Cover of the newly launched book by Phan Cam Thuong. Hanoi (VNA) - Cultureresearcher Phan Cam Thuong has just launched the second book in his four-volumeseries on Vietnamese civilisation.
The 600-page book, titled Tap Tuc Doi Nguoi– Van Hoa Tap Tuc của Nguoi Nong Dan Viet Nam The Ky 19-20 (Life’s Customs –Cultural Customs of Vietnamese Peassants in 19-20th Century), published by theWriters Publishing House and the Nha Nam Culture and Communications Company,features the results of Thuong’s 20-year-research.
It follows the first book in the series,titled Van Minh Vat Chat Cua Nguoi Viet (Vietnamese People’s Material Civilisation),published in 2011, which features vehicles and objects that Vietnamese peoplecreated and used.
The new book offers different views on thespiritual life of Vietnamese farmers and the ways they interact in rural andurban environments. The book does not list all the customs in Vietnam buthighlights the most basic ones, which involve the development of people’sculture and the change they cannot resist.
The next two books, titled May La Ke Nao?(Where Are You From?) on Vietnam’s regions and The Ky 19 Viet Nam (Vietnam in19th Century), featuring the country in the 19th century, will be published inthe next few years.
Thuong said many other researchers such asPhan Ke Binh, Toan Anh, Nhat Thanh and Nguyen Van Huyen have written abouttraditional customs.
“They did the same things like listing allthe customs. In my book, I have mentioned the origin of the customs. Forexample, what kinds of customs people living in the villages and citiesfollowed,” he said.
He also traced how the customs changed, howthey disappeared, and how the new customs replaced the old ones.
For instance, Thuong describes a house onstilts of Muong and Thai ethnic groups. The way they divide the space in theirhouse is similar to that of the Kinh majority group.
The women of Muong and Thai groups did notneed to change their clothes in a separate room instead they used a robestretching from the breast to the calf.
Thuong explained the reason why farmers hadbreakfast very early. In summer, they worked very early in the fields so thatat 10am, when the sun shines brightly, they could return home to avoid theheat.
In his book, besides some illustrationstaken from the book, titled Ky Thuat Cua Nguoi An Nam (Vietnamese People’sTechniques) by Henri Oger, and photos from various sources, Thuong used his owndrawings to help readers understand more.
Writing at the precede, culture researcher NguyenNgoc compared the book series as a collection of Vietnamese history.
“However, I need to clarify that the seriescontains the history of Vietnam not as a country, but the history of Vietnamesepeople in their daily lives. Here we encounter different, smaller, more directand closer (But strange enough, lesser known) people. Vietnamese people,” Ngoc wrote.
The book is available at bookstoresthroughout the country for 189,000 VND (8.3 USD).
A show introducing the book will beorganised on January 14 on Book Street Nguyen Van Binh, District 1, Ho Chi MinhCity. - VNA
VNA
