The town of Dien Bien Phu itself is mostly a mix of ethnic Viet Kinh (the majority ethnic group of the country) and White Thai, with other minorities inhabiting the outlying areas. But it is better known as the wellspring of Vietnam’s storied rise to global prominence in the mid-twentieth century. The long,wide valley that [...]

Images of graceful girls in national charming long dress have been a symbol of Vietnam. However, looking back the historic development of national dress, Vietnam not only has ao dai but also ao yem – the indispensable dress of ancient girls. In the old days, ao yem was called yem. It is an age-old dress [...]

Silk is the most precious finery of the orient. Some say silk was invented so that women could go naked in clothes. A more whimsical tale even credits a fourteen – year old Chinese empress with this invention. For centuries, the wearing of silk was the exclusive right of the Chinese nobility, so the know-how [...]

Each passing year in a person’s life brings esteem and respect to their family and neighborhood. Formerly, at the age of 40 one was honored for being an old man or woman. During the Tran Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, the 40 year old emperor gave up his throne to his son to [...]

Recording Name on Family Annals Custom According to the old custom, after checking the family annals, avoiding the profanation of taboo names (name of a child is same as the name of ancestors); the newborn child is officially given a name. First-born Baby custom It has some difficulties for the wife when she is pregnant [...]