Hanoi capital will open 65 flower markets On the Tet Nguyen Dan 2013 this year, the municipal People’s Committee announced yesterday. Accordingly, 21 flower markets will be located in the inner city and the rest will be in the outskirts. 

 

 

Traditional flower markets that continue to show off their beauty and colours include the market at the intersection of Hang Luoc and Hang Ma streets in Hoan Kiem District, Quang An flower market in Tay Ho District and the nearby market at Xuan Dieu Street and Nghi Tam International Village. These markets attract a huge number of visitors each year.

This year, the city will also establish flower markets in public places such as Bach Thao Park (or Ha Noi Botanic Garden) and Thong Nhat Park to provide an ideal place for sightseeing and to avoid traffic congestion.

Tay Ho District alone, the home of traditional Tet ornamental plants including dao (peach) and quat (kumquat), will have four flower markets.

Most people cannot stand the thought of their partners even talking to their exes, let alone socializing with them. But things are different in a small community of Vietnam. A yearly ‘love market’ of sorts is held in the hillside village of Khau Vai, 500km north of Hanoi, near the border with China

It takes place each year, on the 26^th and the 27^th of the third month of the lunar calendar. During these two days, hundreds of ex-lovers from various hill tribes like Nung, Tay, San Chi, Lo Lo, Dzao, Giay and Hmong are reunited. They trek in from various mountainous districts nearby to be able to spend two days with the ones they could not spend their lives with.

This concept might sound extremely unusual to us, and there might be every possibility of a cat-fight breaking out if this unique love festival was held anywhere else in the world. But the people of Khau Vai have a strong reason for the celebrating their love market. It has been a part of their tradition for centuries, originating from a local legend. The story is rather sad – an ethnic Giay girl from Ha Giang had fallen for a Nung boy from Cao Bang., but she is said to have been so beautiful that her tribe did not want her to marry a man from another community. What followed was a bloody war between the two tribes.

As the lovers witnessed the tragedy that surrounded their lives, they decided to part ways in the greater interest of peace. But their love did not die there. A secret pact was made between the lovers to meet each other once a year in Khau Vai– on the 27^th day of the third Lunar month. The tradition is still being carried on today. On the designated days of the festival, local artists decked up in colorful clothes reenact this tale of forbidden love.

Some might dismiss the lovers’ rendezvous that happen in Khau Vai as short flings, but in reality things are very different. The villagers view it as a time to go down memory lane, cherishing happier moments of their past. Lau Minh Pao, for instance, gets to meet his old flame and talk to her once a year. “In the past, we were lovers, but we couldn’t get married because we were far apart,” says Pao. “Now we pour our hearts out about the time when we were in love. We meet together to re-tell the tale of how it was when we were in love back then.” Pao’s wife has no problems with this, as she is off meeting her ex-lover at the very same time. This is a typical scenario for most people of these hills.

Over time, however, the tradition has taken on a more modern feel. The young plan dates via text messages and take pictures on their mobiles. The village itself is more accessible because of new roads. 23-year-old Hua Thi Nghi, an ethnic Giay, says “The young generation now go out together and find each other, and it’s more modern, freer and clearer. Back in the old days, our grandparents had to pursue love in secret, not like today.”

The Khau Vai love market is now so popular that it has become a tourist attraction for domestic and foreign visitors. Some of the other activities at the festival are a trade-tourism fair and a performance on the ritual of rain-worship of the ethnic Lo Lo people. There is also a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing the festival as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage.’ Folk games such as shuttlecock, Ferris wheel, see-saw and cock-fighting are a part of the love market as well. Local cuisine and the beautiful highland girls in their traditional costumes are an added attraction. Nowhere else in the world has an entire festival been created around the simple act of meeting one’s ex-lover, with no awkwardness whatsoever.

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The 2013 Hue Traditional Craft Festival will take place in central Thua Thien-Hue province from April 27 to May 1. 

The biennial festival will draw artisans from craft villages in Thua Thien-Hue, and cities and provinces across the country. The event will showcase traditional crafts, including weaving, pottery, Hue enamel, wood and bamboo handicrafts, lacquer, embroidery and paper flowers.

A seminar looking at the role of craft villages in tourism development will be held, during which researchers, scientists and artisans will evaluate the development of traditional crafts and craft villages.

The touring exhibition, France ’s Metamorphoses, will introduce five French textile techniques at the festival.

International designers and artisans, including Francoise Hoffmann (France), Patis Tesoro (the Philippines) and Kinor Yang (Hong Kong), will join renowned Vietnamese designer Minh Hanh in a fashion show.

A street festival, gastronomy demonstrations, and traditional games will also take place during the five-day event.

(Source: VNA)

Located about 8 km from the centre of the capital city of Hanoi, Trieu Khuc Village launches its spring festival on the 9 th day of the first lunar month of each year.

The focal points of Trieu Khuc Village’s festival are the two communal houses, i.e. Dinh Sac and Dinh Dai, the former housing the imperial honours conferred on the village genie by different dynasties and the latter, a little bigger, being the place of worshipping Bo Cai Dai Vuong Phung Hung as the titulary genie (the 8th century).

The Trieu Khuc Festival is held on the 9th to the 11th days of the first lunar month of the year. On the 9th day, the villagers solemnly gather at Dinh Sac to celebrate the ceremony of “Nhap Tich” (Naturalization), praying for permission to launch the festival from Bo Cai Dai Vuong. The procession parades from Dinh Sac to Dinh Dai, with a palanquin demonstrating the imperial robe of Emperor Phung Hung.

The rituals that take place at Dinh Dai are called “Te Hoan Cung”. The participants all wear attires made from the fabrics woven and embroidered with great sophistication by the villagers themselves. Amidst the festive atmosphere, the village troupe called “Doi Mua Bong”, consisting of one or two pairs of males disguised as females in colourful skirts and with heavy makeup, perform traditional dances to the melodious rhythm of the bells and drums played by an octet.

After the formal ceremony, the visitors may have a chance to watch festive games like the unicorn dance, wrestling, traditional operetta, etc.Trieu Khuc still preserves its village treasure: the Dragon Dance. Also, as the legend goes, this dance came into being when the villagers built the altar house to worship Bo Cai Dai Vuong Phung Hung.

The dance always gets an original start that cannot be found elsewhere (all males in the village are capable of performing this dance). The reputation of the Trieu Khuc Dragon Dance troupe is so widespread that it is more often than not requested to give performance at virtually all the grand festivities nationwide.

An original dance performance at the Triều Khúc Village Festival

On the morning of the 10th day, it is the villagers’ jubilant celebration at Dinh Dai. As the legend goes, it is a kind of ceremony to commemorate the coronation of Bo Cai Dai Vuong Phung Hung, when he ascended to the throne. And on the 11th day, the last day of the village fete, the villagers hold the closing ceremony.

Then comes the Flag Dance, which is believed to symbolize the Emperor’s selection of his brass hats to fight the invaders. The Flag Dance is alive with the fluttering of the flags, the beating of the bells, the gongs, and the drums, the blowing of the horns to mark the military march to the front of the impressive and valiant armies.

A large flag is hoisted up in the front yard of the communal house.  Then two armies, well equipped with shields and spears, lances and scimitars, clubs and cudgels run to the front from two different directions, making a circle and then heading for the paddy fields, always turning to each other, face to face, coming to a halt only when they meet each other at the main axis on the yard.

They wield their arms, flourishing and brandishing them while coming back to the communal house and forming a closed circle, to the rhythm of the animated drumbeats and the noisy acclaim of the spectators. After that, all the actors of the Unicorn, the Dragon, the Flag Dances, the wrestlers as well as the villagers bow low to Him to bid goodbye to Him, and then share together the offerings of fruits and rice cakes, boiled pork and chicken, all tokens of their wealth and prosperity.

Source: VietNamNet/VNP

The northern province of Hai Duong on September 13 held a ceremony to start the Kiep Bac - Con Son Autumn Festival 2011 in commemoration of the death anniversary of national hero General Tran Hung Dao.

General Tran Dung Dao is one of the most revered men in Vietnam ’s history for his leading role in the country’s victory over the three invasion wars by the Mongolians in the 13 th century. He passed away on August 20 (Lunar calendar) in 1300.

This year’s festival is taking place from September 12-15 (the 15 th to 18 th day of the 8 th lunar month), featuring many traditional ceremonials such as Cao yet ceremony (ceremony for opening the temple), Khai an ceremony (ceremony of conferring seals), incense offering ceremony and walking procession. 

One of the most expected events in the festival is a boat race in which hundreds of boats will re-enact the spectacle scene when the General lined up his 200,000 troops and 1,000 warships on the Luc Dau River urged along by drumming sounds and the screaming of excited people.

A ceremony to pray for peace and a night festival to float flower garlands and coloured lanterns on Luc Dau River will take place on Sept. 14.

Together with the rituals, there are also cultural, sports and entertainment activities, including wrestling, cock-fighting and chess competitions, boat race, dance performances, cheo (traditional opera) and quan ho (love duets) singing.

(Source: VNA)

This year, the annual Khau Vai festival from April 14-17 in Meo Vac District, northern Ha Giang Province, will be bigger than ever, Tran Kim Ngoc, vice chairman of the district People’s Committee and head of the festival’s organising board, told Viet Nam News.

Young women and men prepare their most beautiful costumes for the coming festival at Khau Vai Love Market, where parted lovers forced apart meet once a year has become the venue for a festival featuring many cultural activities.

“The market attracts many tourists to the region who readily join in cultural activities in search of the local character,” Ngoc said.

“This year’s festival will be held alongside Culture and Tourism Week to introduce visitors to the most unique features of the region and to promote culture and tourism,” he added.

While authorities expect that organising the festival imposingly would help promote tourism, tourists express worry that the noisy festival with outsiders may damage traditional culture and custom of the locals.

Glenn Phillips, from Australia, twice visited the love market and enjoyed learning about Mong culture and other hill tribe people. He and his friends drank a lot of ruou ngo (maize wine) and even picked up some ethnic words.

Admiring the beautiful landscape, Phillips expressed concern that the number of large tour groups visiting the love market could have an impact on culture.

“I think authorities should look to the love market in Sa Pa, northern Lao Cai Province, as an example of how tourism can damage cultural experiences,” he said.

“The days when young men and women would meet there and fall in love are long gone, because there are just too many tourists with cameras nowadays,” he explained, “Authorities in Ha Giang Province should learn from this mistake, and work with the local people to protect their living culture.”

Ngoc said locals participating in the love market naturally feel a need to make a date and meet each other, taking full advantage of the day to have fun.

Men often carry pigs to the market, and even though they might fail to sell it, they still have a great time, he added.

“The Khau Vai love market used to be known as a place for parted lovers, but now, it’s also a rendezvous point for young men and women who come to find partners.”

“They come to the market and sing and dance to entertain each other. I guarantee that all ethnic people welcome tourists to join in their performances,” Ngoc said.

During the four-day festival, tourists will be treated with cultural programmes including a Lo Lo ethnic ceremony to pray for rain, a Mong pan-pipe demonstration, a beauty contest presenting traditional costumes and an art performance in which artists play out the traditional love story.

“The people not only pray for rain, but also for prosperity and happiness,” Ngoc said, “On the occasion, they meet each other and exchange experience in farm works.”

Besides nightingale and bull fighting, a goat fighting competition will also be held for the very first time.

“The Stone Plateau, covering the main part of Ha Giang Province, is an attractive destination, but brings locals much difficulty in cultivation and production, with most remaining poor,” Ngoc noted.

“We expect that by attending the festival, tourists will appreciate the culture, tradition and moral strength of locals,” he added.

The Love Market convenes once a year on the 27th day of the third lunar month based on the love story of a couple from different tribes. A violent conflict broke out between the two sides to oppose their marriage. To stop the bloodshed, the two lovers sorrowfully decided to part, but planned to meet once a year at Khau Vai, which became the meeting place for those in love but unable to marry as well as those in search of partners.

On market day, both wives and husbands attend in search of their respective exes without the interference of jealousy seeing as exchanges remain strictly temporary.

Phillips, who works for Explore Indochina, recommended that local authorities talk to locals who traditionally attend the love market about how they feel about tourists and work with them to manage tourism.

“As access to mountainous areas improves, there will inevitably be cultural change, but local authorities should make sure that the local people have some degree of self-determination over the impact of tourism on their lives, culture and history,” he said.

Preparations for the festival commenced several months ago, according to Nguyen Chi Thuong, chairman of Meo Vac People’s Committee.

The festival will feature food and drink culture, song performances and folk games, ethnic costumes, jewellery and local music instruments alongside culture and art publications.

Tourists will be charmed by specialities including mint honey, men men (steamed maize meal), thang co (horse meat, beef, bones and viscera cooked together), dried beef and vegetables.

Posters and banners introducing the festival will be presented in Vietnamese and English in an effort to lure both domestic and foreign tourists.

Held at the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture and Tourism Village in Dong Mo tourist area, 40km from Hanoi, the 9-day festival has stunned visitors by displaying Chinese goods next to the traditional products and handicrafts of the ethnic minority groups.

Opened on April 19, the Vietnam Ethnic Groups Cultural Festival  promises to be a good chance to promote the cultures of 13 ethnic groups from eight cities and provinces in the north, centre and south of Vietnam. Yet, many of the event’s shortcomings have greatly disappointed the visitors.

Held at the Vietnamese Ethnic Groups Culture and Tourism Village in Dong Mo tourist area, 40km from Hanoi, the 9-day festival has stunned visitors by displaying Chinese goods next to the traditional products and handicrafts of the ethnic minority groups.

Moreover, many televisions and speakers at the venue blasting out infomercials about the minority communities only detract from already weak ethnic ambience of the festival.

Most disappointingly, the performance of ethnic music falls far short of the visitors’ expectations. Instead of performing traditional music instruments to liven up the festival and draw visitors, local artists only performed for a camera crew. After staffs of a local television station finished their filming, the artists stopped playing the music even though many visitors asked them to continue.

In addition, the choice of venue is also a disappointment to the visitors. Established in 2010, the Ethnic Groups Culture and Tourism Village has but a few constructions to showcase the ethnic minorities’ cultures, besides some bamboo houses which have been damaged due to termites.

The village’s managing board said that the houses were built on the same design and materials of ethnic people’s houses, and they were “planning to repair the houses with more durable materials.”