You don’t see the 1000 year old history of Vietnam’s capital everywhere, but you can feel it. It is one of those fascinating places where you can experience the past and the future in the present. Time changes by the minutes. French colonial architecture, Internet cafes, art-galleries, temples, pagodas, markets,...
All day long, the streets of Hanoi are busy. Here are two more of the wonderful videos that show people’s everyday lives. I wish all my readers a nice, quiet and peaceful Easter. Many greetings “> “> Cathrin’s Blog: Zwischen Traditionen und Moderne
These beautiful videos do not focus on the tourist attractions of Hanoi, but on the inhabitants of the Vietnamese capital. They exhibit great everyday observations in the for me most beautiful city in the world, captured by a French journalist in early 2010. Only the music does regrettably not match...
The tradition of Ca Trù, also named Hát Ả Đào or Hát Nói Ca Tru, dates back to the 11th Century. At that time, songs enjoyed great popularity at the royal court as well as among aristocrats and scholars. Attractive young female singers entertained men in a relaxed environment with...
Unlike the Hat Cheo, which is deeply rooted in the culture of Vietnam, the Hat Tuong theatre came from China in the 13th Century, after the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) had repelled the Mongolians. Among the POWs, there was Lý Nguyên Cát, a master of the Chinese theater, who later received...
The times they are a changin’! A few years ago it would have been unimaginable for most Vietnamese to spend the New Year Tết somewhere else in the privacy of their home. But the festival is traditionally celebrated in the family circle, and serves primarily to honor the ancestors who...
The New Year Festival (Tết ) is actually celebrated to welcome the spring time. At the moment, it looks more like summer. This afternoon, it has been raining a bit, but for the next day weather promised us good weather with plenty of sun. The temperature will reach nearly 30...
Yet another year is almost over. Preparations for the (Lunar) New Year are already running at full speed. Tết, the lunar New Year Festival, is by far the most important festival in Vietnam. It is, to compare with German holidays, like Christmas, New Year, Easter and Whitsunday together in one...