Overview of traditional festivals of Viet Nam

Formation and meaning of traditional festivals

Traditional festivals constitute a form of cultural activities, a spiritual product which the people have created and developed during the course of history. From generation to generation, the Vietnamese people preserve the fine tradition of “remembering the source while drinking water.” Festivals are events which represent this tradition of the community as well as honour the holy figures named as “gods” – the real persons in national history or legendary persons. The images of gods converge the noble characteristics of mankind. They are national heroes who fought against foreign invaders, reclaimed new lands, treated people, fought against natural calamities, or those legendary characters who affect the earthly life. Festivals are events when people pay tribute to divinities that rendered merits to the community and the nation.

Festivals are occasions when people come back to either their natural or national roots, which form a sacred part in their mind.

Festivals represent the strength of the commune or village, the local region or even the whole nation. Worshipping the same god, the people unite in solidarity to overcome difficulties, striving for a happy and wealthy life.

Festivals display the demand for creativity and enjoyment of spiritual and material cultural values of all social strata. Festivals become a form of education under which fine traditional moral values can be handed from one generation to the next in a unique way of combining spiritual characters with competition and entertainment games.

Festivals are also the time people can express their sadness and worries in a wish that gods might bestow favour on them to help them strive for a better life.

Process of festivals

Generally speaking, every festival will include the following three steps:

Preparation: The preparation work is divided into two phases: prior to the coming festive season and in the immediate time before the festive day. The preparation work for the coming festive season starts right after the previous festival comes to an end. When it is coming to the festive day, people need to check the worshipping objects, attires, decoration, and cleaning of the worshipping place and statues.

The festive day: Many activities take place, including rituals of procession, incense offering, and rejoicing games, among others. They form the most important and significant part of any festival. These activities also play a decisive role in attracting tourists and deciding the timing of the festival itself.

The ending of the festival: The organization board expresses their thanks to all festival goers and closes the worshipping place. 

Time for festivals

In Vietnam festivals often take place during the three months in spring and in autumn when people have a lot of leisure time. In addition, the climate in spring and autumn is especially suitable for holding festivals and for festivals goers to enjoy.

Central coastal city draws Russian tourists

From mid-March, the central coastal city of Danang will receive around 36,000 Russian tourists this year, according to the HCM City-based Anh Duong Tourism Company and Russian travel agency Pegas Touristik.

After the two popular destinations of Nha Trang and Mui Ne in the central coastal region, Danang is becoming a new destination favoured by Russian tourists.

Along with taking tourists to Danang, Pegas Touristik will continue to bring tourists to Nha Trang and Mui Ne through this summer, instead of only flying until May 2012 as scheduled. From the end of October 2011 to now, the Cam Ranh International Airport has welcomed 25,000 Russian tourists.

Deputy Director of the Danang Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism Nguyen Phuc Linh said that by 2015, Danang will need around 10,000 workers in the tourism sector to able to service the local tourism infrastructure system. However, tourism workers in the city now meet just one tenth of the real demand.

Currently, Danang has nearly 280 hotels with more than 8,660 rooms. In 2011 alone the number of hotel rooms increased by 2,500, and the city aims to have 17,000 rooms in 2015.

On February 11, the management board for Son Tra Peninsula and beaches in Danang kicked off programme “Spring Walk around Son Tra” with a series of sport and amusement activities and tours around the peninsula. In January 2012, 41,000 tourists visited Son Tra Peninsula, of which more than 40,000 were domestic tourists.

Bat Trang Pottery Village Then and Now

Bat Trang pottery village - a village about 500 years old ancient capital Hanoi is located approximately 10km south-east, on the left bank of the Red River, Bac Ninh province earlier this Gia Lam District, Hanoi suburb.

According to Vietnamese General Su Ky Toan Thu, the name Bat News Bat Trang commune appeared first in 1352. But by the time it took the Ly (1010-1225) People from Bo Bat commune in Ninh Binh province to settle in this land and named the Bat Trang commune. Bo Bat The reason people choose this area to settle because there is a white-clay a good material to produce ceramic products with high quality. Moreover, this land riverside News Second Red River will facilitate the communication, transportation and commodity exchange.

Since the product of Bat Trang pottery village was born of royal rank Elites in Thang Long to the farmer foot mud covered hands in the countryside are popular. Moreover, many everyday household items in Bat Trang beyond the borders of Vietnam. XV centuries, Bat Trang pottery festival in tribute to the emperor of China-where the ceramic tradition for thousands of years ago and is known throughout the world. From then on, any time, whether or popular thinking, the Bat Trang pottery village has confirmed the value of their goods, pottery still survive and overcome all challenges.

Since several decades, the vitality of traditional villages still be blown up by thousands of pottery kilns burning day and night. Currently, the Bat Trang pottery was not used much coal, straw or wood burning stove that was used for industrial furnaces fired by gas, limit the environmental pollution and also reduce the amount of waste products.

According to the artisans of the village, common themes of Bat Trang products are dragon, phoenix, verses on, patterns, scenes of people, landscape flowers, nature scenes ... all reflect the spiritual life and philosophy of the people of Vietnam.

From previous centuries, Bat Trang mostly worship. Later, Bat Trang has many household items, most popular bowls, plates, pots, vases, cups warm. And today, Bat Trang has many items of diverse types and styles, including items such as disk wall art, vases, animals, statues and reliefs version with technical and high technology. The collection of Bat Trang ceramics have reached the pinnacle of the art manufacturing techniques and ceramics in Vietnam.

Bat Trang ceramics products not only popular in the country but also exported to many countries around the world since 1990 as Japan, Korea, USA and the EU member countries. Many ancient ceramics of Bat Trang is stored in a number of major museums around the world as the Royaux museum-Belgium, the Guimet Museum in France.

Mr. John S. Guy worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum-London has appreciated about Bat Trang during the Ly-Tran and pottery that Vietnam was said to be independent of the people of Vietnam. He also said, Bat Trang pottery ancient fruit is the pride of Vietnam and the image of Bat Trang people work hard will be celebrated in his memory.

Since 2002, Bat Trang artisans began to link production and consumption through the Bat Trang Ceramics Association. The association's members are not only producing household ceramics, but also the ceramics companies. Through association, the Bat Trang have the opportunity to learn, obtain information about the market, the new knowledge in ceramic production technology, trade and part-time modes of electronic commerce and how to improve competitiveness competition.

Recently, Bat Trang ceramics Association has established the Centre for Bat Trang Export Promotion and conduct branding "Bat Trang Vietnam, 1,000 years of tradition."

Bat Trang now on, visitors will find an ancient village of Bat Trang-exist in parallel with a Bat Trang-urban. Traditional and modern mix both in thinking production and business of pottery as well as the appearance of Bat Trang pottery village.

Every year, Bat Trang village festival is held on February 15 (lunar calendar) and lasts seven days.

Hanoi city

Natural conditions

Geographical location: Hanoi is located in the Red River Delta, adjacent to the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc in the north, south, Ha Nam and Hoa Binh provinces east of Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen west of Hoa Binh and Phu Tho provinces.

Hanoi is located on the right bank of Da river and both sides of Red River, the location and favorable terrain for a political, economic, cultural, scientific and important traffic hub of Vietnam.

Climate:

From November to March is winter after years of dry weather. Winter temperatures average 15.2 º C. Between the two seasons it has two transition period (April and October) to Hanoi should have four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Four seasons change makes weather season Hanoi has its own beauty. Sightseeing season best is autumn in Hanoi. Part of the Ha Tay terrain (old) merged with Hanoi, has specific characteristics should form the sub-climatic regions: mountainous, hilly and plain. But in general the weather differences and disparities between the local temperature of Hanoi now are not large.

Topography:

Hanoi has two types of terrain is hilly and plain. Mainly plain terrain belongs to the old Hanoi and some eastern districts of Ha Tay (old), about 3 / 4 natural area, located on the right bank of Da river, Red River and two tributaries of River. Most of hilly terrain in the territory of the district of Soc Son, Ba Vi, Quoc Oai, German American. Some peaks, such as Ba Vi 1.281m; Racks for 707m, 462m Chim Chan, Thanh Lanh 427m; Thien Tru 378m, 334m Ba statue, Soc Son 308m, 245m Mount Boc; Education Spirit 294m ...

Rivers:

Hanoi is located next to the two major rivers in the north: the Da River and Red River. 1.183km long Red River from Yunnan (China) down. Then through Hanoi Red River 163km long (about 1 / 3 length on the ground in Vietnam, about 550km. Besides the two major rivers, the area of Hanoi there are rivers: Duong, Cau, Ca Lo, Day, Nhue , Tich, To Lich, Taurus, Bui.

Lake marshes in the area of Hanoi there. The famous lake in Hanoi such as West Lake, Truc Bach, Hoan Kiem, Thien Quang, Bay Mau. Dozens of lake marsh belongs to the old Hanoi: Ho Kim Lien, Lien Dam Lake, Van Tri swamp ... and several large lakes in the territory of Ha Tay (old): Ngai Son - Dong Mo, Suoi Hai, Cat Gu, Xuan Khanh, Tuy Lai, Quan Son ...

Population:

Tet flower market

04.01.1999 According to the data resident in Hanoi and Ha Tay (old) mainly ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) account for 99.1%, other ethnic groups: Dao, Muong, Tay accounting for 0.9 %. In 2006 also in Hanoi and Ha Tay (old) of urban residents accounted for 41.1% and the proportion of rural residents was 58.1%, accounting for 50.7% rate of women and men is 49.3 %. The average population density across the city today is persons/km2 1875, residents of the agricultural production of about 2.5 million people.

Transportation:

From Hanoi, can travel across the country by other means of transport are convenient.

-Air: Noi Bai International Airport (located in the territory of Soc Son district, Hanoi center approximately 35 km). Gia Lam Airport, which is the main airport in Hanoi from 70 years before the 20th century. Now is the heliport for air services, including travel services.

-Roads: Automobiles inter-provincial bus station from the South, Gia Lam, Luong Yen, groundwater, My Dinh radiate throughout all parts of the country by the National Highway 1A through North - South; highway 2 to Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen travel Highway 3, Cao Bang, National Highway 5 to Hai Phong, Quang Ninh Highway 6 to Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau ...

-Railway: Hanoi is the traffic hub of five railroads in the country. There are railway to Beijing (China), to many European countries.

- Waterway: Hanoi is an important transport hub for ferry travel Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Vietnam Tri; Ben Ham Tu Quan went Pha.

Culture - Tourism

Hanoi now has over 4,000 relics and landscapes, which ranked 900 countries around the relics and scenic spots (hundreds of relics and scenic spots will be merged from Ha Tay and Me Linh) with hundreds of temples, temples, architecture, famous landscapes.

Hanoi is a big tourism center in Vietnam. Guests have the opportunity to explore many cultural structures - the art of construction over many generations, throughout the process of national construction and defense. The natural scenic beauty and charm; the craft villages existed for hundreds of years, these traditional festivals - cultural product crystallized many spiritual values ... will be the attractive tourism product.

Not Hanoi in late 20th century there were so many conditions that have long, from the days of King Ly Thai To moved his capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Dai La to Thang Long capital established in July Canh Tuat (1010), in "Screening moved his capital," the enlightened king Ly dynasty (1010-1225) at the same time enlighten Thang Long - Hanoi has shown.

Ngoc Son Temple

The temple was built on Ngoc island in Hoan Kiem Lake with Tower Pen, Radio Research, Huc Bridge (bridge park the morning light), Dac Nguyet floor (floor is white), Tran Ba families (families waves) and Temple main clusters of historic architecture - the art and beauty, landscapes typical of the capital.

Dao Ngoc Son ancient statue known as Er (elephant ears), King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long named Jade Statue, to the Tran Ngoc Son changed.

Legend has it that, at the mound in the reservoir rock, is the first female in this dance. Le King, Lord Trinh also built Khanh Thuy Ngoc Son in place of amusement. At the end of Le, Ngoc Son Pagoda Buddhist construction. To the Nguyen Dynasty, Wenchang temple converted - Imperial Army, then worship is dynamic coordination Tan, The Empire (ie, Quan Van Truong), Buddha Amitabha and especially general Tran Hung Dao. This represents the three religions co-existing notions of the Vietnamese.

In the eighteenth Tu Duc (1865), Nguyen Van Sieu scholars to reconstruct the temple stood. New Temple fix up more land and build stone embankment around, Tran Ba home construction, a bridge from the east coast north to the bridge called The Huc.

Old monopoly on the mountain, he built a stone tower, brush the top of the tower, tower body is carved three words "Ta Thanh Thien" (write on blue sky), which is now known Tower Pen. Next door is a book called the Radio Research, a research on a set of ink stone peach half lengthwise duo, featuring teams of three frogs. Research engraved on a card about the use of the research level in terms of philosophy. Later hailed as: The Best Family radio pen.

Port from outside the walls into two sides, one side of the table dragon, a tiger inside a table, represents the noble two tables giving the names of people pass, giving the artist more and try to go through e-learning .

Huc bridge name means beautiful retain the sun's light. Huc bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple Gate, also known as Dac Nguyet Lau (floor is white) shade tree that, in the middle of a luxuriant vegetation, like water rising from below.

The main temple consists of two star connected, the first temple to the north and worship Van Xuong Tran Hung Dao. Object placed on a pedestal in the harem of about 1 meter high rock, the two sides have two stone stairs. Wenchang statue stood, holding a pen. The southern house Tran Ba (strike wave - indicating that the pillars stand between the wave unfair contemporary culture). Family square with eight roofs, two-story roof support columns, eight, four stone column, four columns of wood.

Although the temple is a new architecture, but Ngoc Son Temple is a typical spatial and architectural artifacts. The combination of the temple and the lake has created an overall architecture Heaven - Human merge, creating the ancient beauty, harmony, posted on the temple and lake, conjure the feeling of stained between man and nature . The temple and the lake has become the evidence recall the nostalgia of the nation's history, awaken legitimate pride, patriotism, and spirituality, a sense of Vietnam before the survival of the nation . (Source: Hanoi Tourism Department)

Hanoi Citadel

Ancient City is located in a fairly large campus, west Hoang Dieu ward, eastward, Nguyen Tri Phuong, Tran Phu Street south, the northern limit by Phan Dinh Phung street, Ba Dinh District.
In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved his capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long, the court was built and expanded in the next monarch. Thang Long was planning a "hub fortresses" with three rounds of nested. Forbidden City, or the Long Phuong Ly - Tran in the end, the palace area. Citadel in the mid-market economic encase the people in the east. Outermost band is La La formation or the University. In 1805, the Nguyen Dynasty built the Hanoi area was retained as the Forbidden City in the provision for the king travel north every week. French, when out of Hanoi, the French do well to keep this area commander of the military establishment.
In ancient structures left over after the French out of Hanoi, from south to north include the following items: flag tower, the door Doan Mon, the electric glass Thien Hau Lau and North Mon doors.
Doan Mon door is the only building preserved in general, including a two-storey gazebo, on the eighth floor roof, the entrance includes a large opening in the door. Above the main entrance, south side of the "Doan Mon. Currently Doan Mon relatively intact.
Athletics Thien, electricity was out in 1886 for building the artillery commander (French Army). We just left the platform with two rows of stone balustrades stone dragon in the middle, two rows of carved stone balustrades two parties in the south, the north also has a dragon decorative stone steps. Thien Tam level in athletics at the men have all 10 levels, seven places in the north is due to the large stone composite.
Miss Lau, also known as Princess Floor, built of brick, the bottom of the box, on a three-story buildings. Floor under a roof three floors, two floors above the roof.
North Gate, is two trapezoid shape that is triangular, arched his heart of brick, stone embankment edge of the rectangle, decorated valances on the stone lotus. North door sign Han wrote "The North Mon. Besides the well attached to a carved stone plaque dated 25-4-1882 howitzer ammunition and two traces - traces of the war with France. Gate remains, on the gazebo at the city gates were affected out. The city has again to restore the gazebo looks imposing, mature is its capital.
In the monuments on the scale but not great architecture, but along with the relics lie below ground evidence of a political center, the capital of the country for almost thousand years of history.
In the south of the ancient city of Hanoi, remains part of the architecture of the first universities in Vietnam: Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam start up in early XI century during the Ly dynasty.

Special food in the North

Pho (Rice noodle soup)

Pho, a typical dish of Hanoi people, has been existing for a long-time.

Pho is prepared not only in a sophisticated manner but also in the technique which is required to have sweet but pure bouillon, soft but not crashed noodle, soft and sweet-smelling meat.

Only in cold days, having a hot and sweet-smelling bowl of Pho to enjoy, would make you experience the complete flavor of the special dish of Hanoi.

 Bun thang ("Ladder" soft noodle soup)

Dishes made of soft noodle soup are diverse such as vermicelli and fried chopped meat, Bun Thang, vermicelli and sour crab soup, stewed vermicelli and boiled lean meat, etc. The popular dish is vermicelli and sour crab soup whilst Bun Thang is for con-noisseurs, unique and available in Hanoi only. A bowl of Bun Thang includes lean pork paste, thin fried egg, salted shredded shrimp, chicken, onion, shrimps paste, and a little Belostomatid essence. Especially, Bun Thang bouillon made from shrimps and meat must be very sweet and pure. Without enjoying Bun Thang when arriving to Hanoi, it somewhat seems to lack of a part of taste of Hanoi.

 Mon oc (Snail dish)

Snail dish is a popular but unique dish of Hanoi people. It is easy to order some dishes like snail steamed with ginger leaf, gingered snail, snail sauted with carambola, snail boiled with lemon leaf, snail steamed with Chinese herbs, and so on, in many small restaurants, restaurants, and even hotels.

However, vermicelli and snail sour soup is the most attractive to young ladies because of brittleness by snails, the slightly sour taste by snail soup, and hot by chilly boiled down, making even gorged people keep eating.

 Com (Grilled green rice)

Every autumn, around September and October, when the cool north-westerly wind brings a cold dew, the sticky rice ears bend themselves into arches waiting for ripe grains because these rice grains are at their fullest and the rice-milk is already concentrated in the grains, predicting that the com season has arrived.

Better than any other person, the peasant knows when the rice ears are ripe enough to be reaped to begin making com. Com is made from green sticky rice that is harvested in blossom period, roasted in many times, crashed and sieved.

Com is a speciality; at the same time, it is very popular. One can enjoy com with tieu ripe banana. When eating com, you must eat slowly and chew very deliberately in order to appreciate all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice.

Com is an ingredient also used in many specialities of Vietnam, including com xao (browned com), banh com (com cakes), che com (sweetened com soups), etc.

Com may be obtained anywhere in the North of Vietnam, but the tastiest com is processed in Vong Village, 5km from Hanoi, where com making has been a professional skill for many generations.

 Cha ca La Vong (La Vong grilled fish pies)

Cha ca La Vong is a unique specialty of Hanoi people, therefore one street in Hanoi was named as Cha Ca Street.

Cha ca is made from mud-fish, snake-headed fish, but the best one is Hemibagrus (Ca lang). Fish bone is left away to keep fish meat only, then seasoning, clipping by pieces of bamboo, and frying by coal heat. An oven of coal heat is needed when serving to keep Cha ca always hot. Cha ca is served with roasted peanuts, dry pancakes, soft noodle soup, spice vegetables and shrimps paste with lemon and chilly.

The Cha ca La Vong Restaurant on No.14 Cha Ca Street is the "ancestor restaurant" of the dish.

 Banh cuon (Rolled rice pancake) 

Banh cuon is popular to Vietnamese as disk for breakfast. The cake preparing process includes grilled rice which is steamed and oil-spread to have sweet-smelling. Banh cuon is prepared available. Leaves of cake put on plate as the customers ask for the disk. The cake is called Banh cuon Thanh Tri due to its origin is Thanh Tri Village of South Hanoi. Besides Banh cuon Thanh Tri, there is rolled rice pancake with the filling of the cake is made from minced pork mixed with Jew's ears and thin-top mushrooms. The cake, placed on plate, serve with salted shredded shring and fried dry onions. The customers immediately experience the disk as it is just finished and stilI very hot.

It is the sauce of the cake that fascinates the customers. The cake-makers have their own know-how, some of them prepare Banh cuon with Belostomatid essence to have sweet -smelling to attract to the customers.

 Lon quay Lang Son (Lang Son roasted pork)

Anyone who arrives in Lang Son Province could find it difficult to say no to Lon quay dish. Lon quay Lang Son is delicious for many reasons, however, the main specific taste of the dish comes from the unique flavor of a kind of leaf called "Mac mat" (meaning "sweet leaf"). The leaf is soaked with spices, fish sauce, glutamate, flavoring powder, then stuffed into clean pig belly and placed on reverted furnace. Pig is fried the spread with watery honey so as to make the skin turn golden and brittle, and pork is soft and sweet-smelling as finish.

 Banh tom Ho Tay (Ho Tay fried shirmp cake)

All people who used to live in Hanoi are familiar with Banh tom Ho Tay Restaurant on the Thanh Nien (Young) Street. The cake preparing process includes wheat flour mixed with potato fibres, placing on shape with shrimps upper, then fried with oil. The cake is brittle, soft, sweet-smelling, and served with vegetable pickles and sweet and sour fish sauce for best taste.

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