Stirring corn in a big pot on a temporary wooden oven, 32-year-old SungDinh Thang, a professional wine brewer of the Mong ethnic group, putsthe final touches to the fermented corn before he removes the vapourextract from the sauce to a container.
He isperforming a daily ritual: processing corn into traditional wine. But heis not just brewing wine at his local market in the remote Lung Tamcommune in Ha Giang province. He is also producing wine for a marketheld as part of the National Great Solidarity – Vietnamese CulturalHeritage Week at the Culture-Tourism Village of Dong Mo in Hanoi's SonTay town.
Before steaming the corn for vapourextract, Thang has fermented it for half a month. The vapour is thenturned into drops of wine combining the sweetness of corn, the strongtaste of fermentation blended with the smoky smell of burnt wood.
Next to him boils "thang co'', a dish which includes horse meat,inner organs, vegetables, special herbs and spices, cooked by anothergroup of Mong people from Son La province.
The smellof food, wine and herbs from dozens of stalls mingles with melodies oftraditional instruments from the Tay, Nung, Hoa and Thai groups. Nearby,teenagers laugh as they immerse themselves in folk games and colourfultraditional costumes sold at the unique market tucked away in themountains.
"We have organised this kind of marketseveral times before, but this time, we invited more artisans fromnorthern areas to show off their wine and cooked food to bring a vividatmosphere of a mountainous market to locals here," said organisingboard member Duong Quang Xuan.
Retiree Bui The Chuc, who lives near the village, cannot hide his excitement while exploring the market.
"I think this event should be organised more frequently to help ethnicgroups understand one another," he said. "This is the easiest and mostnatural way for people to learn about ethnic cultures."
However, he complained about the lack of maps and signs around thevillage. "The village is so big and there are activities at manydifferent sites," he said. "The organisers should place more maps andsignage around so that visitors can get directions quickly."
Just few hundreds metres from the mountainous market, dozens of boatscarrying fruits, food and other goods float on Dong Mo lake. Thefloating market in the southern province of Can Tho is buzzing with thesound of people haggling prices and laughing to melodies of "dan ca taitu" (southern folk music) echoing on the lake.
"Itis very difficult to bring local boats and goods here," said dealer NhamHung from Can Tho city. "We want to create a special atmosphere of atypical southern floating market."
Japanese studentAkiko Okita is a first-time visitor to the markets. "Markets expressvividly the culture of people, I can see here the art of cuisine ofdifferent groups, listen to their languages and music, admire theirclothes and taste their food, drink their wine and witness theirbehaviours," she said.
The markets will remain opentill the end of the week alongside a sculpture camp featuring 30 artistsfrom the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Kon Tum andan exhibition of the best of Hanoi's traditional handicraft villages.
Oxen from An Giang province's Bay Nui oxen race willrace at the village in the November 23 afternoon while kite-flying takesplace everyday until the Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Week will wrap upon November 24.
A Khmer-style pagoda, the first ofits kind in Hanoi, will be inaugurated at the village tomorrow, and playhost to the famed Ok Om Bok of the southern Khmer group, which worshipsthe Moon for a better harvest, at night.-VNA
He isperforming a daily ritual: processing corn into traditional wine. But heis not just brewing wine at his local market in the remote Lung Tamcommune in Ha Giang province. He is also producing wine for a marketheld as part of the National Great Solidarity – Vietnamese CulturalHeritage Week at the Culture-Tourism Village of Dong Mo in Hanoi's SonTay town.
Before steaming the corn for vapourextract, Thang has fermented it for half a month. The vapour is thenturned into drops of wine combining the sweetness of corn, the strongtaste of fermentation blended with the smoky smell of burnt wood.
Next to him boils "thang co'', a dish which includes horse meat,inner organs, vegetables, special herbs and spices, cooked by anothergroup of Mong people from Son La province.
The smellof food, wine and herbs from dozens of stalls mingles with melodies oftraditional instruments from the Tay, Nung, Hoa and Thai groups. Nearby,teenagers laugh as they immerse themselves in folk games and colourfultraditional costumes sold at the unique market tucked away in themountains.
"We have organised this kind of marketseveral times before, but this time, we invited more artisans fromnorthern areas to show off their wine and cooked food to bring a vividatmosphere of a mountainous market to locals here," said organisingboard member Duong Quang Xuan.
Retiree Bui The Chuc, who lives near the village, cannot hide his excitement while exploring the market.
"I think this event should be organised more frequently to help ethnicgroups understand one another," he said. "This is the easiest and mostnatural way for people to learn about ethnic cultures."
However, he complained about the lack of maps and signs around thevillage. "The village is so big and there are activities at manydifferent sites," he said. "The organisers should place more maps andsignage around so that visitors can get directions quickly."
Just few hundreds metres from the mountainous market, dozens of boatscarrying fruits, food and other goods float on Dong Mo lake. Thefloating market in the southern province of Can Tho is buzzing with thesound of people haggling prices and laughing to melodies of "dan ca taitu" (southern folk music) echoing on the lake.
"Itis very difficult to bring local boats and goods here," said dealer NhamHung from Can Tho city. "We want to create a special atmosphere of atypical southern floating market."
Japanese studentAkiko Okita is a first-time visitor to the markets. "Markets expressvividly the culture of people, I can see here the art of cuisine ofdifferent groups, listen to their languages and music, admire theirclothes and taste their food, drink their wine and witness theirbehaviours," she said.
The markets will remain opentill the end of the week alongside a sculpture camp featuring 30 artistsfrom the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Kon Tum andan exhibition of the best of Hanoi's traditional handicraft villages.
Oxen from An Giang province's Bay Nui oxen race willrace at the village in the November 23 afternoon while kite-flying takesplace everyday until the Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Week will wrap upon November 24.
A Khmer-style pagoda, the first ofits kind in Hanoi, will be inaugurated at the village tomorrow, and playhost to the famed Ok Om Bok of the southern Khmer group, which worshipsthe Moon for a better harvest, at night.-VNA
