27 January 2015
Today I visited the 
Vietnam Women’s Museum. It was 
AMAZING! Richard went to the Museum of the
Revolution, and he thought it was quite interesting. But I LOVED the Women’s Museum – absolutely
fascinating! It's a gem of a museum that is often overlooked by both men and women, for all kinds of cultural reasons where we dismiss women's contributions to the world. Anyway......
Here’s their website: http://www.womenmuseum.org.vn/
And if you get to Hanoi, go to this museum!
The building has four or five floors – the elevator has
four 
buttons inside, but the 
directory says five. Anyway, the center of each floor has a hole, all lined up,
like a stack of donuts spaced out.
Hanging in the center is a wonderful mobile made of the conical hats
women wear, two hats put together to make a diamond shape, and painted in
various designs – all strung together and hanging down four or five
floors. Each floor has its own
unique view of this mobile, which is beautiful and whimsical and slightly
frivolous. And definitely
Vietnamese in style.
The top
floor featured a few modern pieces, and what I think were children’s
experiments or interpretations in the style of the artwork. Nothing was labeled, but having been an
art teacher, well, we just recognize children’s art. Some of it related to items in the exhibit, and this 
is a
fairly standard way to teach art – show art by “famous artists” and then have
the students do their own interpretation in the style, with similar materials.
Next floor
down – Fashion and Motif Art – or, everything a Fashionista or fabric artist
would want to learn about Vietnamese women’s clothing as an art form!!!!! And yes, I loved this exhibit as much
as my friends and family can imagine.
It was fabulous!
There were
entire outfits from different ethnic groups, featuring the particular fabric
arts of that group. Each one was
more gorgeous than the next, and I’d have happily worn most of them! Black was often the background color,
with ikat weaving, appliqué, or embroidery usually in reds and white. Absolutely sounds like my travel
wardrobe! I was in ethnic fashion
heaven!
Instead of
trying to remember everything, I took photos of the information placards, so
here’s some of the information:
“Cotton is
the most popular fabric for Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups, with natural silk
reserved for appliqué and festive costumes. Hmong women use fabric woven from hemp which is then dyed
with indigo. The Pathen, Flower
Lolo, and the Flower Hmong have very colorful clothing. Ethnic garments often 
incorportate many
complex sewing techniques. The Yao
and the Phula favor embroidery; the Lolo and the Pupeo appliqué, the Hmong and
the Yao Tien 
batik; the Thai and the Khmer ikat and the Muong, the Tay and the
various 
populations of the High Plateau prefer woven patterns. Everything is hand made and in the past
only natural materials were used.
Patterns and motifs reflect each population’s identity 
and its
environment. Sewing skills are
passed from generation to generation.
They illustrate women’s creativity, their sense of aesthetics and many
hours of work. Clothing styles
have evolved 
over time and through external contact. Fashion exists even in the most remote regions. “Today change is accelerating
especially in the northern Hmong and Yao communities where 
synthetic fabrics,
wool, and chemical dyes are now in wide use.”
I was
already familiar with the Hmong reverse appliqué, which is similar to the 
molas
made by the Kuna people of Panama.
Having done some fabric art projects, especially appliqué, this was the
part I wanted to see. And the
exhibit didn’t disappoint.
“In
appliqué, small pieces of colored fabric are sewn onto a background to create
patterns. Various colored fabrics
are cut into geometrical forms 
and sewn onto the fabric while the threads are
hidden behind the appliqué. This
technique is used by some populations in the northern mountains. Each 
group has its own specific
patterns. The Lolo and the Pupeo
use triangular shapes to make patterns.
The Hmong use a very elaborate technique called reverse appliqué. 
The top fabric layer is cut into
patterns revealing the color of the backing fabric.”
There was
also one area where people could follow the directions on how to wrap a head
turban in the style of one of the ethnic groups. With beautiful scarves with embroidery 
or weaving in the
various ethnic styles. Of course I
had to try this. Didn’t quite get
it, but close. And then, as with
women in a dressing room anywhere, several women chatted with me as they tried
it, we gave each other helpful 
comments, and did some tweaking of the turban on
each other to try to get it right.
Womanly bonding, with clothing as our catalyst.
The rest of
the museum was a little confusing, because the floors sort of split – to the
left of one half flight of 
stairs would be one exhibit, and then down another
half flight of stairs would be another exhibit. Sort of split level exhibits. Rather than talk about which floor the exhibits were on
(especially since the elevator buttons didn’t match the directory outside),
I’ll just explain the exhibits.
Remember
when we were in 
Danang, and I wrote a little about the Cham people worshipping
the Mother Goddess? Apparently
this is not only a Cham thing, many of the other ethnic groups in this country
also have a Mother Goddess as
their primary deity. Makes sense,
given all the Lady Buddha statues we’ve seen across the country.
So there
was a GORGEOUS Mother Goddess Altar, full of ceramics and flowers and candles
and offerings, and three statues representing 
three of the Mother
Goddesses. (Which was confusing,
because the information talked 
about the Mother Goddesses representing four
parts of nature or the universe or elements.)
Information
from the displays:
“Worshipping Mother Goddess: 
Pure Heart – Beauty – Joy
“Worship of the Mother Goodess is a purely Vietnamese folk
belief. It has a 
long history and
has adapted to social changes.
Today this belief is widely practices throughout Vietnam and in
Vietnamese 
communities overseas.
Worship of the Mother Goddess addresses the concerns. Of daily life and
desires for good health 
and good fortune.
Worshippers find great emotional support in their belief and it attracts
followers from all strata of society.
“This exhibition introduces the key values of 
Mother
Goddess worship through the voices and experiences of worshippers in Hanoi and
some northern provinces so that 
visitors might better understand this typical
folk belief of the Vietnamese.
“Mother
Goddess Altar – The mother 
goddesses reside on the altar where followers come
to ask the mother for blessings.
The altar is always kept clean and carefully arranged. Spirit mediums perform 
hau dong, the central ritual of mother
goddess worship, on a platform in front of the altar. In anticipation of a ritual the altar is beautifully
prepared with many trays full of offerings, votive paper, and enormous vases of
flowers.
“The four
Mother Goddesses [and in some ways women themselves] represent the four
elements: Heaven; Water; Earth;
and Mountains and Forests.”
“Vietnam’s
Mother Goddess belief is part of our culture. We perform legendary stodies of deities who have served the
country and the people. They are
worshipped at temples and palaces built over many generations. Mediums manifest the shadows of deities
fighting in battlefields against invaders. We reproduce them for 
our children and grandchildren to
understand the origin of those deities.”
“Mother
Goddess worship is wonderful. It
teaches us to remember the source when drinking the water. It also venerates our ancestors and
educates everyone to do good things.
Worshipping the Mother 
Goddess, I pray for the happiness of my family.”
“In Mother
Goddess worship, women are the center of the universe, looking after all the
four regions: heaven, earth,
water, and mountains and forests.
Unlike other religious beliefs, worshippers find their expected desires
and happiness right 
here in their current life. By following the Mother Goddess, their spiritual needs are
satisfied.”
“The Mother
Goddess is a spiritual mother who protects us in our lives. Whenever I wish for
something, I go to a temple to ask for the Mother Goddess’s support to make my
business more favorable.”
“The Mother
Goddess is a spiritual mother.
Whenever we are happy and joyful, we come to Her and whenever we feel
sad, we talk and share with Her.
Whenever we 
face difficulties, we look for Her to find Her support and
protection. The Mother means
everything.”
“People
always worship Mother 
Goddess as their own Mother. We are all children and grandchildren under the Mother
Goddess. Whenever I think of the
Mother, I visit her temple to ask for good fortune, good health, and favorable
business.”
I should
add that there was a guide taking two tourists through, and I asked a question
that has been bothering me. The
ceramic items on shrines, temples, etc. all seem to be in white with blue
designs, and I wondered if there was some reason for this. She said no, that’s the way they do
things, it has been that way all her life and she never thought to question
it. So, there may be a reason, or
maybe there isn’t. I received one
of those non-answer answers.
Anyway,
offerings on shrines often are edible items – packs of cookies or crackers or
candy bars, whole fruits, cans of drinks.
These are referred to as “favor offerings” and I’ve always been curious
about them. So here’s the museum’s
information.
“For
worshippers, the term loc – divine favor or blessing – is understood in many
ways: health, well-being, good
fortune, business opportunities, and prosperity. Offerings accepted by deities and distributed to worshippers
are also called loc.
“The receivers
of this material loc believe it is invested with the deities’ favor and will bring good
fortune to themselves and their families.
They try to bring as much loc home as possible.”
“When I
receive loc, if
it is money I keep it; if it is candies, cookies, or fruit I distribute them to
others to get more good fortune.”
“It doesn’t
matter whether one receives more or less loc. The important thing is that we feel happy and free from
worry. When I receive loc as money I spent a little on votive
paper for my ancestors at home and I keep the rest because I consider it
something special. If I receive
fruit, after offering it to my ancestors, I give it to the children.”
Yes, I
seriously wondered about this. We
see entire watermelons sitting on a shrine in a business, and I couldn’t figure
out what happens to that melon.
Does it sit there until it goes bad? Does the family take it home and eat it? So yes, they take it home and eat
it. Share it with the
children. According to my friend
Rai in Bali, this is part of one’s continuing relationship with the ancestors,
kind of sharing a meal but sequentially, I guess.
And the
votive paper – I don’t know if these items are burned or not, but these are
huge and fancy items made out of paper, designed and constructed by special
artists, and used as part of the offerings at shrines and temples.
There was a
huge role on women’s role in the defense of the country, beginning with the
Trung sisters in 40 CE, on through to the Vietnam War. The posters were interesting as works
of art, both in style and composition, as well as showing women in the clothing
of various ethnic groups doing their normal daily stuff, with the occasional
woman and gun. I just enjoyed the
art and tried not to get too depressed.
But there was a huge (and sad) exhibit about the Heroic Vietnamese
Mothers, women who lost more than two children, or an only child, or a husband
and children, in the Vietnamese War.
Or women who died in service to their country during the war. Nearly 50,000 women received such
status, some posthumously. Just,
horrendously sad.
“Women have
always played an important role in the defense of the Vietnamese nation. In 40 Common Era the Trung sisters led
the battle for independence against the Han Chinese. Trung Troc proclaimed herself Queen and made Me Linh the
capito. In the 3rd
century, 23 year old Trieu Thi Trinh of Thanh Hoa fought against the oppression
of the Wu Chinese. King Quang
Trung’s female General Commander-in-Chief of the elephant-mounted troops, Bui
Thi Xuan, contributed to a victory against 290,000 Qing Chinese invaders in
1789.”
Just to
insert a note – we stayed on a street named Hai Ba Trung in Saigon, and there’s
a street of the same name in Hanoi.
It means The Trung Sisters.
Yup, the same ones who led the battle against the Chinese! Okay, continuing:
“In the 10th
century, the Regent Empress Duong Van Nga sacrificed her lineage in the
national interest by handing over power to the General Commander-in-Chief, Le
Hoan, who founded the Le Dynasty.
He won a decisive victory against the Song Chinese in 981. King Ly Thanh Tong’s wife and Regent Y
Lan governed in favor of the people.
She developed a plantation of mulberry trees for silk manufacturing and
she liberated women from the harem.
Nguyen Thi Due disguised herself as a man to take part in royal
examinations in 1593. She became
the first laureate and thus the first woman doctor. Other honored women writers and poets included
Ho Xuon Huong, Doan Thi Diem, and Ba Huyen Thanh Quan.”
There was
an entire floor dedicated to the roles women play in daily life in Vietnam,
differentiated by ethnic group. I
skipped the part of childbirth, I’ll leave that to my sister who is a doula. The information about childrearing was
interesting, and of course the pictures of the little kids were wonderful. One thing that amazes me are the major
chubby cheeks on the babies and toddlers – Vietnamese in general are very small
people, not tall and very slim, with tiny bones. But the babies have some of the chubbiest cheeks I’ve seen
on little ones! Just adorable, and
my grandparents would have enjoyed pinching every baby around here! (Apologies to the photographers, their names didn't show well on my photos of their images so I haven't been able to add them here. But thank you for capturing scenes around Vietnam that we travellers often don't get to see!)
The little
kid clothing was cute, as it always is in every culture – the hats were
especially lovely, with little pom poms all over. We saw many Hmong people in Thailand, and the babies always
had wonderful ethnic hats.
And baby
carriers – most developing countries have various baby carriers, and it often
seems only those of us in developed nations stick babies in carriages or baskets
to move them around. My sister the
doula calls it “wearing your baby.”
So there was a wonderful exhibit of baby carriers, similar to some of
the snuggly fabric carriers that have become more acceptable and trendy. Except these were embellished with embroidery
and weaving, and were works of art.
Marriage
This is the
best quotation:
“Wife and
husband are as inseparable as a pair of chopsticks.”
There were
exhibits showing various wedding clothing and traditions, which differ between
the ethnic groups. One couple
under a gorgeous umbrella matched the photo opp board out in front, you know,
the picture with cutouts so you can stand in back and take a photo with your
face in the picture. Those
wonderful hokie photo opp boards.
Anyway, the clothing of course was beautiful, the fabric arts were
wonderful, and the customs interesting.
Despite the Mother Goddess worship, many of the ethnic groups practice
patrilineal descent, and everything seems to be up to the man’s family.
“In
Vietnam, patrilineal family structures are practiced by the Viet, Yao, Thai,
Sinhmun, Bru-Van Kieu, Taoi, Ma, and Hoa populations. Men plan an important role in the nuclear family. In the past families were quite large
but the birth rate has declines.
Male descendants are privileged in patrilineal societies. Children are called after their father
and only sons, and in particular the eldest, have the right to inherit. While monogamy is now usual, in the
past many people practiced polygamy.
“In wedding
rituals, the groom’s family plays the most important role. Marriage rituals center on three main
occasions: engagement, wedding,
and the first visit of the young couple to the bride’s family. The boy’s family chooses one or two
mediators and in many regions also consult fortune tellers to determine the
most auspicious date and time for the rituals. The fortune teller commits herself also to bring the gifts
requested by the future bride’s family.
The wedding takes place at the groom’s house where the bride will live
from then on.”
“On her
wedding day, the bride wears a traditional dress and a red fabric headdress on
a bamboo frame with a veil of fabric embroidered with special patterns to hide
her face. She is accompanied by a
ritual master, musicians, her parents, siblings, and relatives on the
ceremonial visit to the bridegroom.
Because of the distance, they have to wait in a temporary shelter until
the favorable hour. The next day
the bride washes her hands with water consecrated by the ritual master, then
enters the house across a basin of cleansing embers for rituals with the groom
and both families. From then on,
she is a member of the groom’s family.”
Just a note - red is often a color worn by the bride in Asia, as it is seen as a color of youth. White is more likely to be worn at funerals. However, in Vietnam we've seen several brides in yellow ao dai so I'm not sure if that's a Vietnamese tradition or not.
“In Black
Thai houses, bedrooms are bordered by mosquito nets and curtains. The couple’s belongings include blankets,
a mattress, pillows, jewelry boxes, costumes, and fabrics. The fabrics owned by a family display
the women’s skills.”
So that
gives you just a taste of the museum, and what life it like for women in
Vietnam. Well, life is different
in the modern cities, but these are the traditions in the small towns and
villages, and amongst the people who hold on to their cultures. I suspect that many of the city
dwellers continue with the traditional practices but modified to fit into a
modern lifestyle. For example,
Tet. Tet is the Lunar New Year,
and things are gearing up for this huge holiday and festival. It’s both religious and celebratory,
and many of the celebrations include family events. So just like major holidays in the Western world, where we
travel “home” for the holidays, people do that here. Trains and flights are booked weeks in advance, hotels are
booked, restaurants close, and everyone spends the week with their families. One of those things that seems to be
universal, world-wide.
I know,
this is a long long blog, but the place was just so interesting! And I have a ton of photos of the rest
of my day, since I walked there and back, but I’ll save that for a general
urban blog.
varying colors of concentric rectangles with flame-shape edges, and are usually hung outside temples, palaces, and such. The five colors represent earth (yellow), water (green), fire (red), air (white), and space (blue). Balancing these elements 
externally brings harmony to the environment. Balancing these elements internally brings health to the body and mind.
Early stage, but it turns out my bacteria is mean and nasty and resistant to most antibiotics. Our doctor, a nice man from the Toronto area, has been giving me mass IV 
antibiotics and checking my CBC, hoping we can blast out the bacteria while waiting for culture results. The treat and test and hope to cure method of doctoring, which we all saw Dr. House use so skillfully. (My doctor is nicer than 
Dr. House, but not as cute as Hugh Laurie.)
thing, hanging around the medical center twice a day, getting my IV. Or I could be checked into the center and stay there for the weekend. Yeah, not happening. We're doing outpatient.
center, with several treatment rooms (one with a special soft bed which I love!), very nice staff, and the people who insert the needles (ugh) are very good and gentle and have accepted that I have child-size veins.
the deli across the street, who delivered our lunch. Which wasn't on our bill, confusing us quite a bit. (We need to check on this, but maybe this is their way of feeding patients?)
staff are chatty, and it's always interesting to ask our questions about the country we're visiting. Usually our time talking to local people tends to be within the 
whole service or tourism industry, for obvious reasons. Though we do strike up conversations with random people in cafés and such.
talking with the nursing and technician staff at this place, to get their perceptions of their country. One young man worked with overseas doctors on a special project. Today's conversation was about living standards in Vietnam, and the pursuit 
of education by lower-income people in the developing world. As I said, interesting conversations.
or in the lobby which has much better chairs. So he gets to meet and talk with other patients. Today we met two nice young 
Danish travellers. Medical centers are never where one hopes to end up while travelling, but at least we found a good spot for the situation. And 
while this is not the situation we'd choose, well, we need to get me over this pneumonia thing, so we're just doing that and not worrying about anything else. (Frustrating? Of course. 
Expensive, since we pay up front 
and get reimbursed by insurance later? Of course. Worth getting upset about that? Nah. We're in Vietnam, it's way cool, and, well, this will be over soon. Or eventually.)
