 Cao Lan ethnic minority people in northern Vietnam |
B: Using a Tecsun PL310ET radio with external antenna, Ding Lu received our signal in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu province, China. “I can hear the sound, but there is a strong noise. At 9730kHz, there is the same frequency coverage of China Radio International in Portuguese. As a result, the Voice of Vietnam English broadcast cannot be heard normally. On the frequency of 11885kHz, near the frequency of 11895kHz, there is a Cantonese broadcast by China Radio International. The power is very high, which makes it difficult to receive the Voice of Vietnam English broadcast.”
A: Thank you, Ding Lu, for your detailed reception report which is very useful to us. We’ll forward your report to our technicians and we hope to receive more regular feedback from you. Our program is also available on the internet at vovworld.vn and on the mobile app VOV Media.
B: In his email to VOV this week, Karuna Kanta Pal of India and many other listeners shared their interest in Vietnamese culture, traditions and customs. They asked about the wedding customs of Vietnamese people.
A: Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups and each has their own cultural traditions and customs. Today, we’ll talk about the wedding tradition of the Cao Lan ethnic minority people in Quang Ninh province.
 Wedding ceremony of the Cao Lan people |
B: A Cao Lan wedding in the past was quite simple, but culturally distinctive. The family of the girl and the family of the boy would ask for help from a matchmaker. In the past, it was required that half a kilo of peanuts and 10 eggs be delivered to the bride's house. An uncle from each family was responsible. After delivering some betel nuts, the groom’s family would like the girl's family to put them in 2 bowls, one containing 4 betel leaves and one containing some money. Then the groom’s representative would speak politely to the bride’s representative about the match.
A: If they both agree to the marriage, the bride's family will fill the two bowls. If not, they would leave the two bowls as they were. Then the two families would discuss the birth years of the bride and groom in order to choose a lucky wedding date.
B: After the two families agreed to unite by marriage, wedding preparations would go forward. The girl’s family would set a date for the boy's family to come. An offering would be made of 72 giay cakes and 3 capons to officially ask for permission to marry. After a lucky day was chosen, the matchmaker would go to the bride’s house to set a date for the ceremony.
 A delegation to the bride family has an equal number of members, according to the tradition of the Cao Lan ethnic people |
A: The marriage procedure of the Cao Lan people in Quang Ninh province today has been simplified to suit a modern lifestyle, but it preserves many traditional values. In the past the wedding ceremony continued for several days, but now it’s done in a single day.
B: Betrothal gifts depend on the financial situation of the groom's family. The bride's family does not burden them unduly. On the wedding day, the groom's family sends a group of 7 to 9 people to bring the bride home. But the matchmaker and the people carrying the offerings cannot be there.
A: On the wedding day, the groom gives the bride’s family all the necessary food to host a party the next day. The groom comes to the bride’s home in the afternoon and spends one night there.
B: In the past when the groom’s delegation came to the bride’s house, the whole delegation slept there one night. The groom was not allowed to go out of the house that whole night, even to go to the toilet. He had to eat dry food with ginger to avoid stomach trouble and drank very little water. Today, the two families can choose to follow the rule or not.
A: In the past if the groom went outside on the first night, people would consider him a bad or clumsy person. The idea was to challenge the man’s patience on that first night. If he passed the test, he would be a faithful husband. Before the bride leaves her room to follow the groom to his house, the matchmaker performs a ritual in her room to mark her new life. After that her bed is no longer hers.
B: At the groom’s house, the matchmaker performs a ritual to officially recognize the couple as husband and wife. The groom’s family prepares a small offering, including 2 bowls of food, two pairs of chopsticks, and a bottle of wine. The ritual casts a charm on the husband and wife. The matchmaker takes chopsticks in his left hand to pick up food for the wife and in his right hand to pick up food for the husband. They drink some wine.
B: Three days after the wedding, the Cao Lan couple visit the wife’s family with a groomsman. The wife’s family prepares a meal and invites relatives and villagers to take part. Young people come and sing call-and-response songs all night. The next day, the couple returns to the groom’s house with a bridesmaid. They have a party and people sing through the night.
A: Next, we’d like to acknowledge an email from Prithwiraj Purkayastha, who reminded us about VOV’s contest “What do you know about Vietnam?” back in 2020. He told us about his participation in the contest and asked for his participation certificate which he said he has not yet received.
B: Thank you, Prithwiraj Purkayastha, for writing to us. We’ll check with our admin section and the contest organizers and give you a he reply as soon as possible.
A: This week VOVWorld received more than 350 letters, emails and phone calls from listeners in 36 countries and territories. Juan Diez of Spain shared his interest in the 9th External Information Press Award, which was launched last week, and said he would vote for VOV. “I think VOV deserves to receive awards for its outstanding contributions to delivering Vietnam’s external information to the public. The Voice of Vietnam with broadcasts in 13 languages, has brought Vietnam closer to people around the world.”
B: Matsumoto Takuya of Japan wrote: “Now, most people use smartphones and spend almost 24 hours a day online. But for most Japanese, listening to the radio is unbreakable habbit. It’s really tough for me to stop listening to shortwave radio and switch to listening to programs on the internet. I really hope VOV will continue its shortwave broadcasts.”
A: Thank you all for your support for VOV and our shortwave broadcasts. We hope to continue receiving regular feedback from you.
B: Yagura Tetsuya of Japan told us that there are many maturity rituals in Japan and asked whether Vietnam has such rituals, particularly among ethnic minority groups.
 A welcoming ceremony for the shaman who will host the "cap sac" ritual. |
A: “Cấp sắc”, which means “maturity ritual”, is a typical cultural feature of the Dao people. A Dao man is not allowed to practice or join rituals until he attends the “cap sac” ceremony. The coming-of-age ceremony usually takes place in the first, eleventh or twelfth lunar month of the year when locals have free time following a harvest.
B: Dao people believe a man that has not attended a “cap sac” ritual cannot unite with his ancestors when he dies and will not be recognized as a descendant of Ban Vuong who is believed to be the great ancestor of clans of the Dao peopel. For the Dao Khau, the ritual is especially important, because otherwise the boy will find it difficult to get married. The ritual acknowledges adult status in the community. The Mong, Tay, and San Chay ethnic groups had a “cap sac” ritual only for men who want to be shamans, but the Dao consider it compulsory for all men.
 Dao ethnic men play music to welcome the shaman. |
A: A family cap sac ritual is a hamlet festival at which all the villagers witness the ritual and congratulate the family. The ritual is costly and a family often has to prepare for many years.
B: The family has to prepare a lot of food, including dozens of pigs and they have to hire a shaman to conduct the ritual. All the villagers attend the event and feast for 2 to 3 days.
A: Before the ceremony, attendees must follow certain rules: do not eat dog meat, do not kill animals, and do good deeds. There are other rules for ritual participants. Couples have to practice abstinence from sex. The boy has to follow a strict regimen for several days. When he completes the challenge he becomes an adult.
 The shaman prepares documents for the ritual. |
B: The boy is carried to the altar. When the shaman finishes the prayer, the boy is dropped into a net. The net, which looks like a spider web, is held by 4 men. The man is then taken home to enjoy a feast, while the shaman performs other rites such as offering lanterns and ritual dances. These actions mark the attainment of maturity of the Dao man.
A: We’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from Nasir Aziz of Pakistan and Rajarshi Roy of India and the many listeners who listen to VOV on shortwave, visit our website at vovworld.vn or follow us on our Facebook fanpage VOV5 English Service.
B: Thank you all for your interest in VOV and for sending us your feedback. We welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platform, to hear our broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!