Vietnamese knowledge, page 13
Chữ Nôm: How the Vietnamese Borrowed Chinese Characters to Write Vietnamese, the Nôm Version of Truyện Kiều, and Why Chữ Nôm Still Appears on Hoành Phi and Câu Đối
Chữ Nôm is the writing system Vietnamese people built from Chinese character material to record their own language, still seen on hoành phi and câu đối.
What Types of Intangible Cultural Heritage Are There? Seven Types Under Vietnam's 2024 Cultural Heritage Law, and Where Traditional Crafts and Folk Knowledge Fit
Vietnam's Decree 39/2024/NĐ-CP sets seven types of intangible cultural heritage for inventory, with traditional crafts fifth and folk knowledge seventh.
Đờn Ca Tài Tử Nam Bộ: The 20 Root Pieces, Improvised Playing Around the Đờn Mat, and the Connection to Cải Lương
Đờn ca tài tử Nam Bộ rests on 20 root pieces and improvised playing around the đờn mat, with a direct line into cải lương.
Hát Xoan Phú Thọ: worship singing to the Hung Kings at the communal house gate, the four original Xoan guilds, and the journey from urgent safeguarding to representative heritage
Hát Xoan Phú Thọ is ritual singing at the communal house gate to worship the Hung Kings, performed in three stages by four original Xoan guilds in Việt Trì.
When to Burn the Mourning Scarf: The 49-Day, 100-Day, First Death Anniversary, Final Death Anniversary, and the Rites of Removing and Completing Mourning
When to burn the mourning scarf in Vietnamese custom: the 49-day, 100-day and death anniversaries, plus the rites of removing mourning.
Business Losses: What Vietnamese People Traditionally Did (Worshipping the God of Wealth, Rechecking the Opening Date, Rituals to Resolve Bad Luck) and What to Do Before Turning to Spirituality
When business failed, older Vietnamese worshipped the God of Wealth and Earth God, rechecked the opening date, and held rituals to resolve bad luck.
Lost Items and the Ông Địa Prayer: The Vietnamese Custom of Finding Lost Things, Divination Sticks, and What to Do First When Something Goes Missing
When something goes missing, many Vietnamese families pray to Ông Địa, the Earth God, promising an offering if it turns up. Search first, then try the ritual.
Water Puppetry: the Thuy Dinh Pavilion, Chú Tễu, Classic Skits and How Artists Control Puppets Underwater
Water puppetry is a folk stage art of Vietnam's wet-rice civilisation, performed on water with a hidden chamber and pavilion.
Ritual and Game of Tug of War: Sitting Tug of War at Trấn Vũ Temple, Bamboo Tug of War, and the Harvest-Praying Meaning of a Game Thought to Be Just for Fun
Sitting tug of war at Trấn Vũ Temple and bamboo tug of war in Hữu Chấp village are harvest-praying rituals, both UNESCO-listed in 2015.
Hue Royal Court Nha Nhac: The Music of the Nam Giao Sacrifice and Nguyen Dynasty Court Ceremonies, What the Ensemble Includes, and Why UNESCO Recognized It
Hue royal court Nha Nhac is the ceremonial music of the Nguyen dynasty, tied to the Nam Giao sacrifice and court rituals.
What to Prepare for a Vietnamese Wedding: Dạm Ngõ, Ăn Hỏi, Date Selection, Sính Lễ and Bride Procession Across the Three Regions, with a Monthly Task Schedule
A practical guide to Vietnamese wedding rites: the order of dạm ngõ, ăn hỏi, sính lễ and bride procession, plus a monthly task schedule.
Đông Sơn bronze drums: dating, star motifs, Lac birds and frog figures and what they say about ancient Vietnamese beliefs
Đông Sơn bronze drums: their dating, casting techniques, star motifs, Lac birds and frog figures, and what these reveal about ancient Vietnamese beliefs.
Xoe Thai: the Unity Circle, the Ancient Xoe Dances, and Xoe in the Rituals and Daily Life of the Thai People of the Northwest
Xoe Thai is the signature folk dance of the Thai people in Vietnam's Northwest, built on six ancient Xoe dances and inscribed by UNESCO in 2021.
Hanoi Character in Daily Life: Forms of Address, Inviting, Hosting Guests, and Where Newcomers Often Mistake It for Coldness
Hanoi character in daily life shows in forms of address, inviting, hosting guests, and a reserve newcomers often misread as coldness.
Bạch Mã Temple Guarding the East and the Deity Long Đỗ: Why the Spirit of the Navel of the Land Became the Tutelary God of the Entire Capital
Bạch Mã Temple in Hanoi guards the East of Thăng Long's Four Guardian Temples and worships Long Đỗ, the city's tutelary god.
Visiting the Thăng Long Tu Tran Temples at the Start of Spring: The Order of the Four Temples, What to Pray at Each One, and the Mistakes First-Timers Often Make
A guide to the Thăng Long Tu Tran spring pilgrimage: the order of the four temples, what to pray at each, and mistakes first-timers often make.
Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the Spiritual Layout of Thăng Long: Where the Legend of the Returned Sword Stands Among the Four Guardian Temples
Hoàn Kiếm Lake is not one of Thăng Long's four guardian temples, yet the returned sword legend sits at the old capital's spiritual center.
Hanoi Family Traditions: Death Anniversaries, Weddings and Funerals, and the Unspoken Rules the Whole Clan Follows
Hanoi death anniversaries, weddings and funerals run on unspoken rules of hierarchy, invitations and conduct, rooted in the elegant Tràng An character.
What 'Elegant Tràng An People' Means: Which Eating and Speaking Customs the Folk Verse Describes, and Which Parts Survive Today
What the 'Elegant Tràng An People' verse means: the eating and speaking customs it describes, and what survives in Hanoi today.
What Is the Thăng Long Tứ Tran: The Four Temples Guarding the Four Directions of the Capital, Who They Worship, and Why Each Deity Was Placed in That Direction
Thăng Long Tứ Tran is four temples guarding the old capital: Bạch Mã in the east, Voi Phục in the west, Kim Liên in the south, Quán Thánh in the north.
Replacing the incense bowl: when to do it, who may do it, the sequence, and why practices differ between households
What replacing an incense bowl involves, when it should be renewed, who in the family may do it, and why the customs vary across regions and households.
Checking ages for building a house in the 2027 Đinh Mùi year: which ages hit Kim Lâu, Hoang Ốc, Tam Tai, and why the three are not the same
Checking ages for building a house in 2027 Đinh Mùi: how Kim Lâu, Hoang Ốc and Tam Tai are calculated, and why an age can break one and not the others.
First-day Tet travel for the 2027 Lunar New Year: how to choose the hour and direction, and where sources disagree
First-day Tet travel for 2027: how to choose the hour and direction, prepare offerings, and follow the route, plus why sources disagree on the calculations.
Family Altars: How Northern and Southern Vietnamese Arrangements Differ
Northern and Southern Vietnamese family altars differ in structure, arrangement, generations honored and five-fruit tray choices.