Women have played a significant role in the society throughout all ages. We have seen women make a profound difference in the field of science, politics, fashion, health and so much more. A lot of women have already left a mark in history like Marie Curie, Coco Chanel and Mother Teresa. Women have helped change and develop the cultural, social and economic progress of one’s country. Such is the women of Vietnam whose contributions made an impact throughout the course of history especially in the field of war. Because of this, a museum was built dedicated solely to the Vietnamese women.
VIETNAMESE WOMEN’S MUSEUM
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum highlights the importance of women in their society and gives tribute to their accomplishments in the field of nation building. This museum was constructed in 1987 and is being run by The Women’s Union of Vietnam, one of the country’s most powerful movement in history. They made the museum open to the public in 1995 and ever since then this has been one of the top destinations for museums in Asia. Thus, I made it a point to be able to visit the museum during my trip in Hanoi.
Arriving around noon time, it was a relief to get away from the scorching heat of the sun for a while. Upon entering the building, I was immediately drawn to the beautiful statue standing in the middle called the “Mother of Vietnam” surrounded with amazing portraits of old Vietnamese women.
With over a collection of 28,000 objects, photographs, film footages and artifacts complete with English and French captions provide an in-depth knowledge of their cultural heritage. There are three permanent exhibits with the themes: Women in Family, Women in History and Women’s Fashion.
Women in Family
This exhibit focuses on the women’s daily life, births, rituals and marriages. The patrilineal and matrilineal societies are being differentiated. In patrilineal family structures, men are considered the head of the family. Children are called after their father and only sons, especially the eldest have the right to inherit. This is practiced by the Viet, Yao, Thai, Sinhmun, Bru-Van Kieu, Taoi and Hoa populations. In the matrilineal family structures, the oldest woman have the decisive role in family affairs. Girls inherit family wealth and the youngest girl is the most privileged. This is practiced by the Ede, Mnong, Jarai, Coho, Churu, Raglai and the Cham population.
The wedding rituals are the same and consist of three procedures: espousal, wedding and returned ceremony. I love the beautiful wedding pieces displayed in this section.
Women in History
This exhibit gives importance to the heroic females who played a huge part during the resistance against foreign invaders. Memorabilia and documents depict the heroism of Vietnamese women.
Women in Fashion
A display of women’s clothing from different ethnic groups and how it has changed throughout the years is shown in this exhibit. Embroidery is a popular technique with communities in the mountainous part of the country. Girls learn to do and become so skilled by the age of 12 or 13. The Hmong uses cross stitch while the Yao and the Thai opt to use running stitch, feather stitch, or chain stitch. Traditional patterns are still preserved up to this day.
Mother Goddess
There is a special exhibit in honor for the Mother Goddess. People believed that the Mother Goddess is the supreme diety who has been reincarnated as the four Mother Goddesses - Heaven, Earth, Water and Mountains and Forests. The Mother Goddess is worshipped in palaces and temples and on small household altars. This section shows creatively crafted costumes for the diety.
Walking through the museum made me feel empowered as a woman. I left the building smiling and inspired that one day I will be one of those women who will leave a legacy in this world.
Location: 6 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
Ticket Fee: 30,000 VND
Opening Hours: 8:00am – 5:00am
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