Reunion

Abundant goods for Tet

From Paris, the ancient city of Blois is 200 km away along the A10 autoroute. It is the capital of Loir-et-Cher Department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of central France, where many famous castles are situated on the gentle Loire River. At the Asian Supermarket owned by Vietnamese Mr. Nguyen Khanh Duong, there were three couples from a family, including Mr. Ba and Ms. Nguyet, Mr. Tuan and Ms. Phuong, and Mr. Thi and Ms. Thuy. They were engrossed with their children in choosing and buying essential goods and food for their family to celebrate their reunion during Tet after a busy year.

Although the goods here are not as abundant as at Asian supermarkets in Paris, the Asian Supermarkets in Blois these days sell a lot of foods for Tet from Vietnam, such as Tet jam, sticky rice, green bean, rice paper, dried noodles, Hanoi beer, Phu Quoc fish sauce, water spinach, Malabar spinach, herbs, basil and especially dong leaves for wrapping chung (square sticky rice) cake – the traditional cake of Vietnam during Tet.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan said: “To prepare for the traditional Tet Festival, our brothers and sisters came here to buy Tet goods just like our parents took us to go shopping for Tet when we were young. Today, we come here and trade exactly as we did in the past. It is meaningful for us as it helps us remember the homeland, while our children and grandchildren won’t forget their traditional cultural traditions, their roots and their homeland. In order to buy dong leaves, we had to book in advance with the store, then we buy green beans, glutinous rice, pepper and rice paper to prepare for Tet.”

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan. (Photo: NDO/Dinh Tuan)

Mr. Nguyen Khanh Duong, owner of the Asian Supermarket, said: “In Blois, it is not as crowded with Vietnamese people as in other cities, just over 20 households. To prepare for Tet, we have imported many Tet goods from Vietnam. As you can see, there are enough goods here to serve Vietnamese not only in this city, but also in other cities. French customers also love Asian foods, especially things from Vietnam such as packaged spring rolls and dried noodles.”

Preserving the nation’s tradition during Tet

Mr. Ba’s house would surprise many with its 700 square metre garden, at the house itself having been built by the couple after many years of hard working. The home and garden were designed by Ba himself and built in a Vietnamese style. In his garden, there are many kinds of flowers, fruits and some ornamental olive trees that are nearly 100 years old.

In the house, everyone had their own work, peeling off chung cakes, processing vegetables, preparing a tray of five fruits for Tet, and cooking. In a short time, a sumptuous feast was laid out on the table with all sorts of Tet dishes, including chung cake, spring rolls, fried shrimp, meatloaf and sticky rice.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, who was born in Vietnam’s Nam Dinh Province, said that he was the third child in a family of eight siblings, but when he came to France, he was considered the “eldest” because he was responsible for bringing his brothers to France, taking care of them and helping them find jobs. Up to now, the families of his two younger siblings are well-off. In particular, Mr. Ba and his wife have two sons who are both intelligent and well-educated, with the oldest child currently working in the atomic industry in France and the youngest studying to become a doctor.

Overseas Vietnamese prepare for traditional Lunar New Year 2020 celebrations in Blois. (Photo: NDO/Dinh Tuan)

Mr. Ba said that he has been living in France for 30 years. In the first days after arriving in France, his family encountered many difficulties and had to do many jobs to earn their living and raise his children. Thanks to their efforts, after many years, his family now owns a quite famous Vietnamese restaurant at the foot of Blois Castle, featuring typical Vietnamese dishes. Thanks to Vietnamese foods that many French know, such as pho , spring rolls and beef noodle, his restaurant is always full of customers. Ba said: “I am a “boss” here but my staff include all my brothers and sisters. We always unite to run our own business and enjoy interests together.”

Not only does he introduce the Vietnamese culinary culture to French friends, customers coming to his restaurant also learn about Vietnam so that they could travel. Each time, Mr. Ba enthusiastically guides and introduces the famous tourist destinations of Vietnam to his customers.

By the fire, Mr. Ba said: “Whenever Tet comes, even though our business is busy, our three families still try to arrange our work and spend our day off to gather together to celebrate the year-end and prepare a meal to worship the ancestors during Tet. The traditional Tet holiday is a chance for us to gather, celebrate and wish each other good things, while reminding us about the homeland, and especially giving us a chance to preserve the national cultural identity so that our children can continue to hold and promote it.”

Because the time difference between France and Vietnam is six hours, when Vietnam welcomes the Lunar New Year’s Eve, it is only 6 pm in France. Every year at the sacred time to welcome the Lunar New Year’s Eve in Vietnam, Ba and his brothers spend time to call home to convey their Tet wishes to their parents and relative in the hometown. Tet is an opportunity for Vietnamese expatriates living far from home to learn about the cultural traditions of Vietnamese people, so that they can understand the meaning of Vietnamese culture.

Celebrating a happy Lunar New Year together. (Photo: NDO/Dinh Tuan)

“On the first day of the Lunar New Year, we still keep the same routine as in Vietnam: my brothers and their children come to my house to offer their Tet wishes to us and we gather around the table to enjoy Tet meals. Lucky money in red envelopes are granted to the children following the national tradition,” said Ba.

Gathering to enjoy Tet meals together, like everyone at home, the overseas Vietnamese in France chat happily, wish each other a warm Tet and review what they had do in the past year to encourage each other in the Lunar New Year. On the occasion of Tet, Mr. Ba sends New Year greetings to his parents, siblings and relatives back home, wishing them a healthy and happy new year.

15 years for a film about Uncle Ho

Q: The film “Hanoi mua dong nam 46” (Hanoi in the Winter of 1946), which was written and directed by you, is one of the great cinematographic works on President Ho Chi Minh. It won a prize from the Vietnam Cinematography Association and also helped you gain the best director award at the 1999 Vietnam Film Festival. In your opinion, what is the biggest difficulty when making a film about a historical figure, especially a great leader?

A: I made only film related to President Ho Chi Minh. In my opinion, no matter who the film is about, we must understand the character as our relative. To create the film “Hanoi in the Winter of 1946”, I had to read many books and documents about President Ho Chi Minh in that period.

Q: How did the film on leader Ho Chi Minh have significance for you?

A: I made the film “Hanoi in the Winter of 1946” in 1997; however, my intention to make it came to my mind in 1982 when I watched the Indian movie “Gandhi” for the first time.

Although the methods of fighting for national independence by the two brilliant revolutionaries were different, Gandhi’s peaceable thought was similar to President Ho Chi Minh. It was most evident in 1946 when the Vietnamese leader tried to make concessions to France using all means at his disposal in order to avoid a war. This love of peace is also a characteristic of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought.

I made the film because of another personal reason. My father, doctor Dang Van Ngu, who was doing medical research in Japan at that time, intended to take us and our mother from Hue to Japan for a family reunion. But at the last minute, he read President Ho Chi Minh’s Appeal for National Resistance, so he changed his mind and decided to return to the homeland to join the resistance. I like most recall the time when President Ho Chi Minh wrote the appeal in the house of a farmer on the outskirts of Hanoi. The moment changed the fate of a nation and so many Vietnamese families, including mine. I cherished the project for 15 years. I read many documents and talked with many witnesses and eventually finished the film’s script in 1995.

Q: Up to now, films on Uncle Ho have been mainly documentaries. There have been seven feature films, a very small number whens compared with the great life and career of President Ho Chi Minh as well as the strong distribution of his thought. Is it true that Vietnamese cinema still “owes” audiences good movies on the great leader?

A: Yes. There is truly a “debt” of Vietnamese cinema because indeed, there have not been any outstanding works on Uncle Ho that could satisfy audiences.

Q: After the film “Nha tien tri” (The Prophet) by Vuong Duc in 2015, audiences have seen watched any movie on President Ho Chi Minh. Around 30-50 feature films have been produced per year. However, young directors have not followed previous generations to make the films on the life and career of politicians and leaders. Could you share about the reasons for this?

A: Currently, around 90% of films are produced by private studios. Making movies on the leader and the fight for national reunification and independence is not their responsibility. If State agencies do not accept the responsibility, there will not be such films. The State has paid much attention to investing in the movies on this topic to commemorate major holidays. However, the results are not commensurate with that investment.

Q: In your opinion, what qualities do the young directors need to possess in order to exploit historical topics, especially on revolutionary wars and Uncle Ho?

A: I saw that many young directors have approached the topic of revolution very well. Director Bui Tuan Dung, with the film “Thau Chin o Xiem” (Thau Chin in Siam) on the revolutionary activities of leader Nguyen Ai Quoc in Thailand, is an example. The most important qualities are the passion and seriousness in their work, regardless of age.

People’s Artist, Director Dang Nhat Minh

The last film of his career

Q: In the past, the conditions for film production were tougher, more backward, and stricter than in the current time. However, it seems that the films produced at that time have deeper artistic value although younger directors are trained better and the facilities and equipment for making films are more modern. How can we explain this?

A: There is an objective fact that the audiences’ tastes today are different; therefore, the artistic values also change. Yesterday’s values should not be compared to today’s values.

Q: In your opinion, can Vietnam’s cinematography industry integrate and become a part of world cinema?

A: Vietnam’s cinematography industry has become a part of world cinema since the film “Chung mot dong song” (Sharing the Same River) was screened in 1959. At the time, the famous French film critic Jeorge Sadoul said that it was a cinema in the Indochinese Peninsula but it is neither Indo nor China. He means that Vietnamese cinema had its own identity. If we can keep that unique identity, we will be able to integrate into the world.

Q: Suppose you decide to make one last film in your career, which topic would you like to cover?

A: I am making a film, entitled “Hoa nhai” (Jasmine) to close my cinematic career. It has been shot but its post-production stage has not been completed due to lack of funds. This is a film produced by Khanh An private studio in Hue City on a very limited budget.

The story is about daily life in Hanoi, revolving around two main characters: a shoeshine boy coming from the countryside and a barber on the sidewalk. I have lived in Hanoi for over 60 years. The scenes in the film are my daily observations; therefore, it is very simple, highlighting the sentiments of the people. I believe that Hanoians still preserve the substance of “jasmine”.

Thank you very much for your interview!

For a year now the family Ha Van Hoat, 69, in the northern Phu Tho Province has seen the most laughter and joy in 30 years. His daughter, Ha Thi Chien, returned home more than 30 years after being tricked and sold in China.

Hoat’s family is poor. He walks with a limp due to a disability in his right leg while his wife has been lying in bed for years after suffering from a paralytic stroke.

After feeding the family’s geese, Chien returns to their hilltop stilt house, which was built with support from the government, approaches her mother’s bed and cares for her.

Despite the poverty, she says she is happier than in China.

She recalls that when she was 12 she was tricked by an acquaintance who invited her to China and promptly sold her to a family as soon as they crossed the border.

Ha Thi Chien in her house in northern Phu Tho Province. Photo by VnExpress/Le Lien.

“They forced me be a sex worker at night. It was very humiliating. I tried to escape multiple times but failed since it was strictly guarded. They tortured me with whips after getting caught and I was deeply in pain.”

She shudders even now thinking about her time there.

She says 10-20 years passed in the blink of an eye, and her dream of returning home seemed unattainable.

But in early 2020, taking advantage of the Covid-19 outbreak in China, she was able to escape from her captors and return home.

“At the beginning of last year I and a person from Ninh Binh Province who had just got sold there found a way to escape. I was scared at first, but that girl encouraged me, saying ‘We will die no matter what, and I’d rather die trying to find my way back home.’ I gathered courage, and we fled that place together. We managed to get back to Vietnam after five days and nights crossing through a forest.”

Chien reunites with her father after more than 30 years. Photo by VnExpress/Le Lien.

When Chien reached Vietnam, border guards gave her food and some money and took her to a bus station so she could return to Phu Tho. But after being away for more than 30 years, she had forgotten her mother tongue and was lost in Quang Nam Province.

Luckily for her the Quang Nam police were able to verify her time of entry, and contacted the Phu Tho Province police, enabling her to return home.

Although informed in advance by the police and local authorities, Hoat still could not believe his eyes when he saw her, and choked in emotion amid the tears and happiness of their relatives.

Chien says dreams about the degradation in China still haunt her in her sleep.

Hoan says it still feels like a dream one year after she returned.

“When the police told me that my daughter has returned, I laughed and thought it was just a dream until the police officers brought her right in front of my eyes. I held her hands and tears started to pour down from my eyes, and I thought it could only be a dream.

“At this age, I never expected to see her again and embrace her like this. I want to thank all the border guards and officers who helped bring her back to my family.”

Since Chien had forgotten, she could not say anything to her father when she arrived, and could only kneel down in front of him. It was an intensely touching moment for everyone gathered there.

Chien relearns Vietnamese at home. Photo by VnExpress/Le Lien.

Hoat’s neighbors came over to greet him and the villagers called it a miraculous reunion.

“It is a real miracle. I had intended to put up a small tomb for her at the end of 2020 if there was no news,” he says.

Over the past year Chien has been learning Vietnamese from her nephew who is in fourth grade, staying at home to take care of her parents and raising chickens and two buffaloes.

She plans to go out and find a job to support her parents when she can write well again.

Hundreds of thousands of women from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar have been trafficked to China to marry men there, activists say. Some end up happily married, but many others suffer violence and forced labor.

As there is a long standing culinary art in the north which has won local and foreign fans alike, let’s discover why these dishes are so interesting.

Special features of the northern cuisine

The Appraisal Council of WorldKings has stated that Vietnam is home to some of the best kinds of food, including Mắm (salted fish sauce), and dishes made from Mắm, with these typical flavours best named among the leading 100 dishes the world.

Many foreigners believe that the flavour is the main thing that makes Vietnamese cuisine so unique, especially in the northern region.

When complimented with fish sauce, the food becomes less spicy, fat, and sweet, compared to usual. It appears colourful as the dish uses different kinds of vegetables and some freshwater seafood, such as shrimp, crab, fish, and clams.

A tray made up for food for the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, in the northern region is often comprised of four bowls and four plates which represents four seasons and four directions.

A large tray can consist of six to eight dishes and six to eight bowls, with eight dishes symbolising prosperity and fortune.

These dishes are traditionally arranged in an eye-catching manner to represent the reunion which takes place in every Vietnamese family around the festive season.

In addition, popular dishes including Banh Com, green sticky rice cake, and jam tend to fascinate both locals and foreigners. Those foods are an unforgettable part of childhood memories for many people residing in the northern region.

Dishes boost reputation of northern culinary art

Green bean cakes are made using simple ingredients, such as pure green bean flour and sugar. The shape of the cake remains very simple yet has a pure taste and aroma.

Those tasting the dish should wash it down with a sip of tea grown in the northern province of Thai Nguyen. The sweet taste of green bean cakes combined with the bitter taste of tea helps to give an impressive experience for diners. This unique taste often proves popular among many foodies.

Cha Muc, squid patties, from Ha Long in the northern province of Quang Ninh is a special gift for many domestic and foreign visitors, though producing the dish requires both skill and time.

Selected squid must be a large size and weigh between 1.5kg and two kg each. They are then pounded by hand before being frozen for two hours.

This meticulous preparation makes Cha Muc Ha Long one of the most famous culinary specialties of Ha Long City in particular, along with Quang Ninh province in general.

Along with these dishes, the northern region is also home to plenty of other specialties. Indeed, making each dish requires both carefulness and meticulousness.

All types of food are valuable as they are passed down through generations, helping to create a unique, long-standing, and famous food culture that is the pride of not only of local people in the northern region, but also of Vietnamese people across the country.

VOV

Hanoi came in second with 13.7 percent of respondents choosing to settle down in the capital while the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong Province, home to the tourism hotspot Da Lat, came third (5.6 percent), according to the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI 2020) issued Wednesday.

For the 2020 index released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, nearly 15,000 citizens randomly selected from all 63 provinces and cities in the country were interviewed.

Da Nang, Vietnam’s third most important city, ranked fourth and Can Tho City, Mekong Delta economic hub, rounded out the top five migration destinations.

The rest of the top 10 comprised Binh Duong, Dong Nai in southern Vietnam and Hai Duong, Thai Binh and Hai Phong City in the north, all home to major industrial parks and foreign-invested firms.

Family reunion and better jobs are the two main reasons for Vietnamese migrating to major cities and industrial hubs, the report stated.

The Central Highlands, characterized by rugged terrain and poor economic conditions, and central region, regularly threatened by flooding and landslides, had the highest proportion of people wishing to leave their hometowns for a better life.

Dak Nong Province topped the country in terms of the percentage of people wishing to migrate, at 19 percent, followed by Quang Binh.

This year’s PAPI report also revealed many people wish to migrate to major cities due to the impacts of climate change, resulting in an influx of migration from the Mekong Delta to HCMC, the country’s largest metropolis which is home to more than 13 million people, including four million migrants.

The fear of natural disasters including drought, erosion and salt intrusion has caused more than 1.3 million people living in the Mekong Delta to migrate to HCMC and elsewhere in the past decade, according to the first annual Mekong Delta Economic Report.