Whale worship started from a folk belief harbored by fishermen seeking help from the gods to endure the arduous days spent at sea, but over time, it grew to become one of the most prominent spiritual practices of Vietnam’s fishing communities, especially in Phan Thiết. This reverence of whales reflects the people’s fervent passion for…
Category: Publishes
The Northern Delta culture in the Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival.
Every mid-September in the lunar calendar, the village of Hanh Thien (Nam Dinh) celebrates the Keo Pagoda Festival. This tradition holds significant importance in the community’s life, deeply ingrained in the consciousness of every resident of Hanh Thien. With deep-rooted cultural customs reflecting the agricultural lifestyle of rice cultivation, the Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival…
In suburban Hanoi, with summer comes the red-purple cascade of mulberries
In suburban Hanoi, this is the season when mulberry branches heavy with bright red fruits dangle in the summer wind. The sunshine of April arrived with blasts of sweltering heat, dispelling the waterlogged curtain of March’s humidity. It was officially summer in Hanoi, a time for countless types of fresh fruits to showcase their vivid…
The century-old salt-making craft in the sunlit and windy land of Ninh Thuan
Vietnam’s coastline, stretching over 3,000 kilometers, not only provides bountiful boats filled with fish and shrimp but also produces pristine, flavorful grains of white salt. Hundreds of years ago, coastal residents began utilizing seawater to produce salt. Along Vietnam’s S-shaped stretch, salt-making exists in 19 provinces across the three regions. Among them, Ninh Thuận, blessed…
The artisan who keeps the Thang Long’s art of dragon dancing alive
The dragon is a mythical creature that has long been sanctified and holds a special place in Vietnamese culture and spiritual life. As the leader of the Four Sacred Beasts (Dragon, Qilin, Turtle, and Phoenix), the dragon symbolizes power, strength, prosperity, and good fortune. Therefore, it is traditionally believed that the Year of the Dragon…
The fish-catching festival of the Dao Cham people in Quan Ba, Ha Giang
Every year, during the Thanh Minh festival (Day of the dead), the Dao Cham people in Nam Dam, Quan Ba, hold a fishing festival. The fish caught are evenly distributed among households in the village to prepare meals offered to ancestors and deities as a gesture of gratitude. This act also seeks blessings for a…
The Hanoi Village Where Making Folding Fans Involves Every Family
Located around 25 kilometers from central Hanoi, Chàng Sơn still retains distinctly northern traits like an ancient village entrance, banyan trees, and raucous street markets. Tiny lanes run along walls of worn-down bricks in between the shadows of tall heritage trees. The gentle lilac flowers of bằng lăng trees stand out amongst the many shades…
XUAN PHUONG 