VietNamNet Bridge – “India and Sri Lanka have chosen white lotus as their national flower so Vietnam can take pink lotus as its national flower. This flower is appropriate for our standards,” said Vi Kien Thanh, Chief of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s (MoCST) Art, Photography and Exhibition Department, in an interview with an online newspaper on January 20.

What are the criteria set by the MoCST to select the national flower of Vietnam?

We have six standards: must be indigenous to Vietnam or it has been planted throughout Vietnam for a very long time; represent the character, culture or the spirit of the nation; be beautiful and scented; be frequently used and highly valued in art, literature, sculpture and architecture; and be loved and respected by many people.

The national flower project only sets the purpose, meaning and criteria to choose national flower. It doesn’t suggest any specific species of flower. However, many people proposed the lotus at the workshops. In the online poll, up to 40 percent of attendants voted for lotus. At the upcoming exhibition in Hanoi, the MoCST will nominate lotus as national flower based on the online poll, and will also display other species of flowers.

What will you think if the lotus is honored as national flower?

Lotuses have many things that are suitable to our standards. Vietnam has wet rice agricultural history and lotuses are representative of wet rice civilizations because it grows in lakes and ponds. Lotuses have beautifully color, beautiful buds and leaves. This flower also shows the character of the Vietnamese people: growing from mud but still smart and beautiful. Our ancestors honored the lotus as the noble flower. Lotuses are carved into pagodas and ancient works.

Some countries have taken a lotus as their national flower. What is your opinion if Vietnam’s national flower is also a lotus?

It is no problem! India and Sri Lanka have chosen the white lotus as their national flower so Vietnam can take the pink lotus as its national flower.

It is said that lotus is not favored by southern people. What is your viewpoint?

I know that many southern people voted for yellow apricots. Some northern people also voted for this flower, especially flower and ornamental tree traders because yellow apricot develops easily and Vietnam can turn this flower into an export product. But the rate of votes for yellow apricot is low.

Yellow apricot and peach flowers only blossom in spring. In terms of economic value, they may have an upper hand on lotuses but I think that the national flower is the spiritual symbol of Vietnam so the economic factor is not very important. Even when a species of flower is recognized as national flower, we should not grow it for export. I think lotus is very popular in Dong Thap Muoi (southern region), even more popular than in the north.

Will the national flower be preserved and developed?

Preservation and development of the national flower is necessary when the people are aware of the significance of the national flower. In fact it has been still maintained and is very close to the people’s daily life. For example, Vietnamese still plant lotus to make jam, tea, etc. If the lotus is honored as the national flower, then people may be more aware of preserving this flower. However, I worry that as ponds and lakes are being filled to build houses, we will not have lakes for lotus in the future.

What are the criteria to choose the national costume?

This program is being drafted. It will be completed in 2011 by the Art, Photography and Exhibition Department. The upcoming exhibition in Hanoi will initiate this project by collecting people’s opinions about national costumes. This program was introduced ten years ago and fashion designers were invited to join but it failed.

We will chose two sets of national costumes for men and women, one for summer and one for winter. Ao dai is the convincing choice for women. We only need to consider the color and patterns to show Vietnamese characters. It is a more complex problem to choose national costume for men.

The upcoming exhibition will introduce Vietnamese costumes in the past and at present for visitors to see and offer suggestions.

I think that the costume for men must be a new design. It cannot be the ao dai and turban for men in the past. We have to expect to see the talents of Vietnamese designers.

What are the difficulties in selecting national flower and national costumes?

We have received many opinions from experts and the public. All opinions are reasonable. This is difficult to make choice. The MoCST will choose the most suitable suggestions to submit to the government for approval.

PV