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Yêu (to love) is something everyone is capable of and it comes naturally. Tình yêu (love) is forever a subject in literature, social studies, and common conversation. Whether it was bitter or sweet, we all experienced it.  There are periods that a couple would go through. Each period, they would express their feelings with different sets of words and sentences. Let’s learn some.

THE COURTSHIP PERIOD

Giai đoạn theo đuổi (the courtship period) is important. You have to làm quen (get to know) and tìm hiểu (learn) about each other. You better know how to nói chuyện (chat) and tán tỉnh (flirt) to give a good ấn tượng (impression) to the other person while on buổi hẹn hò (a date).

Image from Pixabay

THE “IN LOVE” PERIOD

Here are a bunch of words in the giai đoạn yêu (in-love period)

• Yêu say đắm – Deeply in love
• Yêu điên cuồng – Madly in love
• Yêu vô điều kiện – Unconditional love
• Yêu mãi mãi – Forever love
• Yêu thật sự – Truly love
• Tiếng sét ái tình – Love at first sight
• Phải lòng – Fall in love
• Tỏ tình – To declare/express love

Below are examples of some catchy sentences I bet you’ve said at least once, if not many times in your life.

• Anh/em yêu em/anh – I love you
• Yêu em/anh bằng cả trái tim – Love you with all my heart
• Anh/em là tất cả – You are my everything
• Em/anh là người duy nhất của anh/em – You are my only one.
• Không thể sống thiếu em/anh – Can’t live without you
• Anh/em yêu em/anh nhiều lắm – I love you very much
• Làm bồ/người yêu của anh/em nhé! – Be my lover/girlfriend/boyfriend!
• Nhớ em/anh nhiều lắm – Miss you very much

You may wonder what are some of the terms of endearment to call your loved one in Vietnamese; equivalent to darling, honey, dear, babe, baby, cutie pie, etc. Here are some.

• Mình: This is an old term that is used more in the north.
• Cưng: This term is used more in the south.
• Anh yêu/em yêu: This the most versatile term.
• Ông xã/Chồng yêu – This term is for spouses only, similar to “hubby”
• Vợ yêu/Bà xã – This term is for spouses only, similar to “wifey”

THE HEART’S PAIN

Of course, we don’t always get what we want in life. It’s the same for love. It takes two to tango. There is no happy ending for a tình yêu đơn phương (one-way love) and it’s definitely painful for each cuộc chia tay (break-up).

Love brings joy but could also bring pain. When one is in love and can’t see each other, he/she would have bịnh tương tư (lovesickness). When they say giã biệt (goodbye) to each other, they would have a trái tim tan vỡ (broken-heart).

Love is beautiful and powerful. Tình yêu chiến thắng tất cả (Love conquers all). If everyone could just love each other, no matter the differences in skin color, ideology, background, etc., we would have peace, more happiness, and fewer tragedies in this world. Let’s spread love – not hate!

To end this blog, I would like to cite a quote from William Arthur Ward about love:

“Love is more than a noun – it is a verb; it is more than a feeling – it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing.”

Translation: Yêu không chỉ là một danh từ – nó là một động từ; nó không chỉ là cảm xúc – no là quan tâm, chia xẻ, giúp đỡ, hy sinh.

To all dear readers: I love you. Thank you for reading!

Image from Pixabay

The post The language of Love first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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Image taken and used with permission from Ho Thuy Trang

One of the most popular Vietnamese traditional musical instruments is the đàn tranh, also known as đàn thập lục (16-string instrument). Đàn tranh is a Vietnamese zither, similar to the Chinese guzheng, Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, or Mongolian yatga.

It is believed that the Đàn tranh was in use in Vietnam at least since the 12^th century during the Trần dynasty. By the 19^th century, during the Nguyễn dynasty, đàn tranh officially was part of the royal concert orchestra. The reason it was also called đàn thập lục is because many years ago it had sixteen strings. The modern đàn tranh has seventeen strings. In the past few decades, it has increased in size as well as the number of steel strings from seventeen to nineteen, twenty-two, twenty-five, and even twenty-nine. However, the standard string count is still seventeen.

The standard seventeen string Đàn tranh has three cung (octaves). Each cung has five notes. The music generally is based on the thang ngũ cung (pentatonic scale). The strings are tuned in this order, usually starting with Sol (G), though not always:

Below is a sample of traditional Huế Royal Court music.

To create the Fa (F) note, press the E string down. For the Si (B) notes, press the La (A) string down. It takes some practice to get the right F and B pitch. Đàn tranh is not limited to playing just Vietnamese traditional and folk music. It can produce western classical, contemporary music, or join in concert with other western instruments. Let’s listen to Serenade by Schubert, arranged and played for the đàn tranh by Hồ Thụy Trang as an example.

Is it easy to learn đàn tranh?

Yes, you can learn it quickly. It’s easy to play the basics. However, it’s hard to get to its “soul”. Đàn tranh’s music is based on melodies. Like singing, the artist has to know and “feel” each note on both hands. While the right-hand is used to pluck the strings to give sounds for the melody, it’s the left-hand that gives the tone, pitch, and ornamentation of the music piece. This is why I love to play đàn tranh. Its flexible strings allow me to tell my own unique story and moods.

In the past, the musician plucked the strings with the thumb and index finger on the right hand. Nowadays, playing with three fingers has become more standard. In some music pieces, the artist may use four to five fingers. You do need to wear finger picks to pluck the strings. The picks are usually made of tortoise shell or metal like brass or inox.

Some Basic Techniques for the Left Hand

• Rung (Vibrato)
• Vỗ (Tap)
• Nhấn (Press)
• Vuốt (Slide)

I would say, among all the Vietnamese traditional musical instruments, đàn tranh remains the most popular, widely known, and played by the Vietnamese. Below is a piece I found in which the artist applies many of techniques mentioned above.

How much does it cost to buy a standard đàn tranh?

Compared to the Chinese and Japanese zither models, the Vietnamese zither is much more affordable. The price ranges from $200 USD on the low end, and $500 USD for a mid-range model, and $1,000-$1,500 on the high end.

I found this video to be very informative about the introduction of đàn tranh.

The post A Popular Vietnamese Traditional Musical Instrument: Đàn Tranh first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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Last blog, I talked about the “Little Vietnam” in Chicago. This blog, I would like to introduce you to the “Little Saigon” in Orange County, California. California is home to the largest overseas Vietnamese community in the world, and Orange County has been considered the “capital” of the Vietnamese overseas in the United States. Just to give an idea of how large the Cộng đồng người Việt (Vietnamese Community) in Orange County is: there are over 52,000 (>30%) Vietnamese in thành phố (city) of Garden Grove, and over 36,000 (>40%) of Vietnamese in thành phố Westminster.

Here in Quận Cam (Orange County), you find Vietnamese businesses and restaurants everywhere. When the Vietnamese mention “Little Saigon” in Southern California, they mean the area that has a concentration of Vietnamese businesses in thành phố Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, and Santa Ana. The heart of “Little Saigon” is the “Asian Garden Mall” on Bolsa Avenue, between Magnolia and Brookhust boulevards, in thành phố Westminster. The mall is protected by three large God statues in the front in order: Phúc/Phước (Happiness), Lộc (Wealth), and Thọ (Longevity). Hence, it is commonly known by the Vietnamese by the name “Thương Xá Phúc Lộc Thọ” (Phuc Loc Tho mall).

Thương Xá Phúc Lộc Thọ is a two-story building with an Asian roof top. In there you will find a Vietnamese food court with all the authentic Vietnamese foods, snacks, and desserts. The mall also features a number of jewelry and clothing stores. If you would like to buy the ready-made áo dài, the traditional Vietnamese outfit, there are so many to pick and choose with very reasonable prices.

Throughout the year, Thương Xá Phúc Lộc Thọ hosts a lot of cultural events, notable are the chợ đêm (night market) during summer and chợ hoa (flower market) during Tết (Vietnamese New Year). If you have a chance, do make a visit to the chợ đêm here. It’s a very fun event with music and all kinds of goodies and food on the grill, as you can see from the below YouTube clip.

Cộng đồng người Việt (The Vietnamese community) in Southern California, especially In the “Little Saigon” areas, is quite prosperous and active. They have contributed greatly to the economy and politics. In fact, the current thị trưởng (mayor) of the city of Westminster is Vietnamese-American. A large number of successful Vietnamese-American bác sĩ (doctor), luật sư (lawyers), nghệ sĩ (artist) are residing here as well.

In “Little Saigon”, there is nothing that you can’t find, from entertainments to foods and services, all catering to the Vietnamese. You would have plenty of opportunities here if you wanted to practice your Vietnamese language or just want to experience some level of the Vietnamese culture. Although the Vietnamese in this area could speak English, they mostly exchange conversations and conduct business in Vietnamese. “Little Saigon” also has a couple of major Vietnamese newspapers and television networks. Over the years, a number of Buddhist temples and Christian churches in the area have offered services in Vietnamese language. Really, “Little Saigon” is like the real “mini Vietnam” in Southern California.

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After the end of the Vietnam war, there was an influx of Vietnamese immigrants who resettled in the United States (U.S.), especially in the 80s and 90s. As a result, there are many “Little Vietnams” or “Little Saigons” established in big cities throughout the U.S., where one can find Asian groceries and Authentic Vietnamese restaurants. Over the next few weeks, I will introduce some of them to you through my blog posts. Perhaps you can visit one near where you live and immerse yourself in the language and culture of a Vietnamese-American community. One such neighborhood is “Asia on Argyle” on the northside of Chicago, Illinois.

Whenever I have a chance to visit Chicago, I always try to satisfy my craving for Vietnamese food in the “Asia on Argyle” neighborhood on Argyle street, located between N. Wintrop and N. Broadway streets. It is anchored by the Argyle L stop on the red line with its distinct, Asian-themed roof. But, don’t confuse Asia on Argyle with Chicago Chinatown on Chicago’s near southside. Argyle is much smaller, but caters more to Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, and also Chinese immigrants. Many of Vietnamese who settled in Chicago were ethnically Chinese.

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Last weekend, I had a chance to visit “Asia on Argyle” again. The area has a number of shops that were closed during the pandemic and seem to have struggled. The image was quite different before the pandemic. Walking up and down Argyle street, I found some interesting bức tranh tường (murals).

At the intersection of Argyle St. and Winthrop Ave, a surprising sign caught my eyes. It says “Honorary John Vietnam Nguyen Way” I’m ashamed to admit that I had no idea who John Vietnam Nguyen was. After a quick internet search, I learned John was a gifted, young, Vietnamese-American hip-hop artist raised in the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago. He tried to save his friend who panicked during a morning swim on Lake Michigan. The friend was rescued, but John drowned. The event happened in 2012. John was only 19, and a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The mural to honor him was created by his artist friends. With that, John was the first Vietnamese-American honored with a street named for him in Chicago.

Although Chicago’s “Asia on Argyle” is not as big as the ones in Southern California or in Houston, Texas, it has everything the Vietnamese need. There are many tiệm ăn (restaurant), chợ (market), and different dịch vụ (services) such as dịch vụ chuyển tiền (money transfer service), trung tâm y tế (medical center), etc.

Here you can find authentic Vietnamese food with many choices. There are tiệm phở (pho restaurant), tiệm mì (noodle restaurant), tiệm bánh mì (sandwich shop), tiệm bánh ngọt (patisserie shop), tiệm đậu hũ (tofu shop), etc. I had lunch at one restaurant, Hai Yen, on the strip and had a very good bò 5 năm món (5-course beef meal). For an appetizer, I ordered gỏi cuốn (spring rolls). Before leaving the strip, I stopped by chợ Nam Hoa (Nam Hoa market) to get a bunch of rau tươi (fresh vegetables), and a half gallon of sữa đậu nành (soy milk) at tiệm đậu hũ. I like the Vietnamese sữa đậu nành because it has a lighter taste than the normal sữa đậu nành that you find in American markets. I also bought some bánh mì (sandwich) from Ba Le on Broadway Street. You might be surprised to find that there are amazing, French-inspired bakeries and cafes in these “Little Vietnam” neighborhoods, a legacy of the French colonization of Vietnam and the adoption of some of its cuisine.

I really hope that this “Little Vietnam” area will prosper and have a fast, post-pandemic recovery. Although the shops and restaurants here are not fancy, or well decorated, it gives me a sense of coming home, warm and friendly. Have you visited Chicago’s Little Vietnam? What is your favorite part of this neighborhood? What other neighborhoods around the country should I feature? Please send me your thoughts in the comments below.

The post “Little Vietnam” in Chicago first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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Ask any Vietnamese who grew up in Vietnam to name a heroine in Vietnamese history, particularly in ancient history, and I bet you will get the same answer: It’s Hai bà Trưng (Trưng ladies or Trưng sisters), namely Trưng Trắc (the elder sister) and Trưng Nhị (the younger sister) of the first century. They are the most well-known and worshiped heroines in Vietnam through the previous two thousand years.

Trưng Trắc is considered the first queen regnant in Vietnamese history with the title as Trưng Nữ Vương (Trưng Queen Regnant) or Trưng Vương in short. The two ladies, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị were daughters of a lord. Trưng Trắc’s husband, Thi Sách, was also a lord. At that time, Vietnam was under Chinese domination. The Trưng sisters were well taught in both literature and warfare. Tô Định (Su Ding), the tyrant Chinese governor beheaded Trưng Trắc’s husband. That led to the Trưng‘s sisters reaction, wherein they led the tribe, Lạc Việt, to revolt. The uprising spread and gained support from other areas of Vietnam. Trưng Trắc declared independence for Vietnam and proclaimed herself to be Trưng Vương (40-43AD). Eventually, the Trưng sisters were defeated by Mã Viện (Ma Yuan), a Chinese general, and they took their own lives by jumping into the river rather than surrender. Below is the story of Hai bà Trưng in Vietnamese.

Watch the YouTube below if you prefer to hear the story in English.

Every year, the Vietnamese both in Vietnam and the expatriate community commemorate Hai bà Trưng on a large scale during the days following Tết (Vietnamese New Year celebration), often falling in February, or coinciding with the celebration of International Woman’s Day in early March. Officially, Hai bà Trưng‘s anniversary is March 6 in the lunar calendar. During this occasion, you will find a lot of Hai bà Trưng re-enactments, offerings, plays, and parades throughout the country. The largest event is of course at the Hai bà Trưng temple in Hanoi. The below YouTube clip explains a lot about the story, food preparation for the offerings, and other traditions of how the people prepare and celebrate the Hai bà Trưng’s anniversary in Hanoi.

Hai bà Trưng or Trưng Vương (Trưng King) is a very popular icon. Many streets and schools are named after these ladies across the country. In Hanoi, there is trường trung học phổ thông (public high school) Trưng Vương established in 1917. In Hue, there is trường trung học phổ thông Hai bà Trưng also established in 1917. In Saigon, there is trường trung học phổ thông Trưng Vương, established in 1954. All these were renowned girl schools in the past. I remember trường Trưng Vương in Saigon when I was younger hosted a well-known Hai bà Trưng festival, during which the elected school beauty queens portrayed Hai bà Trưng.

Today, đền thờ Hai bà Trưng (Trung Sisters temple), aka đền Đồng Nhân is at 12 phố (ward) Hưng Viên, phường (district) Đồng Nhân, quận (county) Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội.  It was originally built in 1160 under King Lý Anh Tông by bờ sông Hồng (Red river bank). Eventually, in 1819, the locals moved it to a more stable place where it stands today.

The post The Most Famous Vietnamese Heroines in History: The Trưng Sisters first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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Have you ever watched a Vietnamese phim (film, movie)? By that I mean a phim that is made in Vietnam and has English subtitles. To be honest, I wasn’t interested much in Vietnamese phim. The acting was known to be too stiff, the content was not interesting, and the overall production quality was not that advanced. Who would want to watch phim that was made under the Government’s directives, or only to meet the Government’s propaganda purposes? Well, those were the issues in the past.

With the booming economy and new, privately-owned sectors, more money has been invested in the entertainment industry, including the film industry. As a result, quite a number of high budget and quality films have been recently made in Vietnam. Film genres and topics have also expanded, including drama and comedy, thrillers, action, romance, and television series. Vietnam’s film industry is definitely flourishing and catching up with the west and other Asian countries, namely Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan.

Back in the 80s and 90s, phim bộ (television series) from Hồng Kông (Hongkong) and Đài Loan (Taiwan), dubbed in Vietnamese, were extremely popular among the Vietnamese who live in the south and overseas. Almost any phim bộ about fantasy-martial arts based on the books written by Chinese writer Kim Dung (查良鏞Pinyin: Cha Leung Yung) such as “Thần Điêu Đại Hiệp” (The Legend of the Condor Heroes), or “Ỷ Thiên Đồ Long Kiếm” (The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber) were popular and cultural mainstays. You bet, I watched them all, and loved them!

Today, popular phim bộ that are watched by the Vietnamese, besides phim bộ from Vietnam, are mostly from Korea, China, and India. I learned that Chinese historical drama TV series are actually shown every day in Vietnam television programming. As for Vietnamese phim bộ¸ “Bố Già” (Godfather) and “Bến Không Chồng” (No-Husband Dock) are among some good ones that I have watched.

I was quite impressed with some recent Vietnamese movies with English Subtitles that I found on Netflix including “Dreamy Eyes” (“Mắt Biếc” in Vietnamese) and “The Camelia Sisters” (“Gái Già Lắm Chiêu” in Vietnamese). “Dreamy Eyes” is a romantic drama based on the book of the same name written by popular writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. The cinematography in that movie is beautiful. Watch the trailer below.

“The Camelia Sisters” is a comedy of manners. Some parts made me laugh and some parts made me cry. Unlike some Vietnamese films that are dark and slow, this one is very colorful and bright. Like watching a fashion show, the sisters in that movie change clothes in every scene and their clothes are beautiful. If you are learning Vietnamese and would like to hear the typical Vietnamese accents from the North, Central, and South, watch this phim. Interestingly, the three sisters all spoke in distinctive accents. The oldest spoke Hà Nội accent, the second spoke Huế accent, and the youngest spoke Sài Gòn accent. Watch the trailer below. You may love it.

If you have a chance to watch some of the movies I mentioned, leave your review in the comments, or share your experience about other Vietnamese movies that you have watched and like.

The post Vietnamese Films first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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Welcome Winter Olympics 2022!

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As you already knew, Trung Quốc (China) is hosting the Thế vận hội mùa đông (Winter Olympics) this year in Bắc Kinh (Beijing) and nearby districts in tỉnh Hà Bắc (Hebei province) from 4-20 February. Các huy chương (medals) will be awarded in the following sport categories:

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

• Bi đá trên băng – Curling
• Hai môn phối hợp – Biathlon
• Khúc côn cầu trên băng – Ice hockey
• Trượt băng – Skating
• Trượt tuyết – Skiing
• Trượt ván trên tuyết – Snowboarding
• Trượt băng lòng máng – Sledding

Cùng nhau hướng tới tương lai chung (Together for a Shared Future) was the slogan chosen for the 2022 Thế vận hội mùa đông.

Because Vietnam has tropical weather, these winter sports obviously are almost non-existent there. It’s easy to understand why Vietnam has never participated in the Olympic Winter Games. Regardless, Vietnam did try to join the 2022 Winter Games in the sport of Trượt băng lòng máng for the first time in its history. Unfortunately, it did not make it on the list of participants.

I don’t foresee any development of winter sports becoming popular in Vietnam. It’s simply too costly and impractical. Vietnam doesn’t have a really cold winter like Korea, Japan, or China. To practice, I guess the athletes have to frequently travel to other countries. Who knows, in the future there may be Vietnamese living overseas who represent Vietnam at Thế vận hội mùa đông.

What do you think of “Băng Đôn Đôn” (Bing Dwen Dwen) panda, the 2022 Winter Olympics mascot? It’s cute, right? Yeah, until you hear Băng Đôn Đôn’s voice on some Chinese clips. Uhm… it’s not cute at all. Well, not just me, lots of people were disappointed as well. Fortunately, I read somewhere on the internet that the Art Director of the Games confirmed that Băng Đôn Đôn will not have a voice and will be gender neutral.

Of all the winter sports, I always love watching trượt băng nghệ thuật (Figure skating). It’s fun, artistic, and so beautiful. To me, the performers are like birds gracefully dancing on ice in gorgeous costumes. Kristine Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, and now Nathan Chen; these Asian American figure skaters have inspired many generations. I know a few Vietnamese friends whose daughters are seriously training in this sport. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we hear a Vietnamese name called at the Olympic skating rink. Let’s hope for the best!

Enjoy watching Thế vận hội mùa đông 2022.  If you wonder who will host the next games in 2026. It’s in Ý (Italy), in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, or Milano Cortina for short.

Image from Pixabay

The post Winter Olympics – Thế vận hội mùa đông 2022 first appeared on Vietnamese Language Blog.

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