June 2008 Program

 

Program Summary (Please see subsequent pages for detailed information)

Please contact the person indicated for registration or further information.

 

 

Friends of Vietnam Heritage Newest Publication 

"Hoan Kiem Lake, its Legends and Temples."

The area around Ho Hoan Kiem represents the physical heart and spiritual soul of Hanoi.  Continuing the tradition of Friends of Vietnam Heritage to promote the understanding of Viet Nam's history and culture, this guidebook focuses on the history and legends, the temples and pagodas surrounding the lake. Also included is information on the large Bao An Pagoda complex which was razed between 1886-1889 and left only the Hoa Phong tower still standing today.

A self-guided tour is included, starting at the Main Post Office.  This publication will be for sale at The Gioi, or contact Nami Ojima to order this - or any of our other great books: mogutsuma@hotmail.com.

The Friends of Vietnam Heritage - Executive Committee: John Reilly - Chair; Marleen Steenbergen - Vice-Chair, Nami Ojima – Treasurer; Thea Frisby – Secretary.

 

Friends of Vietnam Heritage is a non-formal group of mainly Hanoi residents from many countries, including Vietnam. Its purpose is to enjoy as well as enhance the understanding of Vietnam’s culture and history, past and present. There is no membership fee to join. To receive our free program, please send an email to: fvheritage@gmail.com or check our website at: http://fvheritage.googlepages.com Participation in our programs is open to all. All FVH programs and events are in English or translated into English.

 

Volunteering: We need someone to take on our Lectures Section.  Angelina has done a wonderful job and we are sorry to see her go. But she is leaving Hanoi this summer. She has many good ideas for future lectures – both evening and day lectures. She also has contacts to help a new Lecture volunteer to get started. If you are interested, please contact Thea Frisby, thea.frisby@gmail.com for more information.  Volunteers have to be people who can work independently and who show initiative. NOTE: FVH does not have an office; we all work from our homes. 

 

Council Meetings:  The FVH Council usually meets every first Tuesday of the month at the Fine Arts Museum. Everyone who receives this Program is welcome to attend the monthly meetings as an observer.  Please let us know you plan to come by contacting Thea at the above e-mail so that we can confirm the date and meeting place. 

Program Details

Please contact the person indicated for registration or further information.

DAYTIME LECTURE
Meal Traditions in Vietnam

Thursday, June 5^th at 10:00 AM

 

During our meals we usually focus attention not only on what we eat, but also how we do it. To make the long story short the matter of our last daytime lecture before the summer is Vietnamese style of consuming food.

Our speaker will share his knowledge on the historically established style of eating and serving food in Vietnam.

Lecturer:          Dr Vu The Long, vice director in the Center for Social Development programs, Supporting
                          Vietnamese Gastronomy Club secretary
Time:               10:00 AM         

Place:              No 2, Ngo 45, Hao Nam Street, Dong Da
Cost:                60,000 VND      

Limit:               20 people         

To Register:     contact Angelina, Tel. 090 242 19 20 or angelinab@pisem.net

EXCURSIONS – DAY TRIP

So and Chuong Villages - producing glass noodles and conical hats

Saturday, June 7^th at 08:00 AM (for early noodle making)

 

Join us for a half-day trip to So village, a village known for the manufacturing of the delicate mien - the glass noodles enjoyed throughout Vietnam. We will then travel on to Chuong village, a tiny village that has devoted itself to the production of non, the world famous conical hat of Vietnam. You will enjoy a visit to one of the homes and discover the method of manufacturing non and be able to purchase your holiday gift hats before the upcoming summer break. Please bring along a snack or packed lunch, as we will not return until the early afternoon (around 1:00 or 2:00 PM). We will provide the bottled water.

 

Time:               08:00 AM departure (the noodle making happen early in the morning) Returning by 2:00 PM.

Place:              Sofitel Plaza Hotel – Duong Yen Phu

Cost:                180,000 VND

Limit:               30 people

To Register:     Contact David Atkinson atkinsonhanoi@yahoo.com.au

 

(Please include your mobile or contact phone number, so we may contact you in case of any last minute changes.)

 

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been cancelled

 

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE – English Section

Prevention of Summer Heat

Wednesday, June 11^th at 9:00–11:00 AM

 

Dr. Huong will talk about prevention of summer heat based on Traditional Medicine methods.

She will especially, focus on useful methods to protect our body from daily heat, so we can stay healthy and not suffer from summer heat in Hanoi. Dr. Huong will also introduce effective Vietnamese foods such as desserts and herbal teas.

 

Time:            9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Place:           80 Ngo Nui Turc

Cost:             120,000 VND

Limit:            8 people

To Register:  Send an email to rie_nakashi@hotmail.com

                    

Please leave your mobile phone number so we can contact you in case of any last minute changes.

 

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been cancelled

 

DISCOVER HANOI - City Walks: Japanese Section

History Museum 2F

Tuesday, June 24^th at 9:30 AM

 

In succession to our May tour 1F, we will have the History Museum tour 2F this month. So come and join our walking tour (not much walking) at The History Museum’s newly renovated facility! We will guide you from the Ho Dynasty and the 15^th Century up to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh declared independence at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi.

 

Time:              9:30AM - 11:30AM

Place:           The History Museum, 1 Trang Tien Str. (Please meet us at the ticket office)

Cost:             50,000 VND

Limit:            15 people

To Register:  Contact helijapan@yahoo.co.jp

                      

Please leave your mobile phone number so we can contact you in case of any last minute changes.

DISCOVER HANOI – City Walks: English Section

  Hang Dao Walk

Wednesday, June 25^th at 9:30 AM

 

This walk commences at Hang Dao and travels through some of the streets of the Old Quarter, highlighting the concept of the "36 trade streets" where each street is named after the original product or service of the individual trade guilds. We will visit a communal house and pagoda, the famous Bach Ma Temple and the house where Ho Chi Minh famously drafted the Declaration of Independence.

 

Time:               9:30 AM           

Place:              The Fountain at the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Cost:                50,000 VND      

Limit:               8 people           

To Register:     Contact Catherine Day on 0977 510 177 or email qubyday@yahoo.co.uk

                       

Please leave your mobile phone number so we can contact you in case of any last minute changes.

 Ongoing

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE GROUP – Tai Chi

Wednesdays at 5:30 PM and Saturdays at 4:15 PM

 

This is an ongoing activity, which you can join at any time.  Our teacher is Master Dung, a highly respected professional in the field of tai chi, martial arts and meditation.  We meet Wednesdays from 5:30- 7 pm and Saturdays from 4:15 - 5:45 pm. This is a mixed group of Vietnamese and expatriates. Program: Warm-ups, Tai Chi exercises, Cool Down.  Beginners, intermediate, advanced – all students are welcome.  Master Dung divides his time among groups of different levels and he has several students who assist in teaching.  For more information and instructions to the meeting place, contact Thea at e-mail below.

 

Time: Starting 5:30 PM every Wednesday and 4:15 PM every Saturday.

Place: Meet at Botanical Garden (Vuon Bach Thao), Ngoc Ha Entrance, 2000 VND entr fee.

Cost: 50,000 vnd each time you attend.

Limit: no limit, all are welcome.

To Register: Send an e-mail to thea.frisby@gmail.com and mention Tai Chi in the subject line.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE GROUP – MEDITATION

 A. Morning Meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Mindfulness of Sitting and Walking – Guided Meditation. All nationalities welcome. (First-Timers may want to attend an introduction before joining meditation for the first time.)

Time: 6:30 – 7:30 AM.

 

B. Introduction to Meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Questions & Answers. Every Tuesday and Thursday

Introduction to: Mindful Breathing, Listening to the Bell, Sitting Meditation, Walking Meditation, Dharma Discussion. If you have questions about the practice, or about your experience, this is a good time for them.

Time:                6:00 – 6:30 PM. (please arrive a few minutes early).

 

C. Evening Meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh,

Every Tuesday and Thursday

Sitting Meditation, evening includes Guided Meditations and Dharma Discussion; Recitation of Mindfulness Trainings; Occasional Offering of Special Practices of Deep Relaxation, Touching The Earth, Tea Ceremony, Beginning Anew. All Nationalities Welcome. (First-Timers may want to attend an introduction before joining meditation for the first time.)

Time:               6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

 

Registration details for all the above is as follows:

Cost:                no fees; generosity is encouraged

Limit:               none

To Register:     Call Trish 0917 506 472 or Kai 0904 060 203 or email: HNC4ML@gmail.com

Place:              Sangha House, Ha Noi Community for Mindful Living, Tay Ho district, 31 Ngo Xuan Dieu, House  37A

Program Notes and FVH Announcements

FVH WEBSITE: Bookmark the Friends of Vietnam Heritage website: http://fvheritage.googlepages.com/, where the monthly program and further information about FVH, including photo page and links are posted.

 

FVH EMAIL: Address all correspondence to the Friends of Vietnam Heritage Email address: fvheritage@gmail.com  (This replaces the old email address fvheritage@hn.vnn.vn)

Student Invitation

FVH would like to invite Vietnamese students to join any of our events for one-half of the activity cost. Please contact the event coordinator to reserve a place (subject to availability, as determined by the coordinator). Students are required to present their current student identification card.

Museum Spotlight

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (Bao Tang Dan Toc Hoc Viet Nam)

Nguyen Van Huyen Road    Cau Giay District       Tel: (84-4) 8 360 350 Fax: (84-4) 8 360 351                                

Email: vme18@hn.vnn.vn  Website: http://www.vme.org.vn 

Open everyday except Monday, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

ADMISSION:

• Regular Admission:        20,000VND
• Reduced Admission:      5,000VND for College and University students,

3,000VNE for Primary and Secondary pupils

• Free Admission:            Children under 6 years of age; People of Vietnam ethnic minorities

 

Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts (Bao Tang My Thuat)

Address: 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Tel: (844) 823-3084

Admission: 20,000 VND for adults/ 7.000 VND for over 12 year-old children and students

Opening hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM. It opens every day

*The Museum of Fine Arts has a very excellent collection of the five following topics:

1. Fine arts in the Pre and - early historic times
2. Fine arts from 11th to 19th century
3. Paintings and Sculptures from the 20th century
4. Applied decorative arts
5. Vietnamese ceramics from the 11th to 20th century.

 

Museum of Vietnamese History (Bao Tang Lich Su Viet Nam)

Address: 1 Pham Ngu Lao street

Opening hours: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (no break for lunch)

Open every day of the week. (Closed only during Tet).

 

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum (Bao Tang Phu Nu Viet Nam)

Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet, Tel: (844) 825-9936

Open six days a week (closed Mondays) from 8am to 4:30 pm

 

Special Exhibition: Propaganda Posters at The Vietnamese Women’s Museum

The Women’s Museum of Hanoi has mounted a colourful exhibition of propaganda posters, some three dozen of them, designed to encourage agricultural production. They were printed for national distribution in the decade that followed the end of the American War, when Vietnam was in ruin and had to pull itself up by its bootstraps. Food production was paramount, and women were called upon to do their part. Ho Chi Minh, who had spent time in Paris and in Moscow, would have recognized that as a tool of education and propaganda, the poster was a low-cost way of making a grand statement forcefully, even to those who could barely read. 

 

The message of the Vietnamese Women’s posters is always short and simple - “Ensure there is enough food for all,” says one of them, showing a child eating rice from a bowl, while his mother is holding on to a huge basket of raw rice, and another woman at the back is driving a tractor across a planted field. “Build more Uncle Ho fish ponds,” says another one, showing three women releasing small fish into a pond. “Coffee is a valuable export,” pronounces the third, showing youthful coffee bean pickers. The women in the posters look happy, and are invariably portly and very busy helping their country grow food. They are dressed for work. They don’t seem to have time for leisure.

 

The art work is also straightforward and simple – good basic drawing, hard-edge rendition of the images so that they stand out well, a lot of bright hues and many complementary colours side by side to make the impact. The confident artwork makes the posters eye-catching and their messages believable.

 

Designed by various artists and printed by the Central Fine Arts Company’s Factory of Propaganda Posters in lots of 200 to 500 copies, these lovely art works attest to the skill of Vietnamese draftsmen, and to the forcefulness with which a well-designed placard can convey a message and mobilize people to action. They are well worth seeing.

 

The exhibition is located on the third floor of the building adjacent to the Women’s Museum’s main building (which is under renovation) at 36 Ly Thuong Kiet. It continues till the end of August 2008, and is open every day 8:00 to 4:30.

FVH Resource Corner

Vietnam Development Information Center, 63 Ly Thai To

Hours of Operation: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

 

The Friends of Vietnam Heritage collection includes books and journals that focus on Vietnamese art and culture and it hosted by the VDIC. The list of books and periodicals is now available on the VDIC website at http://www.vdic.org.vn/ under “library and internet.” Resource materials are available for use on the premises.

 

If you are interested in borrowing books from the VDIC library, please contact Marleen at 0915-641-142 (after November 15) . If you have books that need to be returned or books that you would like to donate to the FVH library, you can drop them off directly at the library at 63 Ly Thai To. We are also collecting the Vietnam Heritage magazines, so next time you’re on a Vietnam Airlines flight, please take the free magazine and donate it to the library. Feel free to stop by and visit the library anytime during open hours. Mrs. Thao will be happy to show you around the library and direct you to the FVH resource corner.

FVH Publications

FVH produces a number of publications. All publications are 50,000 vnd.  Contact Nami Ojima at mogutsuma@hotmail.com if you want to buy any of these books. 

 

1. Bach Ma Temple Guide (White Horse Temple)

Provides detailed information on the history of the Bach Ma Temple on Hang Buom street, including temple layout, translation of panels written in Chinese characters, as well as information about symbolism used in the temple. This temple is the most important in the Old Quarter. A suggested walking tour of the area is also included. Produced 2001                                   

 

2. Quan Thanh Temple Guide

Provides detailed information on the history of Quan Thanh Temple by the West Lake, as well as useful and interesting general information about Vietnamese temples. A suggested walking tour of the area is also included. Produced 2002                                

 

3. Tran Quoc Pagoda Guide

The Tran Quoc Pagoda on Thanh Nien Road was founded some 1400 years ago, and it is one of the most ancient Buddhist pagodas in Hanoi. Nestled between West Lake and Truc Bach Lake, the pagoda is considered a magnificent symbol of Buddhism in Vietnam, and is one of the most visited sites in the capital. The guide covers the history of Buddhism, the temple layout, and describes in detail the different areas of the pagoda. A fascinating publication which includes specially commissioned drawings and photographs.

Produced 2003

 

4. Phu Tay Ho Guide (West Lake Palace)

Have you ever wondered who these doll-like statues in glass cabinets, in blue, white, red or green attire may be? Phu Tay Ho at the far end of the Tay Ho peninsula is the most impressive pagoda dedicated to the cult of the Mother goddesses in Hanoi, an indigenous cult which seems to permeate the lives of all Vietnamese women in varying degrees. The guide describes in detail the complex itself, then discusses the religion of the Mother goddesses, including its philosophy, pantheon and rituals. Produced 2004

 

5. Lan Ong Street Guide (Traditional Medicine Street)

Traditional medicine is very much alive on this particular street of the Old Quarter. The booklet not only describes the area in its historical context and current set-up, but also offers information on a variety of Vietnamese herbal teas for the health conscious as well as a comprehensive pictorial of Lan Ong street.

Produced 2005, Reprinted 2005          

 

6. Bat Trang Traditional Pottery Village: A Self-Guided Walk

This guidebook focuses on the old section of the pottery commune of Bat Trang, a village with a long history hitherto unknown to many outsiders. The book is based on a self-guided walk. There are three different circuits lasting from 45 minutes to 2 hours, all shown on a map.  Produced 2006  

 

7. Hoan Kiem Lake, its Legends and Temples: A Self-Guided Walk.

The area around Ho Hoan Kiem represents the physical heart and spiritual soul of Hanoi.  Continuing the tradition of Friends of Vietnam Heritage to promote the understanding of Viet Nam's history and culture, this guidebook focuses on the history and legends, the temples and pagodas surrounding the lake. Also included is information on the large Bao An Pagoda complex which was razed between 1886-1889 and left only the Hoa Phong tower still standing today.

Produced 2007.

Looking for that Special Gift?

FVH cloth shoulder bag, especially commissioned, with FVH logo (see top). Price: 60,000 VND per bag.

 

FVH-greeting cards, especially commissioned, in packs of 4 (the four sacred animals of Vietnam) either in gold 77 or silver 66. Price: 40,000 VND per pack of 4 cards.

 

FVH-mugs in white or black color, to balance the yin/yang of your home or as an exotic gift to friends. Price: 40,000 VND per mug or 75,000 VND per set of 2 mugs.

 

FVH-glasses in royal blue, which can work as fine crystal in an elegant setting or as everyday glassware. Individually packaged in a festive gift box. Price: 30,000 per glass or 150,000 per set of 6 glasses.

 

The proceeds from these items will be used to finance the purchase of new publications or periodicals for the FVH Resource Corner or to research new FVH guidebooks. These items can be ordered by contacting Nami Ojima at mogutsuma@hotmail.com.

Please note: off the record and disclaimer

All Friends of Vietnam Heritage activities, especially, lectures and discussion are considered “off the record” and as such, may not be quoted in the press or other format. Exceptions will only be considered when proper requests for permissions and arrangements have been made with FVH and the individual speaker beforehand. In addition, all statements made during FVH programs belong to the individual presenter(s) and as such do not reflect the views or opinions of the organization, council or members of the Friends of Vietnam Heritage.