Vietnam - Vietnamese celebrations

Dear readers,

How was your week?

It is very rare that it did not rain in Ho Chi Minh City on the Mid-Autumn Fest this year. It was a pleasant to see kids in the neighborhood carrying lanterns and wandering about in groups, singing a song about the full moon.

For Vietnamese adults, Mid-Autumn Fest is a day to reminisce about their childhood: the feeling of being bought that butterfly-shaped lantern, quarreling with a sibling over a piece of the moon cake or making new friends on Mid-Autumn Day. But to many foreigners in Vietnam, many confess that Moon Fest is one of the national events they feel least connected since they have never celebrated it as a kid.

However, Zac Herman, a foreigner who has lived in Hanoi for two years, not only has great understanding about the Tet Trung Thu traditions but he also reflects the differences the way Vietnamese adults and children appreciate the fest.

“Tonight, Thủy ignored the "West Lake Ice Cream" shop, the bouquets of pink and yellow daisies at the florist's stall on the corner, and instead stared intently down at her feet, her tiny plastic sandals dangling precariously on the edge of her toes. She was thinking of what was waiting for her at home. She would get to see her grandparents who always brought her imported French chocolates, her uncle with the long goatee that reminded her of uncle Ho Chi Minh's portrait hanging in her classroom, and her two cousins Hoa and Trang, her two best friends. Besides New Year's, the Mid Autumn Festival was her favorite holiday of the entire year.”

This is the first time ever we’ve published a short story on our column. This is a surprise present to you and we hope that it has brought you some festive feelings of this special day.

Besides, we also got another article about another traditional celebration: wedding. Angela Schonberg talked about the first wedding in the countryside she has attended after staying in Vietnam for a year.

“The most interesting part of the wedding for me was being in the room when the groom’s parents, who spoke no Vietnamese, and the bride’s parents, who spoke no English, met for the first time.[..]Luckily, with the help of the translator/bride both sets of soon-to-be in-laws were finally able to communicate how happy and lucky they were,” wrote Angela.

She found that after they dined and wined, guests switched to karaoke rather than dancing like in the West:

“I’ve never been to a Western wedding with karaoke, but I think I may have to start the trend, as they really get into singing. We karaoked all until late at night, with a mix of Vietnamese and Western songs, and everyone, both young and old, took their turn on the microphone.”

As for reader’s comments, J.Leevi agreed that those invited to a wedding need to learn some songs in case they’re asked to sing for the couple. C.Blank said the story reminds him of his wedding five months ago. Congratulations to our newlyweds!

There has been a comment why City Diary publishes stories about daily life events that most foreigners living in Vietnam may have experienced. Actually, it is not what you have experienced but what you view and the lesson you draw. All stories in our column do not only report on the event but also express how the writer sees and feels about the experience.

In Rome, many statues, fountains, and buildings can be a historic attraction for tourists to come to appreciate, take pictures and tell their friends back home. But to locals, those things are just part of their daily life, something they cross by everyday on the way to work.

What we’re trying to say is Vietnam and its culture can be experienced in different ways by locals and expats. Stories about Vietnamese culture, especially if compared with another culture, will make us see things from another perspective and discover an interesting point about the society we’re living in that we may not have seen before.

Remember, City Diary is a playground for all readers of TuoiTre News. You can send us almost everything, from short stories, poems to a 100-word opinion piece. So don’t forget to write us if there is an idea that comes to your mind and send them to the usual address expat@tuoitre.com.vn

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

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