National Heritage Restoration: VND7.4 Trillion Worth

VND7.4 trillion is needed to restore thousands of national heritage sites by 2015. And the Prime Minister has approved it.
 
Funding for the restoration project of these national heritage sites was initially estimated at VND5.2 trillion. The overall approved budget is VND7.4 trillion.
 
Based on the Culture National Target Programme for 2012-2015, 300 special national heritage sites will be restored. 1,200-1,500 sites will at the same time receive support to preserve the establishments from deteriorating further. Moreover, five aspects of cultural heritage will also be submitted to UNESCO for recognition.
 
The government targets to restore 60-90 national heritage sites every year, as well as aiming to fight the decaying of 300-400 other sites. The government also vows to resume restoring unfinished heritage sites.
 
There are approximately 500 projects to gather and save of data and information of the heritage sites to be placed in a database. The cultural sector plans to send files on five “intangible” heritages to UNESCO, revive about 20 festivals, and convert certain old villages into cultural tourism sites.
 
The Prime Minister himself has ordered that the classification of heritage sites in the country be finished the soonest. In addition to the VND7.4 trillion restoration project, the government also plans to release another budget aimed to support this time provincial and city museums. With an estimated amount of VND290 billion, the project’s goal is to purchase 10-30 artifacts annually for the succeeding three years.
 
To further support and preserve the national heritage of Vietnam, the government furthermore will hand out financial aid to traditional art troupes by upgrading their theaters, especially in areas which have one-of-a-kind arts. Public and private sector artists will also receive equipment and training courses as part of the preservation project.
 
It is the goal of the Prime Minister and the government as a whole to exert all its efforts in preserving and restoring the national heritage sites and the heritage of Vietnam as a whole.

The Year of the Snake has come: Naming the Years of the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar (Âm Lịch Việt Nam)

The year of the Snake has just arrived. February 10, 2013 marked the beginning of a year that is dynamic and powerful as the Snake itself. This is the year, which has been given the name Quý Tỵ, as provided by the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar.

As naming the years is not as popular in other parts of the world, things for them might appear a little complicated to put together regarding how the years are named.

Whereas the previous year (2012) was called Nhâm Thìn and how the following year’s name of Giáp Ngọ (year 2014) is already figured out, the system of naming the years along with the cycles in the Lunar calendar would, in reality, only require a few basic understanding of this remarkably interesting calendar.

Naming a Vietnamese year is basically done by combining two cycles, the "Ten Heavenly Stems" and the "Twelve Earthly Branches".

Twelve Earthly Branches

The "Twelve Earthly Branches" ("shi er di zhi") denotes the twelve signs of the zodiac consisting of: Tý (Rat), Sửu (Ox/Buffalo), Dần (Tiger), Mẹo/Mão (Cat/Rabbit), Thìn (Dragon), Tỵ (Snake), Ngọ (Horse), Mùi (Sheep/Goat), Thân (Monkey), Dậu (Chicken), Tuất (Dog) and the Hợi (Pig/Boar).

Ten Heavenly Stems

Meanwhile, the "Ten Heavenly Stems" ("shi tian gan" ...), comprised of Giáp, Ất, Bính, Đinh, Mậu, Kỷ, Canh, Tân, Nhâm and Quý are further associated with the concept of Yin and Yang as well as of with the five "Basic Elements" where Giáp and Ất belongs to "Wood", Bính and Đinh to "Fire", Mậu and Kỷ to "Earth", Canh and Tân to "Metal", and Nhâm and Quý to the element "Water". In relation to the two basic properties "yang" (Am) and "yin" (Duong), Giáp, Bính, Mậu, Canh and Nhâm are known to hold the qualities of "yang", while Ất, Đinh, Kỷ, Tân and Quý possess the "yin" qualities.

Naming the year

So putting two and two together, combining this year’s heavenly stem (Canh) in parallel with its property (Yang) and Basic Element (Metal) to its earthly body Dragon (Thìn), 2012 Nhâm Thìn is labeled as "Yang Water Dragon".

Combining in a round-robin manner the two shorter cycles of the "Can", or the ten-year cycle
denoting the "Ten Heavenly Stems" and the "Ky" or the twelve-year cycle in congruent with
the "Twelve Earthly Branches", a greater cycle of 60 years is formed. Derived from the least common multiple of 10 and 12, the 60-year cycle (called Can Chi) is more like how the centuries are divided into every 100 years.

The cycle

As it cycles continuously, a particular year will return every after 60-year period. Each year in the Can Chi corresponds to a particular year name as follows:

Giáp Tý
Ất Sửu
Bính Dần
Đinh Mão
Mậu Thìn
Kỷ Tỵ
Canh Ngọ
Tân Mùi
Nhâm Thân
Quý Dậu
Giáp Tuất
Ất Hợi
Bính Tý
Đinh Sửu
Mậu Dần
Kỷ Mão
Canh Thìn
Tân Tỵ
Nhâm Ngọ
Quý Mùi
Giáp Thân
Ất Dậu
Bính Tuất
Đinh Hợi
Mậu Tý
Kỷ Sửu
Canh Dần
Tân Mão
Nhâm Thìn
Quý Tỵ
Giáp Ngọ
Ất Mùi
Bính Thân
Đinh Dậu
Mậu Tuất
Kỷ Hợi
Canh Tý
Tân Sửu
Nhâm Dần
Quý Mão
Giáp Thìn
Ất Tỵ
Bính Ngọ
Đinh Mùi
Mậu Thân
Kỷ Dậu
Canh Tuất
Tân Hợi
Nhâm Tý
Quý Sửu
Giáp Dần
Ất Mão
Bính Thìn
Đinh Tỵ
Mậu Ngọ
Kỷ Mùi
Canh Thân
Tân Dậu
Nhâm Tuất
Quý Hợi

Used in China since the second millennium B.C. as its manner of naming their days (pretty much how the Western world names the days of their week). The method utilizing the Sexagenary (Stem-Branches) cycle is evident throughout the Zhou dynasty as their records were found to be written in such manner. Its popularity is seen much widely around 202 BC-8 A.D. during the period of Western Han Dynasty. How and when it was adopted by several other East Asian countries (Japan, Korea, Vietnam...) varied throughout history.

Since a particular year returns after every Can Chi or passing sexagenary cycle, a year that began in 1984 will therefore enter a new cycle by year 2044. In the same manner, the previous Quý Tỵ took place during 1953 which is exactly 60 years from today. When this cycle ends, the next Quý Tỵ, then, won’t be around until year 2073.

Experiencing Vietnam’s Tet Festival

Because of its significance in the country’s cultural identity, the Vietnamese New Year, more known as Tet, is considered the most important and popular festival in Vietnam.

Celebrated at the same time with the Chinese New Year around late January or early February of every year, particularly on the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar, it is among those times when the customary practices of the Vietnamese are most visible and appreciated. Ancestral worshipping, pilgrims and family reunions are commonly observed.

The country’s general atmosphere is characterized by positivity and hope. The bustling streets are filled with people busy with shopping for gifts and decorations. Vietnamese who have been away usually return to their families to celebrate the event. But perhaps, how substantially rooted Tet have been in the lives of the Vietnamese could be seen how even those who have settled in other countries will never forget the fine customs handed down through generations.

For the Vietnamese people, it is both an occasion and opportunity of renewal and rejuvenation, as every deed during the three days of Tet will greatly influence the coming twelve months. With that, they take steps to correct their mistakes, patch up differences, pay off their debts, keep things in order and avoid committing undesirable deeds. Paying homage to the ancestors is given great importance as well as spending time with the family. People wish each other with luck, prosperity and good fortune.

Preparation of traditional Tet food is extensive, and traveling to the country during this time could be a wonderful experience for any tourist. Apart from the local cuisine, which some could only be tasted during Tet, the parades, dance performances and the rest of the traditional practices could be an extraordinary encounter. As the festival often stretches up to a week because of the many other celebrations that occur before and after Tet, coming to Vietnam during this holiday season could be among the best experience one can ever have in Vietnam.

With just a few days away for the next Tet, which is marked on January 23, 2012, Vietnam is slowly beginning its preparations for welcoming the year of the Dragon. Upcoming Tet dates include February 10, 2013 for year of the Snake and January 31, 2014 for the year of the Horse.

New Year Customs, Vietnam Style

There are several New Year customs in Vietnam that further enrich the already interesting Vietnamese culture.

One such custom is the Xong Dat. Literally meaning “first visit to a land,” this is one very crucial aspect of the Vietnamese culture since most of the nation’s economy depends on farming. Thus, Xong Dat shows one’s love for the earth.

According to the historian Le Van Lan, Xong Dat rests on the belief that if the land is good, the house built on it is also good and the family that lives there will have good luck. Van Lan specifically stated that showing love for the Mother Land is a “sacred connection that can’t be turned into a service.”

It is based on this custom therefore that the first visitor to a land or house during the New Year is very significant since he or she is considered to be the one to decide the luck of the host for the rest of the year. The visitor should have a pure and genuine soul in order for good luck to enter into the house so traditionally, this visitor is usually a family member or a good friend.

Money-giving is another indispensable part of Vietnamese custom during the Lunar New Year or Tet Festival. Believing that giving money on Tet will bring about wonderful events in the future, the old people, like grandfathers and grandmothers, congratulate the children on becoming a year older by giving them money placed in nice, small red paper envelopes which symbolize luck and good fortune. This tradition is fairly new though and not given much value compared to the other customs, but the Vietnamese still practice it anyway on the hope for “growth and successful study.”

Another age-old tradition of the Vietnamese people during the Lunar New Year is visiting pagodas. During this time of the year, a large number people go on a pilgrimage to Tay Ho and Tran Quoc pagodas or Ngoc Son and Quan Thanh temples. Tay Ho Pagoda in particular is the most popular of all, with up to thousands of visitors, both local and foreign, going to the sacred place during the Tet holidays.

The first half of the first lunar month is the best time for a pilgrimage because it is spring season. Streams of devotees flock to these holy places of worship in tune with the most beautiful time of the year. Moreover, this is also a lucrative time for business as fruit and offering shops swarm to the area, trying to attract the visitors with their wares.