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Need, then... no nead Just "need" and "no need" that I have seen in my life...
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 ... So, tell me how "need, then... no need" is in your culture? Designed for all friends(Please click on the picture to see the larger version)
Dear everyone,
I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the holidays. Please find out the attached picture above which is my Chirstmas & New Year card for you made from a picture I took at the lagoon area in Hue last few days. The picture is about a boat with new fishing-net going to the lagoon to fish. I hope and believe the fishermans on this boat would catch lots of fish and get enough food for their families. The meaning of the picture itself is my wish for you in the new year. I wish you will reap lots of success in the year of 2008. Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year !!!! This is for all of my friends whom I don't have the email address and I could not send by email. Turkey day(This is a late post on Thanksgiving)
Well, my very first real Thanksgiving and it was a great experience. We ate a lot of food and had a fun game making a turkey from sundries. Let remember what we had that night... Turkey and stuffing, Mashed potatoes with gravy, Sweet Potato casserole, Green Bean casserole, Glazed Carrots, Cranberry sauce, Home-made rolls (bread) and Salad. And for desserts, we had Pumpkin Pie, Spice Cake, Sugar cream pie, Apple Pie, Pumpkin roll (with cream cheese), Ice cream and Whipped Cream. (Thanks Marc for helping me all of these names). I didn't bring the camera with me that night so following are pictures from Marc's camera. I don't have pictures of all kinds of food we ate but that is really an awesome meal. Also a great time meeting some new friends. Yup, had fun !!!
Thanks Ken&Heather for inviting me to come. And thanks everyone for showing me about American culture and holiday. I love you all.
An old story on a dolphin in a fishing village I was rummaging in my heap of pictures in this computer and I found these old ones. They made me think of a story that happened last 4 years and I decided to tell you what the story is. Here you are, the pictures I've just mentioned:
I got to know this story from a field trip to a mangrove forest in Hue for a research essay when I was an undergraduate student. It was a nice and sunny day and we were a bit tired driving to Ru Cha, the mangrove forest I mentioned above (sorry, this link is in Vietnamese, but you could see some pictures). When we were taking a short rest at a corner of the forest, we found out an old man was trying to move a big fish onto his bamboo boat. He brought the fish to a spacious place on the land and at that time people in that village came to see. The fish is called "ca' o^ng", a slang word that local people used to call that kind of fish and it means a whale; but in fact, I think he is much more alike a dolphin. When that old man (he is the man wearing black shirt in my pictures) saw the dolphin, he was still alive. By tradition of fishing villages here, it is spiritual if someone meets a "ca' o^ng". Anyone should treats him well if don't want to have a bad upheaval in their fishing life. A fishing man's life always closely attaches to water, sea and ocean and risk could be anywhere. So that made fishing people believe on "ca' o^ng" much more.
Back to the story, then, that old man and other villagers started to do the ritual work with the dolphin (now he already died because it was too dry up there). What they did are similar with a ceremony when a man dies. They put paper money around him, burned incense, worshipped and prayed and especially, they built a coffin for him (see the pictures and don't forget to click on them to see the larger versions).
We left Ru Cha when the fish's ceremony had not finished yet. But we could guess people would bring him to a nice place in the forest and bury. And whenever people there are going to head for the open sea and catch fish for their daily life, they could come there to pray for a lucky sea journey. Thanks culture Most of Western people say "sorry", "thanks", "excuse me" most of the time. Vietnamese people are different.
Actually, in some cases, say "sorry" or "thanks" in Vietnam sounds too formal so people don't like that much. But what I want to mention here is a different story...
I was feeding my fishes this morning in the living-room and I heard a woman spoke out loud outside my house, on the roadside. I looked out over and I realized she was talking to me through the glass door (cause she was standing outside and saw me inside through the glass door of my house). I walked to the door, opened it and asked her: "Can I help you? Are you asking me something?". I saw clearer behind her big grey raincoat, she is a nun...
She asked: "Where to buy a digital dictionary?" I guess that is what she said when I had not opened the door yet and she just repeated.
I said: "Uhm, I don't think you could get a digital dictionary around this area. You should go to bookstore and they should have digital dictionary there."
The nun: "what bookstore?"
I answered: "I think you should cross Trang Tien bridge and come to Phu Xuan bookstore. That is the biggest one in Hue so you could have many choice for your digital dictionary there."
Then, she made a U-turn with her bike and went away...
I still kept my eyes on her, looking she was biking step by step. I still stood in front of my house and seems like I was still waiting for something...
 Do you think she should say "thanks" to me?
...
The door had still been opened... until she was hidden from my view. Identify 'Viet kieu' Meeting with people, including Viet kieu (Overseas Vietnamese) who have been here, in Vietnam, I have experienced that there are some kind of Viet kieu that we could find out easily if we really have "an eye" on what they express.
I temporary classify Viet kieu by their appearance and action; and I have these 6 following groups of Viet kieu:
1/ Barefoot Viet kieu
These kind of people are very common, even more common than some of the local Vietnamese. Usually, barefoot Viet kieu had left Vietnam for some reasons that they might not want to do but they have. That could be finding family members or relatives after 1975, or having no more relatives after the war, or being drifted, or something like that. This kind of Viet kieu always wish to come back their home country, Vietnam. They work hard abroad (even very hard), try to save their little money to go back Vietnam to visit and help relatives if they still have. They have never been fussy including time while they are back in Vietnam. Most of this kind of Viet kieu could eat cheap and traditional food (which could make your stomach sick if you are not familiar with) and they wish to eat them. They even feel fine sleeping on floor... I like meeting with these Viet kieu.
2/ Stuck-up Viet kieu
These Viet kieu could actually have money or don't but when they get back Vietnam, they always prove to be rich (some even pretending). They brag about what they have or what they know abroad. Most of stuck-up Viet kieu think that local Vietnamese are cloddish, Vietnam in their mind is still like poor Vietnam in the war time. They might not read or get any update about their motherland. This kind of Viet kieu had left Vietnam because they might be guaranteed by relatives, or crossed the border before or after 1975 to escape from the miserableness, or some other similar reasons. These people work hard too, normally.
3/ 'Fop' Viet kieu
I don't have sympathy with this kind of Viet kieu, sorry. I don't like. Most of 'fop' Viet kieu are younger generation, were born abroad. They are familiar with expensive life in Western countries so when they go back Vietnam to visit they usually complain (at anything they see). Certainly, things in Vietnam can't be better than in developed countries, in general. 'Fop' Viet kieu compare everything so... complaining a lot is easy to understand. 'Fop' ones have something is a little bit similar with stuck-up Viet kieu.
4/ Business Viet kieu
Yes, clearly, huh? they are business men. they do business in the foreign countries where they live and they want to have opportunity to work in their home country. They come back Vietnam to visit as well as to learn how Vietnam market is. Business Viet kieu might be born abroad or left Vietnam some time in the past. What they think about is doing business and that is good for Vietnam. These people could also be stuck-up ones or big-heart ones that I am going to mention next.
5/ Big-heart Viet kieu
This is a group of Viet kieu who have been successful in their life. Most of them do business and become rich. These people owe heavy "debts" to Vietnam and in their mind, they always think of how to help their home country. They have advantage to help and they do. They spend money that they hardly earn on helping their relatives, or their hometown or even country (higher level) to build new houses, or give funds to have job for example. Many big-heart Viet kieu help people through programs like support to the poor or the sick, also through some scholarship/fellowship programs,... etc. I really admire and appreciate these people.
6/ Sabotage Viet kieu
These Viet kieu are really really bad. Of course I don't like them, no one like them except themselves. For some reasons, they come back Vietnam to do something or perhaps work abroad for the purpose of sabotage nowaday Vietnam. It could be political sabotage or making econimic damage (at national level). At less serious level, this kind of people plan to swindle local Vietnamese people or organizations or company. Some using the Viet kieu mark to find a wife. Certainly, there still are many good Viet kieu marry local Vietnamese people; I absolutely agree; but what I mention here is that marriage without love and happiness (called: buying a wife).
So, I might miss 1 or 2 or even more other groups of Viet kieu in this list. If anyone have any idea, please leave a comment. A Viet kieu could be listed in 2 or 3 different groups mentioned above at the same time like a business Viet kieu might have a big-heart. But, I have never seen a 'fop' Viet kieu acts like... the 'barefoot' way; yeah, never.  Questions on Tet from Julie's class Hi you all,
I got an email from a close friend today. She is teaching the international kids at a school in Delaware and she had printed off one of my post on Tet in Vietnam for her students. She told me they are interested in Vietnam and I'm glad to hear that. She sent me an email that involves some questions from her kids and I think my reply email has some more information on Tet as well as Viet culture that could be helpful for some of the readers of this blog. Here you are...
Hi Kids, (Sorry, I've found out they are not kids, Students.)
Thank you for being interested in Tet in Vietnam and also for giving me questions. I will answer them all individually. 1. How many days does Tet last? Officially, Tet lasts 4 days which are the last day of the old year (it might be the December 30 but sometimes, it is December 29) (oh, please note that all the dates that I mention here are on lunar calendar), and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of the New Year. But in fact, it depends on who that Tet will last. If you work for the government agencies, your Tet will be from the December 29 to January 5); to me who work for a University (same with high school or college), Tet often lasts 15 days, from December 25 to January 10; people who work for businesses or commercial companies, their Tet last just 3 days (last day of December and January 1 and 2), at some places, just 2 days (without January 2). 2. Is Tet for 10 days? If you are a teacher or a lecturer or a student, your Tet could be that long (maybe longer). 3. Why didn't you work on the 7th and 8th day of Tet? I did work on the 7th and 8th day of Tet this year, but at home. My job restarted on the 10th day of Tet his year but I had a new class right on that day so I decided to have 2 days working at home to prepare for my class. I could have those 2 days off to hang out with friends but I enjoyed Tet enough before so back to work 2 days earlier is better for me. 4. Where is Tet celebrated? At your home? This is an interesting question. Yes, Viet people celebrate Tet at home. Almost everyone try to come back home for Tet because being home on Tet is very meaningful to them. I did mention on my blog that Tet = family reunion, and the poorest people are the ones who could not have chance to be home on the New Year's Eve. It's similar with Thanksgiving or Christmas in America and that's culture. Nowadays, in the big cities of Vietnam like Hanoi or Hochiminh city, some people celebrate Tet not at home. They travel with their families, maybe abroad or other places in Vietnam during the off days of Tet. But generally, most of Viet people still do the traditional way that is celebrating Tet at home with family. 5. Do you pray and drink alcohol every day of Tet?  We just pray when we have worship. In Viet culture, especially in Hue, my hometown, people worship many times on Tet, 5 or 6 times I think and each time has different purpose. Nowadays, people are trying to make it easy and they worship just 2 or 3 times on Tet. But please note that not all families worship on Tet. Some families don't do that, most do and they do differently. Some people are still very traditional and they worship 5 or 6 times, some just do 2 or 3 times; that depends on their faith. And certainly, people pray when they worship. This point is like in America, people have faith in God, some don't and what you pray to God are similar with what Viet people pray at the worship on Tet. Regarding drinking alcohol, not everyday, that depends. But if you come to see people or people come to see you on Tet, almost every house your come or your house will bring alcohol to drink together. Alcohol could be beer or wine or strong liquor... In the olden time, Viet people made wine (at home) from rice to drink on Tet and just the well-to-do families could have money to make wine. When the society has been developing, people's lives have been improving, they don't make rice wine anymore, they now just have to go to the market to buy alcohol and they have more options: beer or fruit wine or Western liquor, etc. And also, most of people have chance to buy alcohol (not just the rich ones). People choose what kinds of alcohol to use on Tet depend on the weather. If they have a cool Tet, most of them will prefer wine but if a warm Tet, would be beer. 6. Why was your plan easily broken when you stopped by your friends' houses? 7. Why is it hard to plan things on Tet? Well, visiting people on Tet is a culture and that is not the reason of "hard to plan on Tet". The reason is when you come to visit a friend for example, and you thought you would stay at his or her house for 15 minutes and then have to leave to visit another one's house. Certainly your friend will bring food and beer or wine to entertain you. 15 minutes passed already and you want to cut off the talk to leave but usually, it's not easy to do that when there still are foods and beer on the table and the talk is still good. Maybe someone come there (your friend's house) and that is the one you know, then the talk will be longer and more food and wine on the table. This is very different with American culture. In America, perhaps if you want to leave, just say I have to go and go. Viet culture is different. In America, if someone knocks your door while you are busy, you just say "I'm sorry, I'm very busy now ...” in Vietnam, you have to say "hi, come in..." first. If you do American way here, people will say that's indelicate. That's culture. And certainly, no one want people think that he or she is indelicate on Tet. 8. What is the thing that you put in your stomach most on Tet? It depends, but with most of men, I think maybe alcohol because every house you come to visit on Tet serve alcohol and food (food are different among families). 9. What do you like to eat most? You mean on Tet? Uhm, vegetable. Because most the food for Tet are made from meat so I'm often fed up with meat very quickly on Tet. If someone serve vegetable (like salad) when I come to their house on Tet, I will really enjoy that food. 10. Does every house have alcohol on Tet to entertain guests? In the olden time, no, just families that had enough money. Nowadays, maybe yes; rich people have expensive alcohol, poorer people have cheap alcohol. 11. When was your best Tet? Uhm, when was my best Tet? Actually, I always enjoy Tet. Perhaps Tet on the climacteric year of mine is a bit more interesting than other years. What does climacteric year mean? I am at the age of the Pig and years of the Pig are my climacteric year. People say in the climacteric year, something special will happen (maybe good special or bad special). I had my climacteric year once when I was 13 and that was a good year to me. This year is also my climacteric year and I am waiting for anything special, I hope good special. And please note that this year is also the climacteric year of Mrs. Hillary Clinton. I wish she will have a good special event in her life. Hillary Clinton, me & the year of the Pig (you were right Marc). Okay, I hope all of my answers are useful and if anyone of you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask Ms. Julie Louis to send them to me. Best wishes, Tuan. Decoration for Tet Decoration for Tet became culture and some stuff could not be missing for that. Most of Viet people decorate their houses for Tet by using flower and bonsai. In the North of Vietnam, people have to have peach blossom on Tet. It could be small or big, a branch or a whole tree, but almost every house you come during Tet, they would have red or pink peach blossom. In the South of Vietnam, people have apricot blossom instead of peach blossom in the North. How about in Hue? I mean in the Centre? Both, apricot or peach blossom. But apricot blossom is more popular and more traditional than peach blossom. Today, however, people use both. Following are pictures on the apricot blossom tree of my family this year. (Be sure to click on the pictures for the larger view) Readers of this blog might know the story on the death of my fish and since then, the fish tank had been empty. I have set up a new fish tank for Tet, with 11 carps and some little colourful fishes, green light, white pebble and plastic seaweed.
We also got a couple of chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum is pretty popular on Tet and if you go to the flower-show, about 70% of the colour there are yellow and 99% of the yellow are from chrysanthemum. Here they are; sorry that the pictures were taken at night so pretty dark, but don't tell me you can't see the yellow...
This year, the very first time we have tulip in our house; very cute. They bloom and unfold in the daytime but fold at night, that's strange and interesting. Tulip flower smell so good...
I just miss orchid this year... New Year's Eve party Actually, I'm almost getting drunk while I'm typing this post so I may talk nonsense somewhere in this writing and please overlook that, eheheh... Today is New Year's Eve party day to me; my family had a party and at school, my department had party too. I've got back home from the party with my colleagues and I drunk pretty much so that's why I had to say sorry at the very first word of this post...
At the end of each year (all of the period of time that I mention in this post is on lunar calendar), the Viet people often have 2, no no, maybe 3 or 4 times to worship (you could say "party") and 2 of them are on the 25th of December (5 days away from Tet) (sorry, I was lying  ; 1 is often on the 23th of Tet, that is Kitchen God's worship; and 1 (New Year's Eve party) is usually on the 25th) or around that (some families have that earlier, some have later; my family's is today, the 23th). The first worship calls Kitchen God's worship. What does that mean? Each family in Vietnam has a Kitchen God at their kitchen; some families as mine have that at other place in the house; that depends on where is the "good" places to put the Kitchen God; my family? honestly, in... my room, eheheh I know, but I have had fun being with... him in my room . Normally, the Kitchen God lives with the family for almost whole year so he could know very well what have happened to the family, what's wrong with people living there and what they need, what are their difficulties, etc. And then, at the end of each year, he has to go up to the heaven to report to God on what he has learned; so God could know about that and do something to help people living on the earth better. So the purpose of Kitchen God's worship is that to say goodbye to the Kitchen God leaving the family to go back the heaven.This is a picture of my family's Kitchen God in... my room And then, the second worship is New Year's Eve party. My families and most of the others I think often have that party with 2 meanings; one is to close the old year and two is to wait for and welcome the ancestor coming back home for Tet (we say "to eat Tet"). Today, there still are some families do 2 different parties but my family always do one with 2 purposes and that's what we had today. Make sure you will take a look on the attached pictures at the bottom to see what we prepared and cooked and had for the party. And the following are some pictures to show you how we serve food at the worship. In addition, Viet people also worship right on the New Year's Eve (at midnight, at the hour that time moves from the old year to the new one) and on the 3rd of Tet, a worship to say goodbye to the ancestor. It will be better if I mention these worships in a later post. Some families would have another (yeah, another) worship to welcome back the Kitchen God from the heaven but my family have never had that. So Tet is coming, the biggest holiday of the Viet, the most important holiday of the Viet is coming. Tet = family reunion; people are coming back motherland, coming back home at this time of the year and I will try to show you how Tet smells. But I have to say bye for now. Hue wedding season You are going to marry; you are planning for your wedding and you are trying to have the most wonderful wedding which is a very special event of your life. But, yeah, the question is when is the perfect time to do that? what season is called wedding season?
When in Hue, we only have 2 seasons (not as lucky as some of you have 4 real seasons): the rains and dry season, it's hard to have a wonderful weather time for marriage. I went to the wedding of a colleague few days ago, it was raining so hard and it has been raining here for more than a week, non-stop. I saw people got wet arriving at the restaurant, including me. I was such standing on 2 basins of water when my shoes were soaking, of course no suit, no decking out, no cool hair style. So, the rains is out of my wedding season list. One of the things to know that raining season in Hue (from September to April) is not like it's raining in the morning and evening and stops in the afternoon. It still follows the rule which is raining and raining and raining all the time and even you don't see the sunlight during the season. It doesn't sounds good for wedding, does it? But in fact, from December to February, that time is wedding season here even it often rains hard at that time of the year. You know why people say that? cause that's the beginning of spring, the season of love (might be right at somewhere but not in Hue, I could say).
If when you think the rains is not the real wedding season in Hue, dry season is thought of. Don't rejoice hastily; Hue is famous for its severe weather conditions. Dry season? hot, even scorching and baking sun. Anyone wants to get marriage in Sahara or at the deserts somewhere, under the heat? No, of course no and dry season here definitely isn't wedding season. If my whole family (parents, me and sister) receive 30 or 40 or more wedding invitation cards during the rains, just 10 or the best is 15 invitation cards in the dry time. So as I said, there is not wedding season in a year here? "You are picky, Tuan". No no, if you put some ice (very cold water) into boiling water (I mean very hot water), you would have warm or cool water. Perfect! In August, September or April, May, when the season is changing from hot, dry to rain, cold or conversely, the weather is number one (Tuan says that). So take advantage of that to organize your wedding. I recommend that because I love that time of the year, eheheh. I will say April, May, August and September are the months of love in... Hue. But if you ask someone else, he or she will say that you should marry in wedding season, at the beginning of spring even though he or she may know Hue doesn't have the concept of "real spring" but just... forget then. If any of you have your wedding organized in Hue, I hope you will meet good weather (don't forget to invite me  ). My wedding? In April. But... I have not known what year yet. I need a girlfriend first.  Happy teacher's day Yes, it's Vietnamese teacher's day today; the day for honouring people who work for the education career. To me, this year is a bit different than the previous ones cause I am also a teacher beyond I need to express my thankfulness to my teachers as I did in the past years. Actually, when some one asks me how many teachers I have, I don't even know how to answer and maybe no one of you can know how many people who have taught you in your life. But I bet everyone can point out to some of your teachers who have the biggest influence on your life. Perhaps some of them stand at the big turning-points of your study process, some appear at the important changes of your life-work, even some have their role on your marriage...
I invited my two BIG teachers for dinner last night, as a chance to introduce them to my parents. It was such as a beautiful Sunday yesterday. I have done pretty well the final exam of the class that I don't really interested in and complained in the previous post. And then I had fun with my colleagues at my boss' place when we celebrate his new house. And a nice and warm dinner at my house. It's really a perfect day, isn't it?
Today, HUS did not celebrate teacher's day as big as they did in the previous years because we have had a supper big party and activities to celebrate the 30 years foundation anniversary last few weaks. We had a short meeting to say the congratulations to all teachers of the college. And we went back our Department and had talk with our students when they came to see us. It's funny to be both teacher and former student, that you have to drink wine for teacher as well as wine for student, that means you can get drunk easier. Thousands reasons for me as well as other ones to drink and I could not refuse. But anyway, we had fun in our day.
If you are a teacher too, I would love to say happy teacher's day to you. Even you are not from Vietnam and you don't celebrate the 20th of Nov, I still hope you had a good day today. All the best! Learn Tet Trung Thu The Mid-Autumn Festival (Traditional Chinese: 中秋節, Simplified Chinese: 中秋节; pinyin: Zhōngqiūjié; Korean: Ch'usǒk or Chuseok 추석/秋夕; Vietnamese Tết Trung Thu; Taiwanese Tion Chhiu; also known as the Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival, or the August Moon Festival. In Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia, it may be referred to as the Lantern Festival, similar in name to a different festival which falls on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year) is a popular Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty.
The Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Lunar calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian Calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. At this time, the moon is at its fullest and brightest, marking an ideal time to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the moon cake, of which there are many different varieties. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Lunar calendar (the other being the Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Asian family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. It is also common to have barbecues outside under the moon, and to put pomelo rinds on one's head. Brightly lit lanterns are often carried around by children. Together with the celebration, there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense, planting sweet-olive trees, lighting lanterns on towers, and fire dragon dances. Shops selling mooncakes, before the festival, often display pictures of Chang'e, floating to the moon. Dragon dance Moon cake Chang E Also from the trip to the countryside - The village images
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Larger view Larger view Larger view Hello Vietnamese Countryside !!! Something no one can explain The story begins with a strange thing that I have heard from people in my family. Three years ago, a hermitage in the countryside of my grandmom side vibrated when people were making ceremonial offerings for its owner who died more than 40 years ago, meanwhile no train or van running around there. Actually, it is the hermitage of my grandmom's brother. My uncle related that it was long time ago, when the American war was still happening in Vietnam. He was working for the Vietnamese military that was garrisoned in the forest at that time. Once, he came back home to visit family, and recognized a big banian tree on the courtyard of his house that could make the weak bamboo house falls down by its strong roots.
(The banian tree was next to the cement tank that you could see on the picture) And he decided to cut the tree down. But his grandmom did not allow him to do that because she said the tree is "the house" of his uncle who died few years before then. Then, he said "uncle could come in our house and stay there; if I don't cut the tree down, the house would fall down". And he cut the tree down as what he was going to do. Some neighbours came to take some firewood of the tree and they were sick for some days, that is what I heard from my uncle. But he was okay because he said, maybe uncle has never hurted his nephew. After that, he built a small and simple hermitage by wood instead of the tree and it was the new place for his uncle's soul. Everything went okay until the summer of the last three years. My grandmom saw the hermitage was too bad and asked her son to build a new one as well as repair the house... And the opening day of the new house and the new hermitage came. We organized a party to celebrate as the Vietnamese tradition.
(The house) (And the hermitage) When everyone was making ceremonial offerings, the hermitage suddenly vibrated. Water was shaking, the flower vase inside it was vibrating as there was someone is shaking it and the fruits fell down under the ground. But everything around there was still quite. Everybody scared a little bit and some of them (including many of my relatives) came and touched the hermitage and they felt it was shaking too. Even my grandmom and granddad (who died 3 years ago) who had never believed about religious and superstition, they were absolutely thunderstruck with what they were seeing. People kept praying and talked together that he (the owner of the hermitage) might be happy with the new "house" and he wants to let us know that he has known what is happening. The hermitage vibrated for about 45 minutes and has not vibrated again since then. I went to the countryside again this morning and came to visit that house where some of my relatives at my grandmom side are living there. Today is the dead anniversary of my grandmom's father. We brought a lot of things from Hue for the anniversary and relatives in the countryside did everything as the rule of a traditional anniversary meanwhile I have no idea about that. First, we came to visit the tombs of people in the family and weeded the areas around the tombs. Then, arranged the offerings in its right places and began making ceremony.
Vietnammese people believe that when they burn something, the dead people would receive it, so certainly, the paper offerings were sent to the dead relatives by burning.
The two nearest above pictures are on the tomb of my dad's uncle; a person that I have been related a lot but have never seen any picture on him. He is a very nice person and really loves his nephews and nieces but he is addicted to cigarette. He died in Hanoi and his remains was moved to Hue, his hometown afterward. The information on the headstone is that: Grave - Mr. Nguyen V. Dang - Died on 21st Dec Lunar calendar - Live to be 60 - Son: Ng. V. Chau - Daughter-in-law: Le T. Chau - Eldest grandson: Nguyen V. Hien - Built together - 1995. Back to the ceremony, we came back home to do the second one at home. The "procedure" is almost similar with what we did up to the hill, at the tombs.
We did talk about what happened with the hermitage 3 years ago and let see if it happens again this year or not but no, nothing was strange ... (Inside the hermitage this morning) When people were busy making ceremony, I was walking around the garden to get some vegetable to bring back Hue. Vegetable there is so good and safe because not pesticide. A neighbour called me to his garden when he saw me looking for the best vegetable to get and allowed me to get anything in his garden. That's great and I got a lot, enough for a week. Then he asked me coming in his house and take a picture for him because he saw I was wearing my camera. Certainly I said yes. He told me he want to have a picture with his mom who died already. He came to the altar and took a picture inside it out that is covered carefully by a big piece of cloth. That is his mom's picture. He put the picture up on the table and asked me to take a picture of him and that picture...
The next picture is on his grand daughter and her close friend. So, I have learned many new and interesting things through the trip to the countryside and I am going there again. The 8th of MarchHAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY !!!
Have you received any flower for this day? I am sure you have a lot. And this one is also for you ...
Wonderful day ! About my hometown.Hue
Hue is located in Thua Thien prefecture and is in the central part of Vietnam. Located 660 km from Ha Noi and 1080 km from Saigon, Hue has always been considered the fulcrum of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the Red river delta and the Mekong delta. Hue became the name of Vietnam's most well known ancient capital because of the local mispronunciation of the word Hoá in Thuâ.n Hoá.
Since the 16th century, Thuan Hoa, due to its strategic location, has been a very prosperous area. The Nguyen Lord chose this area to be their headquarters. Nguyen Anh made it Vietnam's capital city in 1802 after he defeated the Tay Son and ascended to the throne with the name Gia Long. King Gia Long (1762-1819) was credited for building and fortifying Hue from the very beginning. Since then, successive king of the Nguyen Dynasty has added to the foundation set by his predecessors. Cultural Heritage
Although Hue has sustained much damage from natural disasters and wars, the city and most of the architecture remain. As a capital city, Hue is relatively young since the Nguyen dynasty only ended some 50 years ago (1802-1945). Of the ancient capitals in Vietnam, Hue is the only one that still has the intact appearance of a complex of the monarchic capital consisting of walls, palaces, and royal tombs. Consequently, Hue is among Vietnam's most valued national treasure in terms of history and heritage.
In 1981, after visiting Hue, Mr. Amadou-Mahtar-M'Bow, then Director General of UNESCO proclaimed Hue to be "a masterpiece of urban poetry". On December 11, 1993, UNESCO's Director General, Federico Mayor acknowledged the Complex of Monuments of Hue to be a World Culture Heritage.
The Citadel
Based on the ancient practice of geomancy, the Citadel was designed and planned around the natural elements in the area north of the Perfume river. The complex faces southeast, taking Mount Ngu Binh (Royal Screen Mount) as a natural screen. Two islets in the Perfume river, Ta Thanh Long (Left Green Dragon) and Huu Bach Ho (Right White Tiger) play the role of sentinels for the Citadel. The construction of the Citadel took place from 1805 to 1832.
The Citadel is a square enclosure with a circumference of 10,000 m, a height of 6.6 m and a thickness of about 21 cm. The center of the wall is packed with dirt while the outer shell is built with bricks. There are ten gates to access the Citadel each with a two story watch tower. The gates are named according to their direction of exit. The southeastern gate is also known as Thuong Tu gate, The Eastern gate is also called Cua Dong Ba etc...The Citadel was built to accommodate 24 bastions with over 400 canons.
Ngo Mon - Midday Gate
Ngo Mon was constructed in 1833 during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. The gate leads to the Imperial Palace and was the observation point for the Emperor to review his troops and for ceremonial use.
Midday Gate is divided into two levels. At ground level, the gate actually has five entrances. The one in the center is used only by the king. On each side are two entrances used by mandarins, soldiers and horses. On the second level is Lau Ngu Phung - the Five-Phoenix Pavilion. The king reviewed his troops and subjects under the center hall of the pavilion. The roof of this hall is covered with gold enameled tiles. The two halls flanking the center hall were reserved for other members of the court. Dien Thai Hoa - Palace of Supreme Harmony
The Palace of Supreme Harmony houses the thrones of the 13 emperors in the Nguyen Dynasty from Gia long to Bao Dai. It was built in 1805. The palace and San Dai Trieu (Esplanade of Great Salutation) were the site for all major festivities such as Coronation Ceremony, the Emperor's birthday, and where the king held court during the first and fifteen day of the lunar month. On these occasions, the king sat on the throne located in the palace, and the mandarins lined the court according to their rank and title from first to ninth grade, civil mandarins on the left and military mandarins on the right.
The Royal Tombs of Hue
The Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) is the last of Vietnam's Royal families. In all, there were 13 kings, however, due various reasons, only seven had tombs. The seven imperial tombs were planned and constructed in a hilly region southwest of the Citadel. Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc, Duc Duc, Dong Khanh and Khai Dinh all had a tomb built. All tombs were constructed during the reign of the respective kings for which they were named. Each tomb was laid out with statues and monuments in perfect harmony with one another to form a poetically natural setting. The following elements were incorporated in all the tombs: walls, triple gate (Tam Quan Gate), Salutation Court, Stele House, temples, lakes and ponds, pavilions, gardens, and finally the tomb.
In 1957, Les Merveilles du Monde (France) published a list which included the royal tombs of Hue as part of the World's Wonders. Unfortunately, most of the artifacts in the tombs have been stolen by the French and local bandits. Minh Mang
The height of the Nguyen Dynasty was reached during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang (1820-1840). His tomb was built 12km from Hue in four years (1840-1843). The king had the plans drawn and the location chosen by the royal advisor, the mandarin Le Van Duc. The king passed away as construction commenced. His successor, the Emperor Thieu Tri sought the completion of the project.
It took ten thousand soldiers and artisans to complete the project. The tomb consists of about 40 monuments of various sizes; all lie within an oval shaped wall with a circumference of 2000m. A walk of about 700m in length bisects the interior of the complex into two equal halves. Along it are the Salutation Court, Stele House, Sung An Temple, Minh Lau Pavilion, and the tomb itself being at the very back of the complex.
Tu Duc
Born in 1829, Emperor Tu Duc had the longest reign of all in the Nguyen Dynasty. The King died in 1883 after 35 years on the throne. Built between 1864-1867, his tomb includes 50 monuments surrounded by a 1500m wall.
Emperor Tu Duc was an expert in eastern philosophy, history, and literature. He left 4,000 verses and 600 proses, yet during his reign he the king failed to gain the respect of the citizens. It was during the construction of his tomb that the soldiers and artisans rebeled and joined Ung Dao (a distant cousin of the king) in the attempt to overthrow the king. Being a romantic, the king immersed himself in the world he created at the site of his tomb. The king ordered the construction of his tomb to be a fairyland with poetical features, making it a lifetime dream and a world for his eternal life after death.
Architectural features of Tu Duc Tomb include poetry elements in free form. It was designed to blend with the natural setting of the landscape. Man-made elements were built and placed in strategic areas to achieve perfect harmony. Khai Dinh
Emperor Khai Dinh (1885-1925) ruled Vietnam for 9 years. His tomb took 11 years to complete. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1931. Under Khai Dinh, Western culture and influence began to seep into Vietnam. The king himself visited France in 1922. As a result, his tomb has many elements of Western architecture. In fact, of all the tombs, Khai Dinh's probably least resembles oriental architecture.
Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb is built using concrete, its roof with slates and the gate is made of wrought iron. The builder made use of the lighting rod and electricity is used to light the place. Beyond these modern building materials and designs, the tomb had elements of eastern art mixed with western designs.
Throughout the interior of the tomb, colored glass and ceramic chips were used to form mosaics of oriental design. The ceilings were hand painted much like the ceilings of western churches, but the designs were of dragons and clouds. In the book, 'Art Vietnamien', Emperor Khai Dinh's tomb was cited as an example of Vietnamese "neo-classicism".
Chua Thien Mu - Heavenly Lady Pagoda
According to legend, the people around this area used to see a vision of an old lady appearing on the hill where the pagoda now sits. Upon seeing people, she always said that someday a great leader would build a pagoda at this site to bring peace to the country. One day, when Lord Nguyen Hoang passed by this area, upon hearing the story, he ordered the construction of the pagoda in 1601. He named it Chua Thien Mu - Heavenly Lady Pagoda.
Overlooking the southwest bank of the Perfume river, the Pagoda has two sections. The front of the Pagoda can be accessed from the Perfume river and has the Phuoc Duyen tower which can be seen from many points in Hue. This area also houses the great bell which was cast in 1710. It also has the turtoise bearing a great stele carved in 1715.
The rear of the pagoda is the main hall where Buddha is enshrined. It is also an area where the monks of the temple live and practice Buddhism. The Pagoda was the center of Buddhism in central Vietnam. In 1963, in a defying act against the Diem regime, Thich Quang Duc burned himself in downtown Saigon. Today, the car that took him to Saigon is stored in the rear of Thien Mu Pagoda.
Hue in literature
Hue and the Perfume river have been the topic for many songs and works of literature. Because the city was built around the river, the lives of the people often revolve around this famous river.
To the Vietnamese people, Hue is always synonymous with romance and all that's beautiful. Hue is also famous for the school girls in their white Áo Dài - Vietnamese national dress, with their Tóc Thê - long flowing hair, and their Nón Bài Tho - a conical straw hat with a poem written inside that can only be read when held up to the light.
VEN Productions. Tet - the Vietnamese New Year. In 2006, Tet is on January 29. It is the year of the Dog. The national holiday lasts for the three days. However, in practice it can be longer, as many celebrations occur before this date in the south of Vietnam and after this date in the north of Vietnam.
The meaning of Tet
To regard Tet simply as New Year, as one would in the West, would display a poor knowledge of the people of Vietnam.
In spite of its impressive credentials, the Gregorian New Year has not been generally accepted in Vietnam, in the countryside in particular. Our people pay it a courteous homage but reserve their heart and soul for the traditional Tet.
Tet falls sometime between the last ten days of January and the middle part of February.
For a nation of farmers attached to the land for millennia, it has always been a festival marking the communion of man with nature. In the flow of seasons it is a pause during which both the field and the tiller enjoy some rest after twelve months of labor. In this period of universal renewal the Vietnamese man feels surging within himself a fountain of youth. That feeling explains many fine customs: in the New Year all action should be pure and beautiful for it may be an omen foretelling events in the twelve months that follow.
For three days, one takes extra care not to show anger and not to be rude to people. The most nagging mother-in-law will make peace with her daughter-in-law; a quarreling couple will smile pleasantly at each other; the new world should be the best of worlds. When the holiday ends, people will resume their activities in a new spirit following so-called opening rituals in which the ploughman will open the first furrow, the official applies his seal to the first document, the scholar trace the first character with his pen brush, the trader receives his first customer.
As a rule, all members of the extended family try to spend the holiday (the idiom used is to “eat Tet”) together under the same roof. Children vow to be well-behaved and are often given gifts of cash wrapped in red paper. Several times a day, joss-sticks are lit on the family altar and offerings made of food, fresh water, flowers and betel. Family graves are visited, generally, before the end of the ‘outgoing’ year; fences are mended and the burial mounds tidied up.
The Vietnamese Tet is an occasion for an entire people to share a common ideal of peace, concord and mutual love. I know of no communal celebration with more humanistic character.
"Cung chuc tan xuan"
Tet Nguyen Dan, is the lunar New year Festival and it is the most important Vietnamese holiday. Tet is the celebration of the beginning of spring as well as a new year. It is the time for family reunions, exchanging gifs, best wishes and the beginning of a new year.
"Phao no"
Literally, Tet Nguyen Dan means the first morning of the first day of the new period. Officially, it marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar. In reality, it is a friendly, festive, family holiday. Painstaking care is given to starting the year out right, since it is beleived the first day and the first week of the new year will determine the fortunes or misfortunes for the rest of the year. In order to start the new year right and set the best precedent, vietnamese houses are painted and cleaned. New clothes are purchased for the first day of Tet and old debts should be paid and great care is taken to avoid arguments. Families exchange visits. The first visitor to the house on the first morning of Tet is very important. Particular care is taken to arrange in advance to have the visitor be rich, happy, and pretigious.
The holiday is also observed by a family visit to the church or pagoda to pray for good fortune and happiness. A sprig of the yellow blossomed. HOA MAI, is used to decorate the home. Tet officially lasts for seven days and ends with LE KHAI HA ritual during which CAY NEU is taken down.
"Ao dai"
AO DAI leterally long dress, the women's national dress of Vietnam. It is a contoured, full-length dress worn over black or white loose-fitting trousers. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. There are many stylish variations in color and collar design. Originally, the ao dai was loosely tailored with four panels, two of which were tied in back. In 1932, a nationalistic literacy group called the Tu Luc Van Doan designed what is essentially now the ao dai. A similar costume is worn the men and is also called an ao dai. However, the mans'dress is shorter (knee length) and more loose-fitting. The color of the brocade and the embroidered dragon were worn only by the Emperor. Purple was the color reserved for high ranking mandarins while the blue was worn by those mandarins of lower rank. The dresses for mourning have frayed fringes a line up the back and may be either white or black, although white is the standard color for mourning.
"Le Tao Quan"
Feast of the Household Gods, this holiday falls on the twenty-third of the twelfth month of the lunar year. The holiday marks the day on which the chief guardian spirit of the kitchen returns to heaven to report on the activities of the family. A new spirit is then assigned to the household for the coming year to replace the previous one. On the day of Le Tao Quan, each family pays tribute to the kitchen God. This includes buring sacrificial gold paper and offering a fish )carp_ for him to ride om his journey to heaven.
"Le Giao Thua"
The transition hour between the old year and the new year. It is one of the most importamt times during the TET holidays. It occurs at the midnight hour on New Year's Eve. GIAO THUA is the time when a family ushers out the spirits of the old year, a ritual called LE TRU TICH. It is especially important to give a warm welcome to the Spirit of the Hearth, TAO QUAN, who has been to visit the Jade Emperor, Drums, gongs and firecrackers announced the hour of LE GIAO THUA.
"Cay Neu"
A bamboo pole (New Year's Tree) stripped of its leaves except for a tuft on top. Red papaer decorates the tree which is planted outside the house during the Tet holidays. It is supposed to ward off the evil spririts during absence of the Spririt of the Hearth who leaves the family at this time to visit the palace of the Jade Emperor.
"Cau Doi"
A literary art form of Chinese origin (parallel sentences). A cau doi, "sentence pair", consists of two sentences or lines. Each line corresponds with the other meaning as well as tone pattern and individual word meaning. The cau doi is usually used to convey good wishes on the Tet holidaya. It is highly specialized form of poetry.
Tet dates for upcoming years are: Pig 2007 February 18 (end of cycle), Rat 2008 February 7, Buffalo 2009 January 26, Tiger 2010 February 14, Cat 2011 February 3, Dragon 2012 January 23, Snake 2013 February 10, Horse 2014 January 31, Goat 2015 February 19, Monkey 2016 February 8, Rooster 2017 January 28, Dog 2018 February 16, Pig 2019 February 5 (end of cycle).
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