COMING HOME

Two priceless Nguyen dynasty antiques will be returned to Vietnam

These two antiques are associated with the tenth king of the Nguyen dynasty – King Thanh Thai, long known for his patriotism and his strange destiny. These two antiques also underwent a dramatic journey. The majestic and elaborately carved Siamese rosewood bed used by the king and the wooden nacre rickshaw that the king ordered from carpenters in Hang Luoc, Hanoi for his mother to tour around his palaces are due to return to their place of origin after more than a century overseas.

The royal bed is a single bed in the authentic Hue royal style with decorative patterns of ancient inscriptions – three mountains, leaves transformed into dragons… on the feet, edges and frame. On the sides are little carved nacre drawers once used to store the king’s jewellery and opium kit. A round mirror was placed in the centre and flanked by various decorative squares that were all radiantly adorned and gilded. Over one century has passed but the royal bed has not aged, instead growing more lustrous and regal with time.

The exquisitely crafted rickshaw has iron wheels and a wooden trunk. It was made for Empress Dowager Tu Minh to tour the palaces and royal gardens. Its trunk, handrails and seat were ornately decorated with nacre paintings, leaves and flowers and improvised Longevity letters in the Hue royal style. The seat was wrapped in felt in the popular Louis fashion of the time. Like the royal bed, the rickshaw has escaped the ravages of time.

The eldest son of King Duc Duc and the maternal grandson of Chief Mandarin Ph an Dinh Binh, as a child, Nguyen Phuc Buu Lan (later King Thanh Thai) was unfamiliar with the lavish lifestyle of a prince. He was forced to flee the turbulent court with his mother when his father was deposed after just three days on the throne, when the French completed their colonisation of Annam. In 1889, Buu Lan was unexpectedly proclaimed by the royal title Thanh Thai. For 18 years, King Thanh Thai left a massive historical legacy through his patriotic acts against French colonialism. As a result, in 1907 the king was deposed by the French colonists and deported to Vung Tau.

THE ROYAL RICKSHAW WAS MADE FOR EMPRESS DOWAGER TU MINH

Some of his personal items were sold or pawned. On October 18, 1907, the king’s royal bed and rickshaw were valued at 400 Indochinese Francs and sold to Mr. Prosper Jourdan, the inspector in charge of the native guards of the king, in return for a car. In 1916, to celebrate his old memories of far-off Indochina, Mr. Jourdan agreed to lend these items to the Dijon Fair for an extended period. All would have faded into obscurity except that on June 13,2014 the Rouillac auction house in Tours, 200km from Paris, put the items up for auction without having consulted the descendants of Mr. Jourdan.

With huge joint efforts by the Hue authorities, the Vietnam Embassy to France, the Ministry of Culture – Sports – Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and many Vietnamese people committed to their ancestral heritage, these two antiques were bought by Vietnamese people. The royal bed was purchased by Mr. Ta Van Quang, a Vietnamese expat with close relations to King Thanh Thai, for 100,000 Euros; and the rickshaw was purchased by the Hue Formal Capital Centre of Heritage Preservation for 45,000 Euros (excluding 24% tax). The greatest fortune is that, whether bought by an individual or the State, these two antiques will be transported to Hue for display and preservation. This is the first time that Vietnam successfully won an international auction with an aim to retrieve and repatriate its antiques.

In the past, due to incessant invasions and looting, millions of Vietnamese antiques were taken overseas. Many of these items are priceless. The fact that Vietnamese people successfully joined hands to reclaim these items demonstrates the community’s special interest in its cultural heritage and marks a historic repatriation of Vietnam’s antiques.

COMING HOME
First post at: Vietnam Culture

The heart of Saigon

Visitors could spend days exploring Ben Thanh Market, a source of local pride in Ho Chi Minh City

One of Saigon’s most popular tourist desbnabons, Ben Thanh Market has become a symbol of Saigon. Visitors Rock here to find all kinds of souvenirs. Originally located on the bank of the Ben Nghe River near the Saigon Citadel. Ben Thanh Market had a thatched roof and mud Roor. In 1870, this old market was partially destroyed by fire. In 1911, the old market was demolished and the current market built. It opened in March 1914. With a total area of 13,056 square meters, Ben Thanh Market has Four

entrance gates Cua Nam, or Southern Door, (overlooking Quach Thi Trang Square) is the main entrance and Fea­tures a three-sided clock tower. Tour­ists can buy all kinds of clothes, cloth and dry Food in this section. Cua Bac, or Northern Door, (overlooking Le Thanh Ton Road) charms passers by with stalls selling Fresh Rowers and Fruit. Cua Dong, or Eastern Door, (near Phan Boi Chau Road) is home to a variety of shops that sell cosmetics and delicious candies and cakes. Shops located near Cua Tay, or Western Door, (near Phan Chu Trinh Road) offer a wide range of shoes, handicrafts and souvenirs.

Ben Thanh Market gives visitors insight into life in Vietnam, and the range of products on offer here. As well as shopping, visitors can also sample delicious dishes From all over the country Each evening after 7 pm, Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh Streets fill up with more than a hundred stalls offering souvenirs, clothing and especially Food.

Visit Ben Thanh Market and discover one of Saigon’s most unique and historic landmarks.

What to see in Ho Chi Minh City:

– Saigon Opera House

– Independence Palace

– Cu Chi Tunnels

– Vam Sat Ecological Tourist Area (Ly Nhon Commune – Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City)

– Binh Quoi Tourist Village (8 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City)

– Van Thanh Tourist Area, Suoi Mo.

Where to eat:

– Beef Noodles: Hong Phat Nam Vang: 389 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3.

– Nam Vang Ty Lum: 254 Nguyen Troi Street District 5

– Hue fern-shaped cake: Dong Ba 7 70A Nguyen Du St., District 7

– Broken rice: Kieu Giang – Tron Quang Khai Street.

– Chicken rice: Dong Nguyen (Chau Van Liem Road, District 5)

– Northern flavored beef noodles: Quan Dau, 288 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Dis­trict 3.

– Salted fish served with rice vermicelli: 20B Ki Dong – travel to Truong Dinh St. and turn left on Ky Dong St. The shop lies about 50 meters to the right of Ky Dong Street.

The heart of Saigon
First post at: Vietnam Culture

Truong Sa - Lords Of The Waves

Wild beauty and strong patriotism abound in Vietnam‘s Truong sci Archipelago

Brutal winds pound our Truong Sa Sea, while waves crash against the shores and seagulls hover overhead. As the rising sun reflects upon the sea, the Truong Sa Island District resembles a sparkling ruby.

When dusk wanes, howling winds encircle the island district, causing the almond blossoms to sway. At night, the miraculous purple and white blossoms are at their loveliest, only to wilt at dawn. Tiny petals bashfully reveal themselves like gorgeous feathers of a peasant dancing in the velvet dark. The fruits of these almond trees resemble pendulous red lanterns.

Following navy sailors through the is­lands of West Gemini, Grand Truong Sa, Nam Yet, Survival, etc., visitors are over ­whelmed by the proliferating greenery amidst the silver waves. The islands are home to numerous bird and plant species. Rows of Storm and Hurricane trees stand solemn guard against the waves.

Along the shore, where the sea hums endless lullabies, the curving roofs of pagodas face the East Sea, representing the locals’ wishes for peace and calm. Along with the ancient banyan and lime trees unique to rural pagodas in Vietnam, almond trees also cast their shadows over the pagodas in Truong Sa. At dawn and dusk, sincere locals stop by to ring the pagoda’s bell and light some incense before heading out to sea. They pray for luck, peace and abundant fortune.

Hearts skip a beat due to the overwhelming beauty of sky and water

Dipped in salty water, warm sun and tropical breezes, our hearts are stirred by, the Motherland’s fine islands. A brief trip to the islands offers many moments to capture the region’s fine beauty. The radiant sun, wind and sky mingle together in honor of the joys of life and the patriotism of our navy sailors. Along with a taste of sea salt, each ship that reaches Truong Sa brings the affection of people on the mainland for our steadfast soldiers – the heroes of our Motherland.

Truong Sa - Lords Of The Waves
First post at: Vietnam Culture

A Labor Of Love With Vietnamese Lacquer Painting

A longtime resident of Hanoi, Japanese artist Saeko Ando specializes in Son Mai, the art of tradi­tional Vietnamese lacquer painting. VietnamCP catches up with Ms. Ando to learn about her passion for lac­quer painting[/caption]

VietnamCP: When and why did you first come to Vietnam?

Saeko Ando: I came to Vietnam in 1995 as a tourist. I was actually on my way to Bali, where I had planned to settle down to do my art works. I used to work as a flight attendant for Japan Airlines before becoming an artist. During that time I read an article about Vietnam in Japan Airlines’ inflight magazine. The article made a great impression and 1 had a strong desire to visit the country ever since.

VietnamCP: As well as painting with lac­quer, you offer classes in traditional Viet­namese lacquer painting. Could you please explain a bit about the history of Son Mai and what the process entails?

Saeko Ando: The history of Son Mai dates back to 1925, when the first art school in Vietnam, L’ Ecole des Beaux­Arts de L’Indochine, was founded in Hanoi. The art of Son Mai was born as a result of cooperation between artists and lacquer craftsmen.

Although I use a traditional material, Son Ta, Vietnamese natural lacquer, and incorporate traditional lacquer craftsman­ship with modern painting techniques, I see Son Mai as contemporary art still under its development.

Lacquer is the material that Asian people have been using for thousands of years. Natural lacquer is a living material that contains enzymes and hardens through a chemical reaction with mois­ture in the air. Only humid conditions en­able rapid hardening. By understanding humidity and the condition of the lacquer the artist can gauge the outcome. Timing is crucial. Artists apply complex layers of lacquer with different colours, thick­nesses and textures and use a variety of materials such as gold, silver, egg shell, etc. Then it is sanded flat to bring under­lining layers back to the surface just like stratums of earth. The sanding process creates delicate and yet very dramatic ef­fects. This is why it’s called Son (lacquer) Mai (sanding).

. This gives each Son Mai piece its own character. I like care­free brush strokes. I like freehand lines rather than perfect even lines. I like to feel and imagine how the artist did their work. I like a human touch.

People look at my Son Mai pieces and they always can tell that the artist is not Vietnamese. It’s the colours. It’s the composition. It’s the subject of the paintings. There are many aspects that make my Son Mai different from those of Vietnamese artists. What’s interest­ing about art expression is that you al­ways see the personality and cultural background of the creator.

The fact that I enjoy creating small pieces is also because of me being Japan­ese. In Vietnam, artists seem to believe that the bigger the painting the better. We Japanese like to see the whole universe in something tiny, just like a bonsai plant.

What inspires you to keep painting?

Saeko Ando: When I see something amazing, I always think: “How can I capture that on my paintings with Son Mai. How can I enhance the beauty even more than in real life? As long as I see things that are beautiful, I will never lose inspiration to create Son Mai.

Thank you.

A Labor Of Love With Vietnamese Lacquer Painting
First post at: Vietnam Culture

The Fragrance of Childhood

Very few trees have leaves as fragrant as grapefruit trees

Poet Phan Thi Thanh Nhan re­flects upon her childhood in Hanoi, memories evoked by the scent of grape­fruit flowers

During my childhood, my parents lived on Yen Phu Street, a narrow lane straddling Hanoi’s West Lake and the Red River. The street was perfumed all the time. I was just nine or ten at the time and enrolled in a primary school in the village temple. The street leading to the village was full of won­ders. My younger sister and I came to the village for rice juice to feed our pigs. We carried a small barrel and wandered the village’s lanes flanked by ruoi trees sprinkled with golden fruit. Behind the low fences were gardens of areca flowers, jasmine and grapefruit flowers…

I was fond of books since my dad collected heaps of them. Next to our house was a bookstore run by Mrs. Keo. I spent every single penny of my pocket money to rent books. I remember strolling with my sister through Yen Phu Street and playing with friends in the garden, I was obsessed with a verse by the poet Huy Can: “Lanes are perfumed by wild flowers and ridges/You and I wander about the lanes of scents”. The best scents came in February or March when grapefruit flowers were in full bloom. I often picked fallen flowers and put them in my pockets to retain their subtle, lingering fragrance.

My mother liked to recite poems. I was familiar with these verses:

Climbing the grapefruit trees to pick some flowers And a dog rose in the eggplant garden.
Dog roses burst out in tender blue,
Reminding my tormented heart of my married maiden.

Jasmines or any other species,
Nowhere near grapefruit flowers, which by far excel.

A flower of exceptional fragrance,
Perfuming its branches, its leaves and even its growers.

My mother usually washed her hair with the ex­tracted juice of grapefruit leaves and gleditsia. She also squeezed some lemon juice onto her hair. When she spun her cascade of hair to dry it, a gentle scent pervaded the air that still lingers in my mind, even after my mother is gone.

The best scents came in February or March, when the grapefruit trees ware in bloom

During the brutal wartime, my younger brother moved to the front lines with other Hanoi lads. My house also had a grapefruit tree back then. I imag­ined my brother parting from his sweetheart with a bunch of grapefruit flowers wrapped in a handker­chief. Rustic and tender grapefruit flowers inspired me to pen the poem “Silent scents” to my younger brother and the other pure, loving and idealistic youngsters who served during that cruel war.

The Fragrance of Childhood
First post at: Vietnam Culture