Sunday, 4Feb07
Highlights: Ethnology museum, History museum, Don Xuan market, another side of old quarter shopping, Ngok Son Temple, Water puppets
The ethnology museum was a really interesting place. I was surprised to see how many of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups were traditionally matrilineal, for instance. I counted 7 of the dozen or so they talked about. The exhibits pointed to just a few characteristics distinguishing one group from another; clothes, traditional beliefs & architectural designs, but some of those really jumped out at you.
There was actually a fairly substantial exhibit dedicated to describing life in Vietnam under the early Communist system (1975-1986)… which looked rough. No money was used. People paid for things with stamps which were distributed by the government. Poverty & hunger were typical experiences shared by most. Few were allowed to have radios. People had to apply for permission to get a bicycle, and many raised pigs & livestock in their homes to supplement some form of income. Didn’t smell pretty, according to the descriptions.
There’s been unbelievable economic & social progress since 1986, which is clearly evident from Saigon to Hanoi (bottom to top). A few interesting hold-overs remain that I saw or heard about though. News, for instance, is strictly controlled. Many Vietnamese never travel outside of their home district, even within their own country, because doing so requires getting permission from the authorities first.
Ethnically speaking, most Vietnamese belong to the “Kinh” ethnic group (86%). I smile at the differences you experience on this side of the Pacific Ocean. From an American perspective, I thought “Vietnamese” was the ethnicity of most people from here. (= It’s funny for me to see Vietnamese talk about their own minorities. Indeed, the Hmong, Cham, Ede, Giarai, Coho and others appear to be very colorful groups of people; many among them living in mountainous highlands, or remote places.
I wish I had the time to travel up to Sapa and meet some of them, in the hills & mountains of northern Vietnam, near the China border.
Highlights: Ethnology museum, History museum, Don Xuan market, another side of old quarter shopping, Ngok Son Temple, Water puppets
The ethnology museum was a really interesting place. I was surprised to see how many of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups were traditionally matrilineal, for instance. I counted 7 of the dozen or so they talked about. The exhibits pointed to just a few characteristics distinguishing one group from another; clothes, traditional beliefs & architectural designs, but some of those really jumped out at you.
There was actually a fairly substantial exhibit dedicated to describing life in Vietnam under the early Communist system (1975-1986)… which looked rough. No money was used. People paid for things with stamps which were distributed by the government. Poverty & hunger were typical experiences shared by most. Few were allowed to have radios. People had to apply for permission to get a bicycle, and many raised pigs & livestock in their homes to supplement some form of income. Didn’t smell pretty, according to the descriptions.
There’s been unbelievable economic & social progress since 1986, which is clearly evident from Saigon to Hanoi (bottom to top). A few interesting hold-overs remain that I saw or heard about though. News, for instance, is strictly controlled. Many Vietnamese never travel outside of their home district, even within their own country, because doing so requires getting permission from the authorities first.
Ethnically speaking, most Vietnamese belong to the “Kinh” ethnic group (86%). I smile at the differences you experience on this side of the Pacific Ocean. From an American perspective, I thought “Vietnamese” was the ethnicity of most people from here. (= It’s funny for me to see Vietnamese talk about their own minorities. Indeed, the Hmong, Cham, Ede, Giarai, Coho and others appear to be very colorful groups of people; many among them living in mountainous highlands, or remote places.
I wish I had the time to travel up to Sapa and meet some of them, in the hills & mountains of northern Vietnam, near the China border.
posted by jonathan adventures at 1:34 AM
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