ART FORMS in Vietnam have been influenced by outsiders for years to include the Chinese, the French, and the Americans. In spite of these influences, the Vietnamese have emerged in many ways as their own master.
There is nothing too unusual about Vietnamese architecture today. It appears to be a melting pot made up of buildings constructed with available materials, such as wood, bamboo, and thatch. Concrete is now being used for big buildings in the large cities and towns. The design used a similar to those found in China, France, and the United States.
In the larger cities, such as Saigon, Hue, and Dalat, some buildings look very much like those found in France. These are typified by thick stone walls and high ceilings. Today, the influence of the Americans is being felt in the newer and more modern buildings which are typical of modern architecture adapted to a tropical climate. This is particularly true of schools being built in South Vietnam.
The influence of the Chinese is seen in the temples, pagodas, tombs, and burial places. At these sites, one finds pillared porches bedecked by dragons and other traditional motifs. Wide expanses of roof with decorated supporting beams are dominant.
The most common housing, found in the countless villages in Vietnam, both north and south, is made up of single-storied buildings made with sun-baked walls, no floor at all, thatched roofs, etc. Woven mats are placed on the floor and beaded blinds shield the doors and divide the rooms.
Due to wars, the effects of time, termites and lack of durability of materials, little is left of the famous architecture of the past including the palaces of Co-Loa, Hoa-Lu, and Thang-Long. Of the ones left standing, though in ruins, a little insight can be gained into Vietnamese architecture of the past. Some of these include the One Column Pagoda in North Vietnam, the Temple of Confucius (1700) at Hanoi, pagodas at Phat-Tieh, and the Palaces and Imperial grounds in Hue. Also still standing are remnants of the Chams and their long stay in Vietnam.
Architecture and sculpture go hand in hand in Vietnam; once the Vietnamese buildings were in place, the sculptor went to work decorating columns, pillars, beams, and panels.
Foreign influence is also felt in this field. The most important of these outside influences in sculpture is that of the Chinese. As with the Chinese, Vietnamese sculpture often centers on statues in pagodas and other objects used in worship at home and other religious places. They show a preference for the four fabulous animals and the four seasons, just as the Chinese do.
Some evidence of Cham sculpture can still be seen in Vietnam. It is often typified by status of women having wings and large breasts, quite different from Vietnamese sculpture.
Visitors to Vietnam are well impressed by the sensitive artistry of Vietnamese painters, especially in the field of popular painting. Their work is very pleasing to the eye, with delicate forms and color combinations.
The art is a combination of Occidental and Oriental influences. An effort is being made by the National School of Fine Arts to bring these two forces together harmoniously. A new and different era for the Vietnamese painter may well be in the making.
The artists in South Vietnam today seem to be experimenting and a visit to the exhibitions often held in major cities may bring some surprising results. Painting is very popular among the Vietnamese and thousands of people turn out for exhibitions held almost weekly in Saigon.
There are many good artists in South Vietnam, and I have chosen a few from among them as representative of their contemporaries.
One well-known artist in Vietnam is Nguyen Tri Minh. He made a trip to the United States in 1963 and recorded him impressions of the places he visited on canvas, half in water color, half in oil. He is noted for the extreme of his paintings, which are considered to be simultaneously elegant and powerful. he considers himself as belonging to the "semiabstract expressionist school." He is married to another well-known artist, Truong Thi Thinh.
Another form of art popular in the country is the painting of scrolls and panels, with designs continuing from one to another. A leading artist in this field is Vi Hand. This work is generally considered to be "Chinese painting."
One original form of art practiced by Nguyen Van Lich and Dang Nhu Ho is the making of beautiful pictures from postage stamps and other pieces of colored paper. Their work was made public in January of 1964 for the first time, and critics said a new art form had been devised in Vietnam. A few of the critics called their work "handicrafts."
Until the end of the 19th century, the music played in Vietnam was regulated by certain laws administered by Hue court. most of the laws were imported from China and limited the repertory of music to a few typical tunes which were used with certain rituals.
This lasted until approximately 1900 when musical amateurs introduced new innovations, changing the nature of music in the country.
The new repertory was divided into two classes: the dieu bac (allegro), northern tunes which are lively and cheerful, and dieu nam (lento), southern tunes which are listless and lamentful. Vietnamese musical are required to know these two classical repertories by heart, conforming to the tempo and times imposed for each different melody. Interpretation of these tunes may be carried out but they must remain to be recognizable.
A classical Vietnamese band includes a double-stringed guitar, a three-stringed guitar, a sixteen-stringed psaltery (don tranh), a single-stringed doc huyen, a rhythm-maker (song lang), and a two-stringed rovanastron (don co).
For the classical theater, other instruments including drums, gongs, trumpets, etc., are added, and they are used to stress the action on the stage, not to achieve harmony.
Many instruments have been imported from China, but there are a few instruments that are strictly Vietnamese. Among them are the following:
DON DOC HUYEN OR DON BAU
Of ancient origin, this one-stringed instruments can achieve tones considered superior to those of the Hawaiian guitar. Numerous sounds can be attained with the instrument, including that of the human voice. The sounds are made by pinching the string at set distances, while simultaneously the tautness is changed with the left hand on another part of the instrument.
VO DE CAM
This is a type of guitar made with a long handle place into a rectangular, bottomless sound box. Only the top of the instrument is closed. There is a bridge on top supporting three strings which continue to pegs fixed at the top of the handle with eight finger boards.
SENH TIEN
A most simple percussion instrument, the senh tien is made up of two pieces of wood attached by a hinge. On the top piece, which is shorter, copper coins are held in place. The musical sound is achieved by clapping the two pieces of wood together and the noise of the coins, which are allowed to move vertically, completes the unusual sound.
Young people in Vietnam today do not have the same intense interest in traditional music as their ancestors. Many of the elders lament that the young are only interested in the new popular music and do not care to learn the music which has been so popular in Vietnam’s history.
Youngsters do not find the glamour in the traditional musical instruments that they like in the gleaming Western instruments. However, there are still those students who attend the music schools in the country to study traditional music. No doubt, many of them are there to please their parents. Those serious students of traditional music in the schools need more encouragement so that this art form in Vietnam will not be allowed to dwindle away. It would be in very poor condition today were it not for the new interest in the modern theater which uses traditional music to accompany the acting.
THEATER
There are three types of dramatic theater arts in Vietnam. They are the Hat Boi, Hat Cheo, and Cai Luong.
Hat Boi
Classical
Theater
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Hat Boi theater originated in China and was officially recognized there at king Han Vu De’s court (140-86 B.C.). The Chinese evidently brought the art to Vietnam during their control of the country. Many Vietnamese do not like to admit to their culture being Chinese oriented and may argue this point emphasizing that in some Vietnamese productions, not a single Chinese tune or musical instrument is used. They say that Chinese elements of the art in Vietnam have almost disappeared.
In the early history of Hat Boi Theater in Vietnam, the participating artists were spurned by the Vietnamese elite. King Le Thanh Ton (1460-90) decreed that comedians, singers, and actors, should not compete in the examinations given for places in the Mandarinate.
Later, the Emperor Tu Duc Said, "Actors do not belong to the human kind." They were criticized as having bad morals. Today, this stigma no longer exists in Vietnam.
In the traditional Vietnamese theater, everything is kept as simple as possible. There is no stage scenery, curtain or special lighting effects. There is one entrance and exit to the stage for the artists. There is little or not furniture on the stage, If there is, it will have a symbolic meaning.
Convention plays an important role in Hat Boi. The actors are limited to a few exacting rules. There are many symbols used, and the audience generally knows them all, so that they participate to some extent in the understanding and feeling of the production.
Subjects are legendary and are almost superhuman; certainly they are not like the ordinary man on the street.
Even the use of makeup is regulated and an artist must conform to the dictates in the field. The features of the characters are revealed by their wrinkles, color of their makeup, beards, etc. In China, the mask is used more often than in Vietnam.
Characters are so much alike from one play to another that the audience can recognize them immediately. For instance, the strong and fearless knight always has a red face, Phoenix’s eyes, and a long silky beard.
The beard has always played an important part in Hat Boi. It was different meanings, depending on how the actor handles it. Meditation, anger, worry, etc. are understood by the audience without confusion just by watching the actor finger his beard in a specific manner.
Whereas staging is rather dull without the use of many props, wardrobes are just the opposite. They are often so elaborate and magnificent that they cost a fortune.
Artists performing in Hat Boi always introduce the character they are portraying, when they first make their appearance on stage. They do this by reciting a Bach which is two lines with seven syllables in each. Normally, the characters are like superhuman creatures who get involved in grand adventures and always prove their moral greatness.
Some of the leading Hat Boi artists include Miss Thu Ba, Miss Le Tham, Miss Kim Cuong Phung Ha, and actors Nam Chau, Minh Chi, and Van Khoe.
This particular form of the popular theatrical art is most favored in North Vietnam. It is a simplified version of the Hat Boi. Whereas Hat Boi is always a tragedy or deep drama, Hat Cheo also uses some comedy.
Cai Luong
Modern
Theatrical
Troupes
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In addition to the classical theater, there are approximately 1,300 professional stage performers in 40 theatrical troupes throughout the country of South Vietnam. Their performances are well-liked by thousands of Vietnamese who turn out regularly to see the visiting entertainers. Many of them are idolized like movie stars of other countries. There are some who cause as much ruckus when they play in the Vietnamese town as rock and rollers do in the United States.
These Cai Luong troupes, which began in Vietnam in 1920, use comedy as well as tragedy. Their stories are more human and down-to-earth than the classical theater which extols traditional virtues.
Skilled musicians perform the background music which is limited to approximately 20 tunes each for sadness, anger, joy, and other emotions. Therefore, avid theatergoers can recognize the melody and popular ones cause a roar of applause each time they are played.
The actors and actresses usually begin their roles in a conversational tone. When the action of the play becomes more involved, they often speak as if they were reciting verse, and quite suddenly they may break into song.
The musical accompaniment, settings, extravagant costumes, lighting effects, and well-known actors and actresses, especially those with good voices, offer an exciting evening for a Vietnamese.
Many of the conservative Vietnamese fear that Cai Luong or the modern theater is dealing a death blow to the traditional Hat Boi theater in Vietnam.
MODERN ENTERTAINMENT
The film industry in Vietnam is still in its infancy, but is producing several movies yearly. They are generally low-budget, rather sensational movies geared to Vietnamese taste.
Most of the actors and actresses work only part-time and hold down other jobs as well. The actresses are considered to be among the most beautiful women in Vietnam.
One of the leading actresses is Kieu Chinh. She has appeared in the American movie, "Year of the Tiger," opposite actor Marshall Thompson.
Another Vietnamese beauty in the film business is Tham Thuy Hang, who often represents Vietnam at Asian film festivals.
Vocalists in Vietnam are very popular and in the larger cities, often rotate from one supper club to another in one night, so a whole string of different singers may be heard while staying at one establishment.
Among the most popular is Bach Yen (white swallow), a well-known singer of ballads, folk, and love songs. She has traveled in the war-torn areas of Vietnam singing to the Vietnamese and American soldiers. She appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the United States in 1965.
Other popular singers are Yen Vy, Lan Huong, Mary Linh, Ngoc Nhi, Tuy Phuong, and My Hinh. There are also a few popular male singers, but they are not so much in demand as the lovely girls.
LITERATURE
The earliest recorded poetry and prose was written by Buddhist bonzes who exchanged their writings with the poets in China. These writings were almost completely Chinese in form. Most of the Vietnamese forms were memorized in the spoken Vietnamese language and passed down orally through generations.
Later writers broke away from the strict Chinese characters and added some of their own combinations representing ideas and phonetizing the native language. This was called Chu Nom.
This enabled the writers and poets more latitude, and for the first time, to write down the prose and verse which had been used in the spoken language until this time. They were then able to break away from the Chinese influence.
With the advent of Quoc Ngu, the romanized version of the language, in the 17th century, the Vietnamese literary class was able to translate some of Europe’s masterpieces
into Vietnamese. In addition, this new language development enabled the Vietnamese to express themselves in literature.
Due to the closeness of Vietnamese life to nature and their pseudo-scientific beliefs, the poetic form has been the main form of their expression for hundreds of years. Since the beginning of the century, many talented poets have composed their sentiment and deeper feelings in the national language. These works are highly regarded and frequently read on special occasions as indicative of the Vietnamese indigenous art form. Principal among these has been the works of Nguyen-Khac-Hieu, who was known as Tan-Da (1889-1939).
The most recent theme of Vietnamese literature and poetry centers on the theme of emancipation from the family cult and is evident in the writings of such moderns as Hoang-Ngoc Phach, Nhat-Linh, Khai-Hung, and Le-Van-Truong.
The Vietnamese people are very fond of poetry. Not only poets but everyday folk take any opportunity possible to make a rhyme. At times of great happiness or sorrow, the average Vietnamese may take pen in hand and vent his innermost feelings on paper. Poems have been passed down through generations, some of them not transcribed on paper. They vividly tell the history, customs and culture of the country.
The beauty of Vietnam’s women has often been extolled in poetry. The habitual chewing of betel nut produces a blackening effect on the teeth until they appear as though they have been lacquered. In the past, such black teeth were an object of admiration, hence this excerpt from a poem.
Do you remember me when you go home
When I go home I remember your teeth
Shown while you’re smiling
I would pay one hundred taels
For that smiling mouth
And one thousand taels
For that person having black teeth
Early marriage as explained in Chapter 6 was condemned by one victim in the following verse.
My mother was greedy for
A basket of steamed glutinous rice
A fat pork and Canh Hung taels
I told her to refuse
She mumbled and brought me in
Now my husband is short
And I am tall
Like a pair of unequal chopsticks
In addition to the poems written by the people, there are poets who employed a strict discipline in their work. One example of this is the eight line poem called the Bat Cu. In each of the eight lines there must be seven words or feet (a group of syllable making a metrical unit in verse) which are monosyllabic. The pauses marking a rhythmic point of division must come after the fourth foot. The rhyme is the same throughout the poem and the tone of every word is fixed. The introduction is formed in the first two lines and the conclusions in the last two. The message of the poem, therefore, must be concentrated in the remaining four lines.
A 15th century emperor pondered his thought on the condition of mankind in such a poem, the conciseness of which is lost in translation.
I shudder whenever I think of existence
Sent into life, I go back to death
Intelligence, idiocy: joined together under nine feet of earth
Riches, poverty: a pot of rice cooking!
To struggle? Before my eyes, clouds dissolving
To suffer? Behind my body, very heavy mountains!
Vainly I question Heaven
Yet, I strive to live, listening out for Fate!
The most famous poem in Vietnam was written by Nguyen Du in the 18th century. He was often called the Revolutionary Poet. The epic narrative poem entitled Kim Van Kieu, is so popular that it is known by virtually every Vietnamese, regardless of his status in life. It is considered the national poem.
Kim Van Kieu has 3,254 verses with 22,778 words which tell the story of an extraordinarily beautiful girl named Thuy Kieu. The girl, in order to save her family, gives up the man she loves to marry a rogue who leads her to prostitution. In the poem, she plays the roles of prostitute, student’s mistress, servant, Buddhist nun, a victorious revolutionary’s wife, and other characters. She undergoes ravishment, sacrifice, glory, and betrayal. Despite all of this, she managed to keep her soul intact. Hence, the main theme "The source of the Good lies in our hearts, and the heart, by itself, is worth three times more than talent."
Actually, the girl in the poem symbolizes the author, who was caught in the unfortunate politics during the decline of the Nguyen Dynasty to which he was attached by birth, and the Tay Son’s who were claiming the throne. The beautiful girl, Thuy Kieu, and her fate was an analogy of Nguyen Du’s.
Nguyen Du of the Mandarin class and belonged to one of the most famous families of the Vietnamese aristocracy. He was born in 1765 and died in 1820. A long, narrow street in Saigon, near the Gia Long Palace, which houses the National Music School and other schools, is named for this famous author.
Vietnamese prose first appeared in the Chinese language. Its quality was rather poor, but it is valuable for the wealth of information that it holds regarding Vietnamese customs and culture in the era. Nguyen-Trai was one of the first of these writers who phrased their thoughts in Chinese. He wrote the "Proclamations of the Emperor Le-Loi" and the first "Manual of Geography" among other famous works.
Beginning with the 13th century, several significant historical works were completed. They include: The Historical Memories of the Great Viet (1272), A Historical Precis of Annam by Le Ta (1323), An Abbreviated History of Viet by Ly-Te-Xuyen (1323); and the better known works published by each dynasty since 1272. They were called Annals.
Later significant contributions of Vietnamese literary forms in the Chinese language are the two great encyclopedias of Vietnam. The first is by Le-Qui-Don (1726-84). It provides critical commentaries on Chinese literature. The second is by Phan-Huy-Chu (1782-1840) which is considered to be an important source document for students of early Vietnamese history, geography, customs, and institutions.
Even though these minor works began to break away from the stilted Chinese form as early as the 16th century, it was not until the work of the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du that we can detect a clear emergence of Vietnamese style.
CRAFTS
EVERYONE likes to take something home for himself and his family from a country, where he has been, usually an item unique to the country. Vietnam has an outstanding supply of such souvenirs.
In some handicrafts, similarity can be seen to those found in China. This is only natural, since the Chinese dominated Vietnam at many different times during history, and their influence has been greatly felt in the artistic fields.
As other foreign powers have come along, the Vietnamese have formed new types of handicraft to suit them. For the French, the Vietnamese perfected the art of dainty, embroidered lingerie and clothing. When the Americans came to help the South Vietnamese in their fight against the communists, the enterprising Vietnamese learned to embroider jackets with crazy slogans on the back and to make foot-lockers out of old beer and soft-drink cans. Some of the Americans were interested in having golf bags, shoes, handbags, etc. made out of elephant hide, and a new handicraft in the field of leather was begun.
The Vietnamese are great "copyists." All one has to do is show them a picture and they will duplicate it.
There are many fine handicrafts which are part native to Vietnam or were perfected to a fine art there. A few of the most important ones are discussed here. In addition to those who specialize in clothing and food techniques, Vietnamese craftsmen can generally be divided into nine categories:
- Craftsmen who make cultural or religious objects
- Wood and stone sculptors
- Japanners (lacquer work)
- Leather craftsmen
- Craftsmen working on ivory, horn, and tortoise shell
- Textile craftsmen-to include silk weavers, cotton and ramie jet weavers, basket-makers, sail-makers, etc.
- Wood craftsmen-shipwrights, paper makers, printers, etc.
- Ceramics craftsmen
- Metal craftsmen
Vietnamese history indicates that craftsmen have been quite free. In the past, the Imperial Court in Hue protected craftsmen and sponsored state workshops in which only the best equipment and materials were furnished. The Court bought the best works including embroideries, inlaid works, engraved silver objects of art, lacquers, ivory objects, jewels, etc. They also sponsored the sale of the other items not bought by the Court.
Tools of Trade The tools used by Vietnamese craftsmen are usually quite simple and easy to make. Engineers have tried to improve upon some of them, only to find that they were the best to be had.
The wooden wedge is used in Vietnam where the screw and bolt is often used by Chinese craftsmen.
The wedge-press, cogwheel, shaft, paddle-wheel, easel, and level are in use almost universally in Vietnam.
According to historical documents, techniques in metallurgy were developed in Vietnam during the first century before the birth of Christ. The substratum in North Vietnam was veined with gold, silver, iron, and tin.
One particular field of metal work, that of copper work, was begun in the reign of Tran-Thai-Ton (1225-58). A bonze, Khong-Lo, from Bac-Ninh province, began the craft in Vietnam. After his daily duties, he used to model clay into molds in to which he poured molten copper. His objects were said to be as good as those imported from China.
Two other bonzes began to help him and he was able to make trays, vases, copper containers, bells, statues of Buddha, and other religious objects.
He was most elated by his success and returned home where he taught the craft to his fellow villagers. The practice spread to other villages and prosperity come to the makers of copper items. Upon his death, a temple was built to his memory in his home town.
Coin collectors are saddened that the gold Sapeks begun in Hanoi by Luu-Xuan-Tin in the 15th century are now extinct. Later, ordinary sapeks were moulded and cast, but not of the precious gold metal.
Luu-Xuan-Tin who lived during the reign of Le-Thanh-Ton (1460-97) was dissatisfied with the methods of barter used in commercial relations, and he thought of making a coin which could be used in exchange. He presented his idea to the king, who authorized him to start making the coins and gave him the capital he needed. Luu-Xuan-Tin began making gold and silver coins, but went to Hanoi trying to locate other suitable metals.
The king made Luu-Xuan-Tin the Minister of Finance and ordered that a temple be built to his memory in his home town of Chau-Khe.
Jewelry is one thing that the French and Americans really get excited about in Vietnam. The gold used is usually 18 karat, but the natives prefer 24 karat, which has a more orange color. The goldsmiths are very talented and copy or fabricate any design you like. Labor is relatively cheap, cutting the cost of the finished article. The price of the gold fluctuated with the value of Vietnamese currency. Many natives take their earnings and buy gold or gold jewelry in case Vietnamese money should be devalued, the reason you see so many ordinary low-salaried people wearing gold bracelets and rings.
The goldsmith’s tools in the beginning were quite crude, consisting of various hammers, gravers, and a small anvil. They used a horizontal bellows worked by a piston, which forced air onto a hearth made of fire-clay, filled with charcoal. Nowadays they have the help of gas flames.
There are three patrons of the goldsmith, Tran Hoa, Tran Dien, and Tran Dieu. They were three orphan brothers who lived in the reign of Ly-Nam-De (544-48).
Because of dire conditions in Vietnam, the three left for China, but lost their fortunes to thieves in Vietnam on the way. During one of the robberies, the brothers became separated. The two younger brothers managed to find one another, but lost all trace of their elder brother.
The two younger brothers went to work in a goldsmith’s shop in China in Tan country and the elder brother found work a a goldsmith’s assistant in Tuy country.
After three years of hard work, the elder brother had learned all of the secrets of the gold trade and asked to return to Vietnam to search for his two brothers.
When he returned to his village, he was told that his two brothers had been massacred be pirates. He went into deep mourning on their account and refused to leave Vietnam.
One day, the elder brother was amazed to see his two long lost brothers enter the village. After their first affectionate embraces, they asked each other what trades they had adopted. As it turned out, the eldest was skilled in the art of gold decorations while the younger ones well trained in working with precious metals. It was quite a coincidence that all three had found work in the gold field in China.
The three established their own goldsmith shop together and called it Kim-Hoang. Specializing in gem work of a subtle and exalted quality, they received numerous orders from the king and began to teach their craft to other people in their village.
When they died, a temple was built in their memory.
Some of the most famous pottery in Asia is found in Vietnam. A great deal comes from a school located at Bien-Hoa, a short distance from Saigon. There is also a noted pottery center near Hanoi.
One of the most popular pieces with foreigners are the large ceramic elephants, weighing over 50 pounds. Many an elephant, ceramic of course, has been tagged and shipped unwrapped through the military postal system to friends in the United States from American men in Vietnam.
Simple pottery has been known since antiquity. The Vietnamese, however, were not able to make large objects until a Chinese visitor, who was an expert in the field, offered to show some natives how to make a large water storage pot when he saw that the natives drank water from the streams.
Only one Vietnamese responded to his offer of instruction. His name was Truong-Trung-Ai. It took him three months to learn how to do some of the complicated tasks his Chinese instructor taught him. When he finally learned, he offered the Chinese 20 gold bars as a reward.
Truong-Trung-Ai made constant progress in the art and began to show his fellow villagers how to do the work.
Two temples were built in Vietnam in honor of famous potters. One was dedicated to the Chinese man, Hoang-Quang-Hung, who originally taught the art to the Vietnamese and the other to his student, Troung-Trung-Ai. These temples are still in existence.
The handicraft that interests visitors to Vietnam more than any other is the beautiful lacquer work.
The people of Vietnam have worked with lacquer for centuries, but the craft reached its fullest development during the reign of Le-Thanh-Ton (1443-60).
Up to this time, Vietnamese craftsmen had not been able to duplicate the lacquer work of the Chinese, as their decorations of gold and silver would not affix themselves to the wood because of lack of drying. Most of the workers in lacquer lost heart, except for one by the name of Tran-Truong-Cong, who asked the king to send him to China to find the secret of the Chinese process.
In China, he succeeded in mastering the process and learning the secret (which was to apply a layer of kaolin and gum before applying the lacquer to the wood). Due to his success, a temple was built in his village in his honor.
Because of the Vietnamese trait of patience and artistry, embroidery is one of their specialties. Their works are very rich, often done with gold and silver threads.
In olden days, silk embroideries were especially made to honor important people or to illustrate religious concepts. Also, tales from Vietnamese mythology were illustrated in silk embroideries.
The founder of embroidery was Le-Cong-Huanh who was sent by King Le-Chieu-Ton (1516-27) to China to look for new trades which would help the economic situation in Vietnam. He stayed in China for 14 years before bringing back embroidery to the Vietnamese people. He first introduced it to his home town, Ha-Dong, which became famous for its work and sewed special royal embroideries.
OTHER SPECIAL CRAFTS
Horn, Ivory,
and
Tortoise Shell
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Vietnamese craftsmen are especially adept at engraving horn and A special skill is converting the ordinary turtle’s shell into a gleaming, smooth work of art. It is a long intricate process. Popular items are jewelry boxes, sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, cigarette cases, etc.
Vietnamese people first learned about leather work from Nguyen Thoi Trung who is the patron of shoemakers and tanners. He also invented a deodorant for bad-smelling hides. Today, one of the favorite streets for foreigners in Saigon is Le-Thanh-Ton Street, better known as "shoe street" where large numbers of shoe-makers and leather craftsmen sell their wares. They specialize in shoes, brief cases, golf bags, pistol holsters, and special objects made of leather. Quality is generally good, but delivery is slow.
There were two kinds of fans in Vietnam in the past. Large fixed ones were made of feathers and reserved for high dignitaries of the court. There were also small ones, made of ivory, horn, or bamboo. The smaller ones are a specialty in shops in Vietnam today.
Blind-makers prepare elaborately decorated blinds out of bamboo, cotton string, varnishes, colouring, and starch paste. Mat makers use the reeds which flourish along the lengthy shoreline of the China Sea. Most of the items are used by the Vietnamese in their homes.
Other favorite souvenirs are articles made with inlaid mother of pearl and eggshell. Nguyen Kim began this Vietnamese specialty, and schools for inlayers are found throughout the country. The Vietnamese like the inlaid, ornate furniture in their homes, but it is often quite expensive. Inlay work was known in Vietnam before the Christian era. One of the loveliest of the inlaid mother of pearl souvenirs are four plaques representing the seasons of the year.
