Journey back to antique Vietnamese villages Volume II (Southern typical villages) is the second continuous work after Journey back to antique Vietnamese villages Volume I(Villages in Doai area)of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Xuan Dinh (Institute of Anthropology) who is chief editor. The first volume is his own work. The second volume is the work of a group of authors including Tran Thi Van Anh, Duong Minh Duc, Nguyen Lan Huong and Hoang Hoa Vinh (colleagues and doctor candidates guided by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Xuan Dinh). The papers in volume II focus on villages in following communes: Dai Ang, Ngoc Hoi, Tu Hiep, Van Phuc (Thanh Tri district); Thanh Mai (Thanh Oai district); Lien Bat village (Lien Bat commune, Ung Hoa district). Those villages were in Son Nam Thuong (Southern area) in the first period of Nguyen dynasty, now are all in Hanoi city.
Each group of villages in the collected volume is all introduced in line with communes inpresent. After introduction of general points of the communes, the specific paper alternately shows each village in aspects of: name, prominent characteristics of geography, formation and development of the village, economy in the past and present (agriculture, handiwork, trade), structure system of the village (lane, hamlet, families, sides, association…), historical marks, tradition of competition-examination, prominent and famous persons (if yes), cultural-historical heritages (pagodas, communal houses, honourable houses for high-educated persons, family worshiphouse…), worship, festivals, typical customs and habits, revolutionary tradition, present transformation.
In “Foreword”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Xuan Dinh hopes the work to contribute an extra “voice”to researches of village subject that originally contains important scientific and realistic meanings in terms of following dimensions:
(1). Contribution to studying culture of Vietnamese ethnic group. Vietnamese ethnic culture manifests and develops mainly in village environment. Therefore, research of villages and village cultureis the most important and largest component of Vietnamese culture, that manifests in physical structure, system of worship heritage, organization and social relations…
(2). Contribution to studying Vietnamese history in different periods. Village is a reservation of vestiges of historical changes in Vietnam from the beginning of forming the nation through medium and modern historical periods to the present; that manifests in legends, place names, cultural-historical heritages, Han-Nom vestiges and literature, customs and habits, festivals …
(3). Contribution of extra scientific foundation to making and implementing policies and solutions of administration of rural society, preservation of traditionally cultural values, support of villages to develop sustainably in condition of strengthening industrialization and modernization of the country. The revolution has influenced strongly and deeply ever on all sides of rural livings and farmers, that requires governors to more understand village affairs from tradition to modern, in order to provide suitable policies, solutions, schedule of stages, and strategy not only in a whole but also in each village toward sustainable development of rural.
(4). Research and compilation of works that introduce typical villages in different areas of the country also helps officials and people in each village to understand clearly and be more proud of cultural-historical values of their own villages; in particularly young generation more understand their ancient’s lives and is more responsible for present life.
For the authors, collection of “Journey back to antique Vietnamese villages” is also a documentary that reminds of “a period of former time” for people who used to have all life in difficult, sentimental, ordinary and simple, friendly life in rural. The collection is alsouseful to people who concern and study human and social sciences in the country.
Hopefully with its contents, the book will be welcomed by readers as an intellectual present of village culture from the heart, that is presented by the researcher and anthropologist Bui Xuan Dinh and partners.
Pham Vinh Ha
