A short brochure of students in Faculty of Foreign Languages, TNU about Mekong river Delta, Vietnam.

1. www.waterlandbeauty.com Issue 1 November, 2012
Water Land’s
Beauty Mekong River Delta
Discover the cultural beauty of Mekong River
Delta area, the southwestern part of Vietnam

2. Water Land’s
Director Le Thi Nhung
Secretary Ma Thi Hue Beauty
Mekong River Delta
Do Hong Lan
Designer Tran Thi Hai Yen
Vu Thi Ngoan
www.waterlandbeauty.com
Special thanks to all contributors to this brochure!

3. CONTENTS
Water Land’s Beauty 04
An overview of Mekong River Delta.
Cuisine 05
Coconut candy, the sweet flavor of tradition.
Society 06
Khmer’s features and traditional Tet.
Clothing 07
Khmer’s traditional costume.
Festivals 08
Ba Chua Xu festival.
ARTS 09
Don Ca Tai Tu.
Water Land’s Beauty 3

4. Water Land’’s Beauty
Mekong River Delta or Nine Dragon
Topography
River Delta is one of the largest and Located on flat terrain, Mekong River
most fertile deltas in Southeast Asia, Delta has a thick distribution of the
the biggest rice crop, vegetable and network of rivers and canals, which is
fruit producer in Viet Nam. It is also an Demographics very convenient to transportation
important area to the South and the development. In addition, the 700km
country in economic development, With 13 cities and provinces: An Giang, Ben
coastline of this region is an important
investment and trade cooperation with Tre, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Dong Thap,
factor for the economic development of
other countries in the region and in the Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang,
tourism, maritime and trade.
world. Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long, this
region has approximately 17.4 million
people. The inhabitants of the Mekong Climate
Geography Delta region are largely ethnic Viet, with
Khmer minority populations living primarily The delta has high temperature stability
Covering an area of 40,000 square in Tra Vinh, Soc Trăng, and Chăm in Tan in the whole region, an average of 280 C.
meters, Mekong River Delta lies Chau, by An Giang province. There are also A year is divided into two seasons: the
immediately to the South of Ho Chi sizeable Hoa (ethnic Chinese) populations in rainy season from May to November, the
Minh city, the eastern provinces (the Kien Giang and Tra Vinh.This accounts for dry season from December to April.
most dynamic economic region of Viet the variety of religions that add to the These climate characteristics bring
Nam), borders Cambodia and is cultural diversity of this area. Mekong River Delta the unique
surrounded by the South China Sea, advantages that other places do not
West Sea- Gulf of Thailand to the East. have. This is also a place where little
natural disasters happen due to climate,
especially storms.
Water Land’s Beauty 4

5. Coconut candy - the sweet flavor of tradition
Ben Tre province is considered as the hometown Coconut rice is extracted for juice, cooked Anyone who has a chance to try coconut candy
of coconut trees as well as their products in Viet together with malt and then wrapped round by at least once will be not easy to forget its greasy
Nam. Since this tree is rather useful for human “an eatable thin shirt”- actually a pattern of rice flavor. Visitors to Ben Tre usually buy this
beings, coconut trees are the pride of people in papers. The creativeness of manufacturers specialty as a gift for family, relatives and
this region, especially a kind of sweet called makes these candies more eye- catching as well friends. It can be said that coconut candy has a
coconut candy. as safe from moisture. strong attachment to the journey to explore
culture, cuisine, as well as tourism of Ben Tre.
Being not only a food specialty but also a In the past, the process of making coconut
traditional handicraft bearing the great stamp of candy was done almost all manually. Nowadays, Currently, coconut candy can be found at any
regional culture, coconut candy has long been however, this is mainly supported by machine, stores or supermarkets located from the North
into the childhood of countless generations of so the coconut candy producing has become to the South of Vietnam. Furthermore, it is
Vietnamese people. At the shining noon, what much easier. This product has been combined exported to international markets such as
could be better than sitting under the shadow of with other ingredients such as durian flavor, Europe, America and other Asian countries.
trees and enjoying some coconut candies with a peanuts, or even cacao to be more diverse. Coconut candy deserves a pride of Ben Tre in
glass of lemon tea? particular and Viet Nam in general.
This shows a phenomenon of interaction and
In order to have delicious and subtle coconut acculturation in the culinary arts to meet the
candies, raw materials are elaborately chosen. tastes of customers. It is the interference
Glutinous rice used for malt is certainly firm and between the modern and the traditional that
plump; coconuts are old enough and tan to form builds a vitality of a special flavor- Vietnam
brittle and greasy pulps; sugar selected to make coconut candy.
candies also ensures high quality…
Water Land’s Beauty Cuisine 5

6. Khmer is one of fifty- four ethnic groups living Eighty percent of Khmer people believe in Buddism
along the southwestern border of Vietnam, and a few put their belief on Christianity. The
mainly in five provinces: Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, An Khmer live in opening organization in “Phum”
Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang. The custom of (hamlets) and “Soc” (village), and almost “Phum”,
Khmer is quite unique to not only foreigners but “Soc” have a pagoda to show their devotion. They
also Vietnameses. Let’s discover those special also have many main festivals, such as “Chôl
features of Khmer together. Chnăm Thmây (New Year festival), Buddha’s
When coming to this region, people are very Birthday, “Don Ta” (Forgive the Crimes of the Dead-
excited about certain interesting characteristics on 15th, July in Lunar calendar), and Ok Om Bok
there. The Khmer live in the bamboo traditional Festival (Moon Worship). Chôl Chnăm Thmây is the
house with a simply structure. Each small family most awaited festival every year. It is the
usually has from 1 to 2 generations, and almost traditional Tet of the Khmer, and similar to New
remains the matriarchy in which women are the
Khmer’s features and traditional Tet
pillar of family. The salted fish is the food they
like most with a variety of flavors, and in fact, Year Festival. Tet will happen in 3 days, people go
they are interested in spicy andsour spices. They to the pagoda to pray for health, luck, etc for their
have their own language (Khmer,an Eastern family. It is also the time to respect and thank to
Mon- khmer language) and writings (Paly family, grandparents as well as their ancestors. In
writings). the festival, there are many ceremonies that attract
a lot of people. Tet is a chance for people to
The clothing of Khmer people is another original express their love in the best and traditional ways
feature between the daily and special clothes. In for their parents and their grandparents.
the normal days, if young people often use silk
Like many ethnic groups, the Khmer people have
“xa- rong” made by themselves, the olders wear
their own way to celebrate traditional Tet, which
“ba ba” clothing with the black colour. In the
makes a variety of Vietnamese culture. It is a
important occasions, for example, in a wedding,
traditional beauty and deserves a care to be
the groom uses the red “xa- rong” clothes and
preserved and develop more.
white scarf (Kăl xinh) on the left shoulder while
the bride wears skirt (Xăm pôt) with the purple
or pink colour, red tunic, and traditional scarf
and hat.
Water Land’s Beauty Society 6

7. Among many different parts of Vietnam, Mekong women have to roll it around their body, hips
River Delta still owns its unique beauty. Thanks to and then, down to their legs. One part of the
its geographic location and historical background, dress is put between two legs and tied on their
Mekong River Delta is very lucky to receive a hips to form a pair of very loose pants.
diverse culture, which is resulted from many Additionally, this dress is modified in a variety
features of different ethnic groups here. When of styles to be suitable with women’s ages and
talking about ethnic groups inhabiting in this land, positions. Nowadays, besides other modern
Khmer is supposed to be one of the most clothes, the most popular costume of Khmer
interesting ones. What makes it so interesting? women is “bà ba” and bandanna. This can be
Well, there are many things about Khmer’s culture seen as the symbol of not only Khmer women
that make it such a special group. However, the but also Mekong River Delta area.
only thing is focused in this writing is their
traditional costume. Let’s now have a closer look at Khmer men’s traditional costume
this beauty of Khmer people in Mekong River Delta Basically, Khmer’s men image of the old days
area. accompanied with “bà ba” in black and white.
Another thing that cannot be lack of is
Khmer ethnic group was not naturally born in bandanna. Due to the weather characteristics
Mekong River Delta. In other words, they of this land, “bà ba” is the most comfortable
immigrated to this area a long time ago. Eventually, clothing for both men and women here.
with the cultural exchange with other groups, Normally, Khmer’s men tend to choose
including Kinh, Khmer people do not wear their brighter “bà ba” for their own on special
traditional costume as much as they used to do any events (for example, at wedding parties, etc.)
more. However, on some special days, we still have Additionally, they usually wear another kinds
Khmer’s
a chance to see their traditional costume with their of special clothing: “xà rông”, which can keep
beautiful features. Is it the same as Kinh’s them cool on sunny days.
costume? The answer will be given right here, in
this writing. Nowadays, when the standard of living has
improved considerably, people have more
traditional
Khmer women’s traditional costume choices for their styles. However, Khmer
30 to 40 years ago, Khmer women still kept their people’s values from their traditional costume
own traditional costume. Khmer women’s will last forever. This simple beauty has been a
traditional custom is characterized with a big dress: proof for Khmer’s proud spirit in particular and
“xăm pot chân khen”. This dress is made of silk and Mekong River Delta people in general.
costume embroidered with many colorful details. The
process of wearing this kind of dress seems to be
quite complex and interesting: in order to wear it,
Water Land’s Beauty Clothing 7

8. Ba chua xu festival
In the western, besides many famous places, you can Surprisingly! In the village, there was a little girl carried out by nine girls. After one hour, tourists can
visit Ba Chua Xu Temple in An Giang province. It has going into a trance and called herself Chua Xu Thanh worship, thrifty, and share Ba’s bath water. When
not only historical signification but also spiritual Mau. She told the elders that Ba statue was finished “Tam Ba” rite is “Thinh Sac” rite celebrated
meanings of An Giang province in particular and destroyed by invaders and they had to choose nine at 16 PM on 25th. at 16 PM on 25th. The feature of
Western in general. virgins to take her down the mountain. At first, nine this rite is that it has the lion dance lead; the
virgins took Ba statue down easily; however, this following is “Long Dinh” procession which has valet
Although it is not festive season but Ba Chua Xu statue became too heavy to be moved when they by some boys. One more important rite is Tuc Yet in
Temple has a large number of tourists from other were at the bottom of the mountain. Some one which people wish good weather and air, fertile soil,
provinces and countries. Now let’s discover Ba Chua knew that Ba Chua wanted to stay there and they crop harvest, good health and happiness. Another
Xu festival. set up shrine. That was on April 25th of the lunar rite which is alike Tuc Yet is “Chanh Te”. It is held on
calendar, and it has become Via Ba holiday. 27 at dawn. And the last one, that picks up Thoai
Nowadays, Ba Chua Xu Temple is still a mystery. Ngoc Hau and second lady’s votive tablet from
According to a legend, two hundred years ago, Sam Ba Chua Xu festival is annually organized from 23 to temple to Son Lang which is celebrated at 15 pm on
mountain was a place deserted with a lot of wild 27 of April according to lunar calendar. Coming to 27th. That ends Ba Chua Xu festival.
animals and always harassed at the border by the this festival, people will have chances to experience
enemies. One day, Xiem invaders climbed up Sam a lot of games such as: lion dance, playing chess, In the future, Ba Chua Xu will be more a popular
mountain and found a marvelous stone statue there. music, etc. Especially, this festival has many festival not only to tourists in Vietnam but also to
Because of their greed, they wanted to take the interesting rites: Tam Ba, Thinh Sac, Tuc Yet, Chanh foreigners. It is a chance to explore the special
statue as their own but it was too heavy. Thus, they Te and Hoi Sac. Each rite has its own meaning. features only belonging to this festival.
were extremely angry and demolished it, which Firstly, elders direct the implementation of this rite.
made Ba statue’s left arm broken. “Tam Ba” always begins at 00 Am on 24th and it is
Water Land’s Beauty Festivals 8

9. Don Ca
Tai Tu
“Đờn ca tài tử”, which is a well– known art
performance in Southwestern, has accompanied with
people in this land for more than one century.
Nowadays, when talking about “đờn ca tài tử”, people
usually think this kind of art is similar to the Hue’s Simple but so beautiful Which future for “đờn ca tài tử’?
royal music. Actually, this kind of music was not
“Đờn ca tài tử”, as mentioned earlier, was created Along with the development of society, “đờn ca tài
created by the upper generation of the old days. It
by the hard- workers on their laboring days in the tử” has modified itself a bit to adapt to the new
was created by the hard- working people of the
south. Normally, people playing this kind of music environment. In order to be more attractive,
middle generation. May be that is why “đờn ca tài tử”
are friends, neighbors and relatives. Southerners performers usually wear their costume to serve
has been so popular and meaningful to people here.
perform “đờn ca” mainly for relaxation and love. At curious visitors of the south. On the other hand,
night, after a busy day, people gather together and the techniques and instrument for “đờn ca”
What does “đờn ca tài tử” mean?
share with each other their emotion through music performance have changed recently. Anyway, it
This seems to be a very common question for people
tones of “đờn ca”. Basically, a band needs five still keeps its own characteristics and beauty.
when they first know about this kind of art. “đờn ca”,
musical instruments: “đàn tranh”, “đàn tì bà”, “đàn
as its name, simply means singing and playing musical In spite of the strong impact of global
cò”. “đàn tam” and “đàn kìm”. “đờn ca tài tử” can
instrument. Well, what about “tài tử”? Some people industrialization and technology on the community
be performed after a crop or only in a small boat.
say it means amateurs. In reality, this phrase means: of this land, “đờn ca tài tử” is an unbreakable
Also, as “đờn ca tài tử” originated from the rustic
talented people. With its literal meaning, “tài tử” also symbol of the southern in general and Mekong
life, “tài tử” do not have to wear any special
implicates that people performing “đờn ca tài tử” are river delta in particular. This art performance has
costumes for their performance. In addition, they
not the professional ones. That is, they only perform been fulfilled with Sothern spirit: so simple, so
play this kind of art with the whole heart, not for
for fun, not for the money. However, in order to be rustic and unique. “đờn ca tài tử” is worthy
any personal benefits.
professional about this kind of art, it may take a long considered as a spiritual creature not only in the
time. Additionally, “tài tử” of course are south but also in the whole country of Vietnam.
knowledgeable about music in their own ways.
Water Land’s Beauty Society 9

10. Good Bye!
Water land’s Beauty| Issue 1| November, 2012
www.waterlandsbeauty.com
Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22041735@N04/4787119351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54829270@N00/4674058559/
http://vanhoalichsuangiang.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90933305@N00/7622901500/
http://my.opera.com/mietvuon/blog/show.dml/4278804