Vietnam is a country of traditions. Many significant events in the life of the Vietnamese today retain the features of ancient rituals. The Vietnamese hinterland is made up of numerous small peoples who have quite a significant difference in traditions. But city residents adhere to the same rules throughout the country. Family in this country is the basis; people do not get married in order to separate after a couple of years. Divorce in Vietnam is rare. That’s why the wedding is celebrated on a grand scale, so that there is something to remember and tell to the grandchildren.
Matchmaking or An Hoi
In the good old days, young people could not even dream that they would be allowed to choose their own groom or bride. This was a strategic issue that sometimes connected not only two families, but also tribal communities. Today everything is simpler. What can you do, the influence of the West. But the matchmaking or engagement ceremony remained almost the same.
Vietnamese wedding
In our country this is called sending matchmakers, and in Vietnam it is An Hoi bride price. A few months before the wedding, the groom's father and relatives go to the bride's house to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. They don't just go there. Men put on the masculine Ao Zai, the national dress, and carry gifts. On large platters covered with red cloth are lacquered boxes containing gifts. They are purely symbolic and symbolic - betel leaves and a small tree - the areca palm. The boxes contain treats - rice cake, roasted pig, cake, special tea, fruit baskets and the main gift - Ao Zai for the bride. The dress is placed on a separate tray, and underneath is money and gold. This is a bride price. If the marriage proposal is accepted, a discussion of organizational issues begins.
What is a wedding like in Vietnam?
The wedding ceremony in Vietnam, as in other countries, has undergone changes over the centuries. In the old days, a wedding had an almost fateful significance, since it literally united communities together. Nowadays, a wedding does not pursue such goals and is more solemn and entertaining in nature, it is more a desire than a necessity. In addition, over time, young people began to be allowed to choose a mate for themselves on their own.
The ancient Vietnamese wedding procedure was difficult and lengthy. At first, parents selected a couple for their child, usually from friendly families. This stage was called “ken chon”. After this, a personal meeting takes place, reminiscent of Russian matchmaking (giam ngo). Then comes the engagement stage. In the process, the groom's side presents obligatory gifts to the parents of the future bride (an hoi). At the end of the wedding ceremony, the young wife comes to her parents’ house only once - for barking, three days later the newlyweds return to express all their gratitude to the honorary parents of the bride. The last stage is considered to be a celebration for neighbors, when the newlyweds distribute standard gifts to the community.
Wedding in Vietnam
Weddings in modern Vietnam have, probably, only the only similarity with the ancient ones - that this one had a sketch diagram, but there are a huge number of ways to carry out the ceremony.
Today, Vietnamese young people who are about to join their paths have two weddings - in the house of the guy’s parents, and in the bride’s parents’ house. Watermelon seeds are considered traditional gifts; in Vietnam they symbolize the wish for beautiful and healthy children. There is also a kind of ransom, but it is not in the form of money, but in the form of sweets, various fruits and kau trau. Kau trau is an image of fidelity and devotion, with a touching legend. In appearance, kau trau resembles a small coconut tree covered with a tree vine.
Traditional outfit of a Vietnamese bride
A bride in Vietnam buys four outfits at once, since the celebration lasts an average of five days. The obligatory outfit is a silk robe (auza) with expensive braid, various kinds of jewelry, and decorated with gold threads. However, you won’t wear this for a ceremony in the Temple. In the Temple, in which, in general, the entire ceremony of marrying the newlyweds takes place, the girl puts on another dress, made of bright red satin fabric with brocade additions.
So, the first outfit is needed for a rickshaw ride. A rickshaw is a two-wheeled carriage driven not by an animal, but by a person. This type of transport has become widespread in Vietnam, and a similar custom - riding a rickshaw - is extremely popular today, and is also very fashionable among wealthy Vietnamese. The rickshaw, like a wedding carriage, is decorated with all sorts of ribbons and flowers.
Vietnamese newlyweds
A second outfit will be needed for the second walk, which is also considered traditional. Third outfit for the main ceremony above. For the official marriage registration procession, the bride dresses in her fourth outfit. Grooms, although not as strictly, still adhere to the traditions of a chic wedding wardrobe.
It is worth noting that all Vietnamese weddings are very colorful, bright and beautiful events. They always contain bright rich colors and exquisite luxury, dressed in a huge number of colors, therefore accompanied by pleasant smells.
About the author Marianna
Hello! I am Marianna! I really love Vietnam, the nature and beauty of this country, I adore Vietnamese cuisine and am interested in Vietnamese traditions and history. I am happy to share with you what I know and love on the Vietnamway.ru website
Photoshoot
A Vietnamese wedding is an expensive affair. It will then pay for itself with gifts from guests, but you will have to invest a lot in it. Another tradition, but quite modern, is a pre-wedding photo shoot in the style of a Love story. About a month before the wedding, the bride and groom go to the most beautiful places in the country to take memorable photographs there. Moreover, the geography is the most extensive. Ha Long Bay, Dak Lak, Dalat, Hoi An, Saigon, Mekong Delta... You can’t list everything. Dalat is especially popular. That’s why it’s called the city of love, because all future newlyweds go there.
How is a wedding in Vietnam?
The Vietnamese spend a lot of money on photographers and camera operators and expensive equipment. I will judge their level of income by the quality, quantity and variety of photographs. After all, displaying these photographs is a mandatory ritual at a formal wedding banquet.
Wedding celebration in Vietnamese
A wedding requires significant expenses, especially if a pompous celebration is planned with the invitation of a large number of guests. The birth of a young family can be celebrated for a whole week, often celebrated in the house of the bride and groom, in a restaurant; a special table is arranged for the entire community and neighbors.
In such a long celebration, the bride cannot get by with just one dress. Usually girls prepare at least four outfits. Traditionally, at a wedding, the Vietnamese bride is present in national dress - ao dai. This is a set of wide trousers and a long dress, the side slits of which start almost from the chest level. Silk or satin is used in tailoring, brocade can be used as inserts, and embroidery is done with metallized threads.
An important point in our weddings is marriage registration. In Vietnam, this stage is not given attention. Newlyweds can go to City Hall alone in their casual outfits. The main point is the wedding in the temple. The bride can choose all the wedding dresses according to her wishes. But in the temple it can only be in the national red aozai.
Nowadays it is difficult to find a rickshaw on the streets of Vietnamese cities; they have been replaced by bicycles, cars, and buses. But rich brides and grooms go to the temple in such an exotic form of transport. The trolley is luxuriously decorated. After the wedding, the newlyweds and their relatives and friends go for a walk. For this stage, brides prepare special dresses.
The choice of place to organize a wedding feast depends on financial capabilities. The banquet hall is generously decorated with flowers. Garlands, bouquets, arches of happiness are created from them, and the newlyweds are showered with petals. As a gift to a young family, not only things and money are presented, but also watermelon seeds, which are considered a wish for the birth of healthy, beautiful children.
Wedding day. Start
Family ties are very strong in Vietnam. And a wedding is a big event that brings together all relatives - distant and close, both in terms of family ties and geographical distance. And not only relatives, but friends of family and distant relatives, and even those who barely know the young people. Everyone is invited.
A wedding for 300 people is considered quite modest. Five hundred guests is average, but 1 or 1.5 thousand participants in the celebration is already a rich wedding. They all gather for the ceremony in a special wedding restaurant or in large halls in hotels. Typically, a Vietnamese wedding restaurant is a building of two or three floors with traditionally round tables and chairs in white covers tied with red or blue ribbons. You can't confuse it with anything.
But it doesn't all start there. The date and time of the wedding is communicated to the couple by a sorcerer, to whom the Vietnamese always turn before all any significant events. It is believed that he predicts the most favorable time for the ceremony. Therefore, it is not surprising that at 7 o’clock in the morning you can see the ceremony of presenting gifts by the groom at the bride’s house.
Vietnamese wedding
Registration of marriage with local authorities is a purely formality, it is not part of the wedding ceremony and is not given much importance. But the rest of the action is a mixture of old traditions and at the same time a tribute to modernity.
The wealth of a wedding is evidenced not only by an expensive photo shoot and the number of guests. It is also important how many dresses the bride has changed. In the morning, when the groom arrives, she must appear before the guests in a red robe - Ao Zai, embroidered with gold threads and brocade. The groom and his friends, also dressed in national holiday costumes, present gifts for the bridesmaids to accept. There are six of them on each side and all of them must be unmarried.
Next comes the mutual introduction of relatives. Sometimes this procedure takes a long time. The acquaintance is celebrated with a small feast with beer and snacks. When it ends, the newlyweds go to a Buddhist temple. It's not that they're all that religious. It’s just common among the Vietnamese to visit the temple on the days of the most memorable and festive events. Traditionally, the vehicle used to transport young people to the pagoda was a rickshaw. The carriage was richly decorated with flowers and solemnly rolled through the streets. This is still fashionable among modern newlyweds.
After the temple, there is an obligatory ride around the significant places of the city. At the same time, the bride does not forget to change her dresses. They can be of different colors, but always made of rich fabrics. Bridesmaids are sure to wear identical pink dresses.
Traditions and rituals
Modern wedding traditions of newlyweds in Vietnam differ from those that prevailed here relatively recently. For example, marriages by agreement between parents have sunk into oblivion. However, a large number of different classes and tribes of the Vietnamese people leave their mark on wedding ceremonies.
The tradition of holding two wedding ceremonies has remained unchanged - one with the groom's parents, the other with the bride's parents. An engagement must also take place several months in advance. On this day, it is obligatory to offer areca nuts and betel leaves on a tray decorated with a red scarf. These two wedding symbols are the main ones in Vietnam.
Another wedding custom that will certainly appeal not only to Vietnamese brides is the presence of four wedding dresses. The bride must have a dress for the wedding ceremony, for a wedding in a Buddhist temple, for a photo shoot and a walk to holy places and for a banquet.
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Gifts for newlyweds are usually envelopes with money. One of the traditions is the bride's gift of money to the community during the second celebration of the union of two hearts.
Wedding day. Celebration
From this moment modern traditions begin. The groom is in a strict European suit, the bride is in a white wedding dress, always with a long train. They greet guests at the entrance. Although, at some weddings, guests wait for the ceremonial entrance of the newlyweds. The hall has a large screen on which the results of the pre-wedding photo shoot are shown. At the entrance to the restaurant there is a large decorated box - this is a gift box. They only give money. Each guest must place an envelope in it. It is these gifts that pay for the wedding. And if there are rich, generous relatives and friends, then the young people still have a decent amount left over.
How is a Vietnamese wedding different?
An obligatory ritual is a joint action of the spouses, which consists of cutting a huge wedding cake and filling glasses lined up in a huge pyramid with champagne. True, no one drinks this champagne later, and no one eats the cake. At the same time, the main ceremonial speeches are heard.
While the guests drink beer to the health of the newlyweds, they go around all the tables to express gratitude to everyone present for the gifts and good wishes. The tables are set with traditional Vietnamese food - rice cakes, seafood, etc. Strong drinks are not accepted at a Vietnamese wedding. But there is more than enough beer for everyone. The celebration continues for about 2 hours, then the guests disperse peacefully so as not to disturb the newlyweds.
Customs of Vietnam – Longevity Festival
Every year in a person's life brings respect and respect to his family and neighborhood. Previously, at the age of 40, a woman was awarded the honor of being an old woman. During the Tran Dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, the 40-year-old emperor left his throne to his son to become a Buddhist monk.
According to village customs, a 50-year-old man should be considered an old man. The old people stop working and are no longer village officials, but they are still invited to festivals in their community. At the festival they sit with honor in red robes.
Showing respect and respect to older people is a tradition that continues today. Nowadays, when grandparents or parents reach the age of 70, 80 or 90, their children and grandchildren organize longevity ceremonies, which are usually held on birthdays or on spring days during the Tet holiday.
Such celebrations are occasions to show devotion and respect to grandparents or parents. Longevity celebrations, large or small, reflect a family's joy in having a relative who can live a long life.
Today, in almost every village or town, there is a longevity association for the elderly. Upon reaching the age of 70 or 80, old ladies are offered red dresses and other gifts and are invited to take photographs.
These traditions and customs of the Vietnamese people are among the most widespread throughout the country. Moreover, customs and habits such as betel chewing, long-lived ceremony celebrations and other practices in daily life are expressed colorfully and excitingly. All of them contribute to the unique cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.
After the wedding
The next day, the newlyweds visit the bride’s parents, and mutual visits continue for several more days. By tradition, they are still considered wedding. In fact, modern youth do not have time to stretch out the ceremony over several days - they work, and time is money. Although, many still adhere to tradition.
After getting married in Vietnam,
the age of marriage according to Vietnamese law is 20 years for a man and 18 years for a girl. Increasingly, after marriage, young people try to buy or rent their own housing, which contradicts the centuries-old tradition of all generations living in one house. What can you do, again the influence of the West. If you found this article useful, please share the link to it on social networks. This will help the development of the site. Vote in the poll below and rate the material! Please leave corrections and additions to the article in the comments.
Feedback from newlyweds about the wedding ceremony
The most popular destinations for wedding ceremony venues are:
- The city of Nha Trang is created for tourists and young people who want to immerse themselves not only in ancient traditions, but also in the noise of Vietnam’s nightlife. Newlyweds who had their wedding in this city write that it is quite easy to choose a hotel to suit your taste and budget. The beaches of Nha Trang are preserved in their pristine beauty. You can find a suitable secluded place for the wedding ceremony. And then go have fun in one of the clubs or restaurants in the metropolis.
- Dalat is a city, many of whose architectural structures were erected by French colonialists. That's why it is now called "Little Paris". It is located between hills covered with amazingly beautiful plants. Dalat is surrounded by waterfalls, lakes and rivers. The newlyweds, who held their wedding ceremony in Dalat, are delighted with the Valley of Love park. Many people write in reviews that the city has enough beautiful hotels that host wedding ceremonies and have special rooms for newlyweds.
- Mui Ne Phan Thiet is a resort destination for lovers of pristine silence and the sound of the surf. This is a village with low-rise hotels on the coast. Young couples who chose this resort for a wedding ceremony point out in their reviews the amazingly beautiful sandy beaches of the coast.
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- Phu Quoc Island is a pearl in the collection of Vietnamese wedding venues. They actually grow pearls here on two plantations. And the beauty of forests and beaches allows you to create delightful photographs and delights the eye and heart.
Some newlyweds prefer to organize the wedding ceremony on their own, without the help of a tour operator. The price in this case will be lower. However, it is worth calling the hotel in advance and asking about the possibility of holding a wedding.
Why Vietnam?
In fact, there are quite a lot of offers to hold a wedding ceremony and honeymoon somewhere abroad. Scrolling through the Internet, those planning to get married will find ceremony services in Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Thailand. Why Vietnam then? Let us list the advantages of a wedding ceremony in this country:
- Year-round: Vietnam is popular among tourists because it can be visited in any month of the year, including holding a wedding there;
- Affordability: the cost of a wedding ceremony in Vietnam starts at $690 (for comparison, a wedding in Italy costs at least $1,400);
- The sea is space, romance and... ample opportunities for holding a spectacular ceremony right on the beach, surrounded by rocks and beautiful landscapes.
Wedding travel agencies have long honed the art of turning the main celebration of a new family into a memorable and unusual event. After all, the hackneyed program “Registration office, a walk with guests to places of military glory and a gala dinner in a restaurant” will no longer surprise anyone. Yes, and I want something special that others didn’t have. After all, this DAY will forever be included in the BOOK called “THE HISTORY OF OUR FAMILY” as the first item.
Vietnam is an exotic corner of the earth where touching and naivety still live. With “age” this country becomes only more beautiful, as Princess Love should be! Wild sandy beaches, secluded bays where people hardly visit, endless views of the sea with islands and fishermen’s boats swaying far, far away. All these pictures of wildlife and real life cannot help but touch the heart!
What kind of wedding would you like? At a majestic waterfall? At the temple of an ancient civilization? In a palm grove? Any whim will be fulfilled by the wedding organizers, because this is their life’s work, and they value the time and desires of their clients. Moreover, to carry out the ceremony, the wedding agency will assign a coordinator - a professional who will offer already prepared options for the event or, together with clients, will come up with an original project.
