LookAtVietnam – A newly published book gives Ha Noi lovers a chance to discover the capital’s original culture and customs.

Travel through time: The cover of the Ha Noi, Culture and Customs, which offers readers a chance to dig into the capital’s culture and customs.

According to Cung, Thang Long (the old name of Ha Noi) people in the early 11th century began to break ground in the area for farming, and started to develop the city. Many temples and pagodas were built with original architectural styles; these became the spiritual centres to honour the country’s heroes. People in Thang Long expressed themselves in a wide range of art forms from quan ho (love duets), ca tru (ceremony singing), cheo (traditional opera), tuong (classical drama), water puppetry, folk paintings, festivals and folk games.

The book highlights a particularly interesting point of culture in the city, which was the singing contest. In the book it says: “Before the 1940s, in Ha Noi, the singing contests of chau van (chant sung for a trance) were organised in many places including Hang Quat, Hang Khoai, Hang Ma, Hang Bac…

Many talented singers from Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Hai Duong, and Hung Yen took part in them. They were drifters, living an adventurous life where they travelled a lot and relied on passionate audiences to earn their living.”

Cung leads readers on a tour through different areas of the capital with his rich stories about the customs, the gastronomy, spiritual life, lifestyles, costumes, folk games and the typical art.

An interesting point of the book is about the village pond. Cung writes: “The pond was where young couples of the villages would have a date. They met and swore their love to each other by the pond’s banks in late afternoon, or under the moonlight or in early morning… Before their weddings, the girls who pass the village pond, would fret with obsessive memories of their dates. Many people’s childhoods are closely linked with unforgettable memories spent by the pond’s banks.” This activity is not unlike what is found today on the banks of the city’s lakes.

He also wrote beautiful pages on the traditional costumes of Hanoians including the ao dai (traditional dress) and the conical hat.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News