk, and despite their desperate situation, they took the work seriously. Their silk was so nice that it became famous throughout the capital as Truc (small bamboo) village silk.

On a walk around the lake, one can see many relics and sites of interest: Nghi Tam Village (birthplace of the famous poet Ba Huyen Thanh Quan), Kim Lien Pagoda with its unique architecture and Nhat Tan Village with its famous peach garden.

Daily life

Every day, thousands of Hanoians do their morning exercises, practice Tai Chi, play chess and perform break-dancing around the lakes. And if you are looking for a romantic date with someone special, a table at Highlands Coffee above West Lake is the perfect place to watch a magnificent sunset.

Strolling around any lake in the city gives a clear and vivid picture of daily life and it’s hard not to be affected by the ambience of the capital and the traits its people are known for: hard work, friendliness and a zest for life.

Be it a lone after-work cup of coffee, or a lazy Sunday meeting with friends, at Hanoi’s lakes and waterside cafes, watching the world simply pass by can be a mesmerizing experience.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien

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Tags: Hoan Kiem, Hoan Kiem Lake, In The Center, Kiem Lake, Le Loi, Of The Lake, Of The Returned, Of The Returned Sword, The Capital, The Center, The King, The Lake, The Returned Sword, West Lake

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Tet is the most celebrated holiday throughout Vietnam. Hanoian scholar Nguyen Vinh Phuc provides a short history detailing how the holiday has been celebrated in the city in the past.

Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), also known as Tet ca (biggest festival), is considered as the most important traditional festival in the whole country for people of the Kinh ethnicity. Until the early 20th century, Hanoians from all walks of life celebrated Tet in two stages: the preparatory stage and the enjoyment stage. During the preparatory stage, people brought gifts to important people in their lives and every family tidied up their house, cleaned their altars and objects used for worship, bought offerings, had new clothes made and so on.

In families that could afford to, purchased many things for Tet, men went to Hang Ngang and Hang Duong streets to buy thuy tien (narcissus) bulbs. Either the men or their daughters would care for the spring-time bulbs prior to Tet so that they would be in bloom on New Year’s Eve. If the men did not write their own couplet for the New Year, they went to Hang Bo Street to buy hand-scripted scrolls from old Confucian teacher, which were displayed in great numbers on the pavement. These paralled scrolls, were always written on red paper, unless the family was in mourning; if this were the case the scrolls had to be on yellow or green paper. Many men also went to Hang Luoc Street, when it was still a flower market in the 1920s, to buy flowers, branches of cherry or apricot blossoms, vases of camellia flowers, chrysanthemums or kumquats to decorate their houses for the holiday.

Women went to Hang Duong Street to buy cakes, sweets, sugar and preserved fruits. They also visited Hang Huong Street (now Hang Dau Street) to buy assorted incensesticks and rings of incense such as sandalwood, musk, and eucalyptus. On Hang Buom and Hang Can streets they found vermicelli, bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Many ladies went to Hang Quat Street (now Luong Van Can Street) as early as in the tenth lunar month to order made-to-measure brocade robes or satin tunics. Tailored clothing was also commonly ordered in Trach Xa Village (Ung Hoa District, on the outskirts of Ha Noi now). The women also ventured to Hang Bac Street to have the merchants there give their jewellery a beautiful shine.

However, the first thing all families thought about as they prepared for Tet was making their own batches of banh chung (square cakes made of glutinous rice with mung bean and pork as filling). The ritual of preparing the cakes was pure happiness for most families – wrapping the dumplings in rush leaves, boiling them and watching them until they looked just about right, and then breaking open the first one for the first taste test.

People also prepared meat pies wrapped in banana leaves. Meticulous people would pound out the lean meat pies themselves, and if they were even more meticulous, they would arranged pieces of boiled chicken eggs in the shape of a lemon flower in the middle of the meat pie. When the pie was later sliced into individual portions, each had a flower in the centre. Meat pies were also available in most markets if people did not have the desire or time to prepare their own. Other culinary preparations included wrapping ham, cooking a pot of braised fish and another of meat, pickling onions to serve with the banh chung in an earthenware jar, and another of pickled mustard-greens to go with the meat.

Special items for the Tet banquet also had to be purchased. Even poor families couldn’t do without lean meat pies, spring rolls, and moc (steamed lean pork balls). More luxurious items included cooked fish such as conger pike, mackerel, fin, shell-fish, seaweed and salangane.

Apart from the cooked food banquet, there was also the confectionery banquet. A pot of green bean compote, an earthenware pan of dumplings, sweet potato cakes and assorted jams such as ginger, kumquat and lotus seed were all considered essential.

Poor families worried more about their holiday. If they wanted a pot of must have glutinous rice square cakes, they had to think about how to pay for enough glutinous rice, green beans and pork. They also had to carefully plan how to perform ritual offerings on the three days of Tet and how to buy new clothes for their children. Gifts had to be prepared for both the maternal and paternal sides of the family, for the owners of their homes if they rented, for creditors, and so on. As a folk verse goes: “Whether you are rich or poor, on Tet’s Eve, you should have some meat in the house.” Another rule of thumb is that whether one is rich or poor, one must have a decent dress to wear to welcome Tet.

Whether in Ha Noi or in the country, people enjoyed Tet together. On Tet’s Eve, a tray of ritual offerings was prepared for worship. On the first day of the first lunar month, the offering was the first course of business. Children would then go home and wish their parents and grand-parents a happy New Year. Close friends and kin visited each other’s homes to wish each other a happy New Year. Every family, whether rich or poor, was happy at the first dinner of the new year because “they could stay hungry when they organised their fathers’ death ceremony, but during the three days of Tet, they had to be full”.

Because of the celebratory mood, the three days of Tet passed by with best wishes exchanged amid fireworks and firecrackers, and public games around Hoan Kiem Lake. Other family games such as cards and mahjong were also played during these days. Rich families played the songs of famous singers and actress on their gramophones such as Tuu and Tam who performed cheo (traditional opera) or Nam Phi and Phung Ha who performed cai luong (reformed theatre). But the happiest people at Tet were the children, who proudly put on their new clothes and received New Year’s wishes and lucky money.
 
Tet lives on

Over the past fifty years the customs for welcoming Tet have changed. Some changes were seen during the American War and then post-war period.

Despite many difficulties during the war, the Government took care of the people so that they could enjoy their traditional Tet days with additional rations of food and and other necessities. Tet rations included meat, glutinous rice and green beans, more packets of tea, boxes of assorted jams, and even extra dried pig skin. Larger quantities of rush leaves were collected from the forests and distributed to people to wrap their banh chung. At that time, the State also supplied people in urban areas with the fuel they so desperately needed. In short, all of the traditional Tet customs were maintained.

These days, people’s lives have become even better. Food is plentiful. Banh chung can be purchased in many shops, so people don’t need to spend time on its meticulous preparations. In fact, banh chung is now available all year round, not only during Tet as in the past. One can always see people these days wearing good and fashionable dresses all over the city. So now during Tet people spend their time visiting friends and enjoying various forms of entertainment. The old customs that remain are the wishes for a happy New Year, offerings made to ancestors on the morning of the first day of Lunar January, and the ceremony of burning votive money for the dead on the third or fourth day.

It is worth noting that for the past decade firecrackers have been banned for safety reasons, to positive response and acceptance by the people. It has also become popular for people from the city to take domestic tours during the holiday and some wealthy families even travel abroad.

Another prominent custom appeared in 1955 and has since become a tradition - Hanoians celebrate New Year’s Eve around Hoan Kiem Lake. The tradition began when many southerners from various regions of the North, such as Ha Noi and neighbouring provinces wanted a central venue point in the capital city where they could gather together at the weekends.

They turned the Khai Tri Tien Duc house on the bank of the lake into the Reunification Club (it is now the headquarters of the grassroots information department at 16 Le Thai To Street). It was here that the southern soldiers and officials who had moved from the South after the war against the French gathered together to enjoy musical performances. On New Year’s Eve in particular, everyone who lived far from their home converged on the lake to stroll around and welcome the New Year together. Now, Hanoians also go out to enjoy Tet around Hoan Kiem Lake.

The first New Year’s Eve fireworks display was also organised on the shores of the lake. After people heard New Year’s wishes from President Ho Chi Minh on the radio, the fireworks festival became special to everyone in the city. This event has become a fine custom for people in the city, which sees them flock to Hoan Kiem Lake to welcome spring with all their hearts. Before 1955, people generally stayed in their homes to welcome the New Year. So the New Year’s Eve ceremony at Hoan Kiem Lake has become a new and beloved ritual for Hanoians to welcome Tet.

VietNamNet/VNS

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3. Airlines plan to provide more flights on Tet Lunar New Year holiday
4. One year to improve Hoan Kiem Lake
5. Hanoi: land of lakes

Tags: Around Hoan Kiem, Around Hoan Kiem Lake, Banh Chung, Glutinous Rice, Ha Noi, Happy New Year, Hoan Kiem, Hoan Kiem Lake, Kiem Lake, Meat Pies, New Year, Of The Lake, The City, the first, The Lake, The New, The New Year, The Past, The Three Days

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Employees at Indochina Airlines, which had its license revoked last month for financial incompetence, hadn’t paid their salaries for months. 

Indochina hasn’t pay hundreds of staffers salaries since last October and it owes each of them an estimated tens of millions of dong.

Disgruntled employees said were facing increasingly harsh complaints and verbal abuse from customers who couldn’t get their tickets refunded after the airlines’ license was withdrawn.

Local news website VnExpress recently reported that the airline had to refund 1,450 tickets worth nearly VND2 billion (US$108,000) for passengers who bought tickets for flights between January 26 and March 23.

VietNamNet had contacted key officials of the company about the staff’s complaints . But officials said they could not comment and they also had yet to receive several months’ salary.

Indochina Airlines General Director Ha Dung, meanwhile, couldn’t be reached, the newswire reported.

Opening its service in November 2008, Indochina had postponed a plan to resume flights several times since its service was suspended last November due to both technical and financial problems.

The Civil Aviation Administration last month revoked the company’s license, saying the carrier was no longer capable of maintaining its service.

According to the agency, Indochina still carried debts totaling VND30 billion ($1.6 million) to service providers.

VietNamNet/TN

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5. HCMC tax agency short of 3,000 staff

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Malaysia to boost service exports to Vietnam; Travel agents booked solid for Tet; Investors snatch pre-Tet bargains   

It will also invite 70 foreign tourist and media delegations to conduct surveys and promote the image of Vietnam ’s tourism.

The company plans to buy a further 11 aircraft this year. It will also open a new route between Hanoi and Rangoon ( Myanmar ) next month.

At present, Vietnam Airlines has 57 aircraft.

Italian machinery industry seeks opportunities

A seminar on the Italian machinery manufacturing industry’s business and investment opportunities in Vietnam was held in Bologna, central Italy, from February 11-12.

The seminar, co-organised by the Italian Employers’ Federation (Confindustria) in Emilia Romagna and Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, aimed to create conditions for machinery manufacturers in Italy in general and Emilia Romagna region in particular to get more access to information on market demand and strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese partners.

Speaking at the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Dang Khanh Thoai highlighted Vietnam ’s investment attraction policy and the country’s large demand for the manufacturing industry, which plays an important role in the national industrialisation and modernisation process.

Thoai expressed his wish that Italian businesses will cooperate with Vietnamese partners in training high-quality workers as well as exchange production and management experiences. He said he hoped that Italian investors will participate in bids for Vietnam ’s large-scale industrial projects in the coming time.

The machinery manufacturing industry is one of the strengths of Emilia Romagna region, which boasts more than 13,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in this field.

Italy ’s investment in Vietnam remains modest with 43 projects capitalised 162 million USD, ranking 33 rd among countries and territories investing in the country.

Supertanker carries oil to Van Phong Bay for first time

A new Vietnamese-registered supertanker on February 11 carrying nearly 100,000 tonnes of diesel fuel docked at Van Phong Bay in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

This is the Van Phong I’s first delivery to the Bay. The ship represents a US$47 million investment by the Vietnam National Petroleum Corporation.

The Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee, Le Xuan Than, visited and congratulated the Van Phong I’s captain and crew and presented Tet gifts to them.

Soon, the Van Phong I will return to Kuwait to pick up a second shipment of oil and is scheduled to dock at Van Phong Bay again in early April.

Nine more oil shipments to Van Phong Bay are scheduled for this year, paying about VND2,500 billion to the state budget.

Local company exports ‘UFO’ toys to Japan

Tosy Robotics Joint Stock Company will ship the first container of 5,000 ‘unidentified flying object’ toys to Japan.

The company signed a contract worth US$400,000 to export 100,000 toys of this kind to its partners, Takara Tomy, which is Japan’s largest toy company.

Tosy Robotics has also been contracted to export a total of 700,000 UFO products to other countries this year, including the US, Germany and Japan. 

VietNamNet/VNA, VOV

Tags: The Van Phong, This Year, Van Phong, Van Phong Bay

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Menras André Marcel has an unusual name card.

“The picture always reminds me everyday of my responsibility to find out more ways to help poor children in Vietnam,” he said.

Forty years on, a milestone event took place in Marcel’s life. The President of Vietnam stamped his approval on an application granting the Frenchman Vietnamese citizenship in recognition of his long-standing support for Vietnam’s struggles and the work he has done to help the disadvantaged people in this country.

Forty years on, he is still committed and willing to travel to remote areas of the country for any work that involves helping the poor.

Known by his Vietnamese friends as André Quyet, the Frenchman has been leading the Association de Amitié pour le Développement des Echanges Pédagogiques entre la France et le Viet Nam (Association of Friendship for the Development of the Teaching Exchanges between France and Vietnam ) (ADEP) since 2002.

One of his most important initiatives in recent times was the organizing of a special trip to France by 17 former political prisoners who had been incarcerated at the infamous Con Dao prison.

One of them, Pham Van Ba, spoke emotionally about the experience: “We will never forget the encouragement we received both in spirit and in action from our beloved French friends during the harsh days of fighting for independence. And now, once again, our French friends, under ADEP, are helping us fight another enemy - poverty.”

In March 2008, after learning of the “Fresh water for Truong Sa archipelago” program initiated by the Thanh Nien Newspaper, he quickly proposed a feasible project to the organizer – to purchase a fresh water generator from France.

After he received a positive response, he returned to France and implemented the project step by step, including meeting the seller, discussing the machine’s functions and operation, and also negotiating the price.  He selected the Power Survivor 160, which produces 25 liters of fresh water per hour using wind and solar energy.

Working with two of his friends, Hong Le Viet Tho, a Vietnamese Japanese, and Nguyen Duc Phuong, editor-in-chief of Le Journal “Solidarité” in France, André Quyet raised a fund among the overseas Vietnamese community and other French citizens. They collected about US$46,400, three times the cost of the machine. 

“The important thing is not how much we can raise for the fund but how much love the overseas Vietnamese and foreigners want to send to the local Vietnamese population. Especially, this occasion is for helping residents of Truong Sa.”

Early years

Turning back the hands of time to his past in Saigon, when peace was yet to come, André Quyet recalled an unforgettable day in his life: July 25, 1970. He and his friend Pierre Debris shocked the government of South Vietnam by hanging a flag of National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam at the Givral café near the Mother Love statue (Saigon Opera House now). 

The two young men were immediately imprisoned. From the prison, he sent a letter to France telling his people about the conditions there. His letter was printed in the Le Journal “Humanité”.

On December 31, 1972; André Quyet and Debris, usually known under a Vietnamese name as Ho Tat Thang, were expelled to France.

In August 1977, André Quyet came back to Vietnam at the invitation of the new Vietnamese government.

In 2001, after retiring, he staged a sit-in on the top of the bell tower in Sauvian in cold weather for six days to  claim from the French government his prison time in Saigon as part of his employment period. He succeeded.

One year later, he returned to Vietnam. On this third visit back, he founded the ADEP to be a link between schools of both countries, offering various exchange programs for teachers.  There are seven French teachers who have come to teach at the Hoang Van Thu School in Da NangCity under this program.

André Quyet has never stopped considering other ways to help the poor people of Vietnam, especially children. Since 2004, he has trained his focus on providing scholarships for poor children. He used his income from a business run with 800 farmer families in Languedoc Loussillon of France to fund the scholarship program two years later.

Besides his work with children’s welfare at the office, he is ever willing to help others who need it. He has been a volunteer guide for the film crew of director Nguyen Ho when filming a movie about three kings from the Nguyen Dynasty.

What’s in a name?

His Vietnamese name, Ho Cuong Quyet, it is not strange to many Vietnamese people who have known it since his prison days in Saigon. But, it was not an official name till he decided to apply for Vietnamese citizenship in late 2007.

This came out of a conversation with the Deputy Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, Nguyen Thanh Tai, who has always spoken of him as a Vietnamese relative. Once he asked: “So why don’t you grant me a Vietnamese citizenship?”. Pat came the answer: “I will be by your side if you apply for it”.

That wish came to pass at special meeting with President Nguyen Minh Triet in Hanoi, when he received the news that his application has been approved. Since Nov 11, 2009, he has been officially declared a Vietnamese citizen.

“Now, if you occasionally meet a Vietnamese with blue eyes, hairy arms not speaking Vietnamese fluently, do not be puzzled. That person is truly Vietnamese,” André quipped. 

VietNamNet/SGGP

Tags: André Quyet

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The Government needs adopt an overall plan to restructure the economy to improve its efficiency and competitiveness in the post-crisis period. 

The crisis and ensuing shrinkage of the world market had badly affected Vietnam, an export-oriented economy with low added-value and high outsourcing rates.

Corporation. Businesses have been advised to strengthen their presence in the domestic market and be less dependent on exports in order to maintain stable production and jobs. (Photo: Saigon Times)

However, owing to the Government’s timely and proper economic stimulus policies, the country has managed to overcome the crisis and gain a GDP growth of 5.32 percent last year.

Despite the recovery, the economy’s growth cannot be seen as sustainable, as it is largely based on extensive use of capital, cheap labor costs, outsourcing goods, and export of raw materials. It has not been based on products with high added-value that are also highly competitive. This reality can be seen in the imbalanced export structure, the high Incremental Capital - Output Rate (ICOR), and the low VA/GO rate (Value-added/Gross output) over the past several years.

Moreover, the country is now trying to maintain growth while trying to prevent a return of inflation and reduce the trade deficit that has weakened the country’s balance of payment.

If the situation cannot be improved soon, it may cause some macro-economic instability.  Therefore, we need to coordinate and harmonize, as soon as possible, our fiscal, monetary policy, consumer and foreign trade policies towards stabilizing macro economy this year. 

In the recent global financial crisis, many emerging economies have recovered early by effectively tapping into domestic markets to offset a reduction in exports and maintaining business and jobs.

Therefore, the exploitation of domestic markets has yet to be paid due attention in Vietnam. The Party Politburo has adopted a policy to encourage consumption of goods made in Vietnam to improve the situation.

It is a sound policy, but for it to be successful, businesses will need to rearrange their production structure, build brand names, and enhance product quality, thereby improving the competitive edge of not only of goods for exports, but also of goods for domestic consumption that have to compete with imported products.

To this end, the Government should offer businesses medium and long-term credit to help them expand their domestic market shares, renovate technology and create new products.

Improving competitiveness    

The termination of interest subsidy on short-term loans while continuing offering a two percent subsidy for medium and long-term loans for farmers and companies to boost agricultural production or alter their line of business is another sound policy.

To ensure that this policy is effective, the Government should take measures to assist commercial banks in mobilizing medium and long-term capital and improve the liquidity in the stock exchange.

In late 2009, the National Assembly and Government passed important financial and economic policies to support businesses in renovating technologies and production, developing high added value products for export, and seeking new markets. 

In the first quarter of 2010, when the global economy enters its post-crisis period, those policies will be stepped up to restructure the economy and enhance businesses’ competitive capability.

Although Vietnam’s exports accounts for more than 70 percent of the GDP, this should not be blamed for the economy’s vulnerability to world market fluctuations. Instead, the vulnerability has mainly come out of the structure of exports, in which raw materials and products with low added-value account for the most part.

In addition, the use of domestic materials in production of goods for export remains at a low level, weakening their competitiveness in terms of production cost. 

To sum up, rearranging the export structure, boosting the proportion of local materials used in production, developing hi-tech products, expanding both local and international markets are among the vital factors in ensuring Vietnam’s sustainable development.

By Dr. Tran Du Lich, a member of the National Assembly’s Economics Commitee and the former head of the Ho Chi Minh City Economics Institute

(Source: SGGP)

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Tags: Added Value, And Long Term, Medium And Long, Medium And Long Term, Of Goods For

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