Histoire

Son histoire peut se résumer en quelques mots: combats pour l’indépendance, la conquête de nouvelles terres et l’unification du pays.

Soil-Water (Đất Nước)

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dat_nuoc

French and Vietnamese versions
As long as we have the Sky and the Earth, we continue to exist.
But the day where the fatherland no more exists, our life will have no sense  

Water is omnipresent in Vietnam. Water is such in osmosis with the soil and perhaps because of that the two words Ðất-Nước (Soil-Water) are often used to indicate this country. It is also here that we firmly believe we are the descendants of the Dragon king, Lạc Long Quân, coming from the Waters, and of the fairy Âu Cơ of terrestrial origin. We can say it is here that water and land unite to give birth to a people. It is also here that are found in ancient tombs amulets bearing iconographic representation of the Dragon, a mythical animal with a pig’s head and a snake’s body, a hyphen between Land and Water because the pig indicates the wealth of peasants, symbol of the Land and the snake is related  to the Water.

dat_nuoc

Đất Nước

The history of Vietnam is also simply that of water. Water may become fatal because it can leave its bed to absorb harvests and whole villages. To attenuate his anger and his aggressiveness, one does not cease building dams, clogging breaches, raising ramparts, digging channels. It is it that has kneaded the thick identity of the Vietnamese people and forged this heart. It is also nourishing because it is it which fertilizes the soil and makes rice grow. But it is it which is accomplice of the Vietnamese people many times in overcoming foreign aggressors. Here, water has a thousand faces, as well as many colors and odors: tumultuous and unpredictable in the Red River with alluvium in brick color, marine and turquoise along the coasts in particular at Cà Ná, calm in Nha Trang, unchained and hemmed large waves with Ðà Nẵng, stagnated with an amber color in rice paddies and dying between the roots of palm trees in the arroyos of the Mekong Delta.
This water is found everywhere even in remote corners of Vietnam. After some monsoons, a basin left outside, a broken earthenware jar, a ditch at the edge of the road may hold it and thus become an aquarium for a biology laboratory, a water fragment for the breeding of the tadpoles or a mini-pond where lotus flowers bloom. It is also at the entrance of the villages that one finds stagnant water in ponds, covered again with water lentils and water weeds, companions of the pauper’s bowl of rice.
Water is also synonymous with fatherland. That is why the last emperor Duy Tân, brought to the throne at the age of 8 and later exiled by colonial authorities used this signification to reveal his state of mind. One day, coming back from a walk at the sea, his hands were so dirty that an old servant asked him to wash them in a basin filled with water.
The emperor asked him the following question: If the hands are dirty they can be washed with water. But if the water is « soiled », what can we clean it with? Emperor Duy Tân wanted to say if the fatherland is « humiliated », with what it could be washed off this outrage?.
This reflection stunned the old servant and made him shake.
Without waiting for his answer, the impassive emperor Duy Tân responded in his stead:

If the water is « soiled », one will wash it with blood.
If by essence, water is a protecting, fetal and vital element for humans, it is even more so for the majority of Vietnamese, a raison-d’être in this world, as it is synonymous with the word « Fatherland ».

Cầu Long Biên (Ancien pont Paul Doumer, Hànội)

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Ai có đến Hànôi hay đi tham quan vịnh Hà Long thì ít nhất cũng trông thấy cầu nầy từ đằng xa vì nó là cầu thép nối hai quận Hồ Hoàn Kiếm và quận Long Biên bắc qua sông Hổng, một con sông rất dài xuất phát từ Vân Nam và  đổ ra biển Đông  cuối cùng. Nó mang nhiều tên qua nhiều thế kỷ. Sông nầy  chỉ quen thuộc đối với thời cận hiện đại với  tên sông Hồng  chỉ có từ cuối thế kỷ XIX , dưới thời Pháp thuộc khi người Pháp ho dựa trên màu nước của đất phù sa mà đặt một tên thống nhất. Chính con sông nầy nó làm giàu có vùng đồng Bắc Bộ nơi mà các nhà sữ gia Tây Phương và Việt cho đây   là cái nôi của dân tộc Việt Nam.  Còn cái cầu nầy nó được khởi công xây dựng tháng 9 năm 1898  dưới thời kỳ Pháp thuộc với toàn quyền Paul Doumer và hoàn thành  hơn  3 năm  sau. Cầu nầy được thiết kế do hãng Daydé & Pillé nhưng kiểu dáng quá độc đáo không thua chi  đã trông thấy với các cầu của Gustave Eiffel vì vậy có sự nhầm lẫn nầy vã lại không phải là phương án thiết kế của Gustave Eiffel vì trên trang nhà của các người thừa kế của ông nầy không có liệt kê phương án nầy (http://www.gustaveeiffel.com/ouvrage/routiers.html).

Hiện trên đầu cầu vẫn còn tấm biển kim loại có khắc chữ « 1899 -1902 – Daydé & Pillé – Paris ». Nhưng cũng phải công nhận  đây là một kỳ công về kỹ thuật và công việc hậu cận vì thời đó nó là một trong bốn cầu dài nhất thế giới (nhất là ở Viễn  Đông ) và ngành công nghiệp thép bản  xứ hầu như không có, xứ Pháp thì quá xa vời. Cây cầu dài 1.862m, gồm 19 nhịp dầm thép, đặt trên 20 trụ cầu cao 43,50m. Ở giữa cầu là đường xe lửa, hai bên có đường rộng 1,3m, từng quãng một có những chỗ rộng nhô ra, nơi những ngừơi nghèo thường bán đồ. Toàn bộ chiều dài của cầu lên tới 2.500m.   

Nó là cầu chứng kiến những  thăng trầm lịch sữ của đất nước. Cầu nầy được vua Thành Thái và Toàn quyền Đông Dương đến đầu cầu để làm lễ khánh thành dưới thời Pháp thuộc. Nó cũng  là cầu mà ngày 10/10/1954, quân đội viễn chinh Pháp  lặng lẽ  cuốn gói  rời khỏi Hànội sau trận chiến ở Điện Biên Phủ. Nó bao lần bị oanh tạc hư hao trong thời kỳ chống Mỹ.  Nay sang thời bình, sau thập kỷ 90, cầu Long Biên được sử dụng chỉ cho tàu hỏa, xe đạp, xe máy  và người đi bộ từ khi có cầu Chương Dương  nằm trong mục tiêu đáp ứng nhu cầu đi lại và để phát triển kinh tế, xã hội đô thị ở hai bờ sông Hồng. Với nét cổ kính,  nó còn là nơi lý tưởng dành cho  giới trẻ Hà Thành muốn chụp ảnh đám cưới hay lưu niệm. Hôm tôi đến đây chụp thấy ớn quá chừng có nhiều  người đứng giữa cầu chụp nhất là có tàu hỏa thường tới lui trên cầu. Chỉ có ở đất nước mình mới thấy sự táo bạo như vậy mà thôi. Tôi còn nhớ em đó nói có chi đâu anh khi nghe còi thì chạy  vào mà thôi.  Một hình ảnh khó quên.

Quiconque ayant l’occasion de venir à Hànội ou d’aller à la baie d’Along  peut voir   au loin   ce pont en acier. Celui-ci relie les deux districts Hồ Hoàn Kiếm et Long Biên en enjambant le long  fleuve Rouge issu de la grotte de Yunnan en Chine  et terminant sa course dans la mer de l’Est. Ce fleuve  a plusieurs noms au fil des siècles. Il est  plus connu familièrement sous le nom actuel « Fleuve Rouge » à la fin du XIXème siècle. En voyant la couleur alluviale de son eau et en voulant uniformiser les noms portés par ce fleuve, les Français lui ont donné, à l’époque coloniale, le nom « Fleuve Rouge« . C’est lui qui nourrit et enrichit la région du delta du Nord que les historiens occidentaux et vietnamiens ont considérée toujours comme le berceau de la civilisation vietnamienne. En ce qui concerne le pont, il fut construit à l’époque coloniale en 1898 et achevé 3 ans plus tard sous l’initiative du gouverneur de l’Indochine,   Paul Doumer. Le projet de conception et de réalisation  de ce pont était assumé  par la société  Daydé & Pillé.  Comme sa forme et son style ressemblent à  ceux des ponts de Gustave Eiffel, il y a là une confusion énorme en attribuant cet ouvrage  à ce dernier.

De plus, dans la liste des ponts routiers  réalisés par Gustave Eiffel (http://www.gustaveeiffel.com/ouvrage/routiers.html), le pont Paul Doumer ne figure pas. 

Par contre, on trouve encore aujourd’hui à l’entrée de ce pont,  une plaque métallique  portant le nom de la maison  Daydé & Pillé et sa date de réalisation. Il faut reconnaître que ce pont est un remarquable ouvrage d’art de l’époque, une prouesse technique et logistique,  vu  la faiblesse de la sidérurgie locale et l’éloignement de la France. Il est l’un des quatre ponts les plus longs du monde ( le premier en Extrême Orient). Long de 1862 mètres, il  comprend  19 travées solidaires formées de poutres d’acier du type Cantilever et repose essentiellement  sur une vingtaine  de colonnes solides hautes de   43,50 mètres. De chaque côté du pont, il y a un petit trottoir réservé pour les piétons et une piste  pour les vélos et les motos tandis qu’au milieu se trouvent  les rails pour les trains. La longueur totale de ce pont atteint jusqu’à 2500 mètres.

Il est le témoin majeur des hauts et des bas de l’histoire du Vietnam.  Il fut  inauguré par l’empereur Thành Thái  en présence du gouverneur de l’Indochine Paul Doumer à l’époque coloniale. C’est aussi par ce pont que les troupes françaises  empruntèrent en Octobre 1954   pour quitter Hànoï après la chute de Điện Biên Phủ. Il était maintes fois  la cible privilégiée des bombardements durant la guerre contre les Américains.

Après la décennie des années 1990 marquée par la paix, le pont Long Biên est réservé uniquement pour les trains, les vélos, les scooters et les piétons depuis qu’i l existe  le pont Chương Dương répondant aux développements  économiques et à l’urbanisation de deux côtés du fleuve Rouge.

Avec son charme antique, il devient aujourd’hui l’endroit idéal fréquenté par la jeunesse hanoienne pour immortaliser son mariage ou son souvenir. Le jour où j’étais de passage pour faire des photos, je m’aperçus qu’il y avait quelques jeunes gens empruntant la voie du milieu fréquentée par les trains  pour être photographiés. C’est une audace effarante qu’on peut trouver seulement au Vietnam au détriment de la vie. C’est difficile d’oublier cette scène.

English version

Anyone who has the chance to come to Hanoi or go to Ha Long Bay can see in the distance this steel bridge. It connects the two districts Hồ Hoàn Kiếm and Long Biên by spanning the long Red River, which originates from the Yunnan cave in China and ends its course in the East Sea. This river has had several names over the centuries. It is more familiarly known by its current name « Red River » since the late 19th century. Seeing the alluvial color of its water and wanting to standardize the names carried by this river, the French gave it, during the colonial period, the name « Red River. » It nourishes and enriches the northern delta region, which Western and Vietnamese historians have always considered the cradle of Vietnamese civilization. Regarding the bridge, it was built during the colonial period in 1898 and completed 3 years later under the initiative of the governor of Indochina, Paul Doumer. The design and construction project of this bridge was undertaken by the company Daydé & Pillé. Since its shape and style resemble those of Gustave Eiffel‘s bridges, there is a huge confusion attributing this work to him.

Moreover, in the list of road bridges built by Gustave Eiffel (http://www.gustaveeiffel.com/ouvrage/routiers.html), the Paul Doumer Bridge does not appear.

However, even today at the entrance of this bridge, there is a metal plaque bearing the name of the Daydé & Pillé company and its date of completion. It must be acknowledged that this bridge is a remarkable work of art of its time, a technical and logistical feat, given the weakness of the local steel industry and the distance from France. It is one of the four longest bridges in the world (the first in the Far East). Measuring 1862 meters long, it comprises 19 solid spans formed of Cantilever-type steel beams and rests mainly on about twenty solid columns, each 43.50 meters high. On each side of the bridge, there is a small sidewalk reserved for pedestrians and a lane for bicycles and motorcycles, while in the middle are the rails for trains. The total length of this bridge reaches up to 2500 meters.

It is a major witness to the ups and downs of Vietnam’s history. It was inaugurated by Emperor Thành Thái in the presence of the Governor of Indochina, Paul Doumer, during the colonial era. It was also via this bridge that French troops passed in October 1954 to leave Hanoi after the fall of Điện Biên Phủ. It was repeatedly a prime target for bombings during the war against the Americans.

After the decade of the 1990s marked by peace, the Long Biên Bridge has been reserved only for trains, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians since the Chương Dương Bridge was built to meet the economic developments and urbanization on both sides of the Red River.

With its antique charm, it has become today the ideal place frequented by Hanoi’s youth to immortalize their wedding or memories. The day I was passing by to take photos, I noticed that there were some young people using the middle lane, frequented by trains, to be photographed. It is a staggering audacity that can only be found in Vietnam at the risk of life. It is hard to forget this scene.

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Temple Đô ( Đền Lý Bát Đế, Bắc Ninh)

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Temple  Đô (Lý Bát Đế)

Version vietnamienne

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Bắc Ninh

Ce temple Đô fut édifié en l’an 1030 lors du retour du roi Lý Thái Tông pour célébrer l’anniversaire de la mort de son père Lý Công Uẫn (Lý Thái Tổ).  Mais cet édifice  a été complètement détruit à l’époque coloniale. C’est pourquoi en 1989 le gouvernement vietnamien décida de le restaurer  en s’appuyant sur les documents historiques encore  conservés. En face de sa portique d’entrée se trouve un pavillon d’eau érigé sur un grand  étang en forme de demi-lune parvenant à communiquer autrefois  au fleuve Tiêu Tương qui n’existe plus aujourd’hui. Ce complexe architectural historique  est dédié au culte des 8 rois de la dynastie Lý que le fameux historien Ngô Sĩ Liên a qualifiée comme une dynastie de clémence dans la collection intitulée  « Les Mémoires historiques du Grand Viet au complet (Ðại Việt Sử Ký toàn thư)  » (1697).

Selon l’adage populaire,  dans l’ouvrage  « Floriflège du jardin du Thiền (Thiền Uyển Tập Anh)   il y a un kệ (ou gâtha)   faisant allusion aux 8 rois de la dynastie des Lý  qu’on aimerait  attribuer soit  au disciple du moine patriarche  Khuôn Việt, Đa Bảo  soit au moine Vạn Hạnh comme suit:

Chữ Bát với nhà Lý

Một bát nước công đức
Tùy duyên hóa thế gian
Sáng choang còn soi đuốc
Bóng mất trời lên cao.

 

Un bol d’eau méritant et généreux, finit par

changer de vie avec la causalité  et la sérénité   en soi. 

Une torche d’une vive clarté continue de s’éclairer.

À la disparition de l’ombre, le soleil s’efface  derrière les montagnes.

Par insinuation, ce Kệ (ou stance)  veut évoquer les 8 rois de la dynastie des Lý , du fondateur Lý Công Uẫn jusqu’au dernier roi Lý Huệ Tông par le biais du mot bát qui signifie à la fois bol et huit  en vietnamien. Quant à Huệ Tông, son prénom est Sảm.   Étant  l’association de deux mots 日 nhật (soleil) et 山 sơn (montagne) dans l’écriture des caractères chinois Han,  le mot Sảm signifie effectivement « le soleil se cache derrière les montagnes » pour désigner la fin ou la disparition. Ce kê s’avère prémonitoire car la princesse Lý Chiêu Hoàng (fille du roi Lý Huệ Tông) a cédé le trône à son époux Trần Cảnh  qui n’était autre que le roi Trần Thái Tông de la dynastie des Trần. On peut dire que la dynastie des Lý a eu  le royaume par la volonté de Dieu mais c’est aussi par cette dernière qu’elle l’a perdu.

Version vietnamienne

 

Đền Lý Bát Đế

Đền nầy được xây dựng vào  năm Canh Ngọ 1030 khi vua Lý Thái Tông về quê làm giỗ cho vua cha tức là Lý Công Uẫn (Lý Thái Tổ). Nhưng đền bị phá hũy hoàn toàn dưới thời pháp thuộc vì vậy cho đến năm 1989 thì được xây dựng lại dựa theo các tài liệu nghiên cứu còn lưu trữ. Trước đền thì có  thủy tạ trên hồ bán nguyệt thông đến sông Tiêu Tương  ngày xưa, nay không còn nữa. Đền nầy là một quần thể kiến trúc tín ngưỡng thờ tám vị vua nhà Lý, một triều đại nhân ái được sữ gia Ngô Sĩ Liên nói đến trong  bộ quốc sử   « Ðại Việt Sử Ký toàn thư » (1697). Theo lời truyền dân gian thì có một bài kệ có người cho là của thiền sư Đa Bảo, học trò của thiền sư Khuôn Việt còn có người nói là của sư Vạn Hạnh,   ám chỉ đến tám vua nhà Lý, được ghi lại trong Thiền Uyển Tập Anh như sau:

Nhất bát công đức thủy
Tuỳ duyên hoá thế gian
Quang quang trùng chiếu chúc
Một ảnh nhật đăng san

Một bát nước công đức
Tùy duyên hóa thế gian
Sáng choang còn soi đuốc
Bóng mất trời lên cao.

Bài kệ nấy ám chỉ tám đời vua của triều Lý từ Huệ Tông đến Thái Tổ qua chữ bát còn Huệ Tông tên là Sảm tức là theo Hán tự thì bên trên chữ 日 nhật là mặt trời, bên dưới chữ 山 sơn là núi, chữ « Sảm » nghĩa là « mặt trời lặn sau núi » có nghĩa là suy. Sau đó đến đời Lý Chiêu Hoàng thì phải nhường ngôi cho  chồng Trần Cảnh  tức là Trần Thái Tông  thuộc nhà Trần. Có thể nói là nhà Lý được nước là tự trời mà mất nước cũng tự trời mà ra.

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Old Hànội (Phố cổ Hànội)

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Despite the obsolescence of its tubular houses (nhà ống) and  old quarter of 36 streets and guilds, the « old Hanội » make over time the charming and romantic feeling. This old quarter  extending over an area mesuring approximately 82 ha, was established according to the criteria mentioned in the geomancy, a Asian discipline for finding the equilibrium and harmony between water and earth and especially between beneficial wind (Blue Dragon) and  evil wind (White Tiger).

 Each street has its specialty: street consecrated to the silk with multicolored scarves, street reserved only to drugs with the fragrance of aromatic herbs etc … , that is what writer Roland Dorgeles told in his book « On the mandarin road ». In his book entitled « A description of  Tonkin kingdom« , the English merchant Samuel Baron mentioned that with  his illustrations and interesting descriptions.

Despite its insignificant size against that of Vietnam, the old quarter of Hanoï irrefutably  demonstrate the commercial and urban culture of the Vietnamese over many centuries. It is a model sorely needed for knowing in depth the traditional structure of the « town » in the Vietnamese’s rural world.

Pictures gallery 

titre_vieux_hanoi_1

 

Phố Cổ

The old quarter has a thousand years of history even if this latter is chaotic. Hànội has been predicted by Lý Thái Tổ king for ten thousand generations to come during the capital’s transfer. Hànội remains not only the eternal capital of the Vietnamese but also the sole city in South-East Asia  successfully keeping its mercantile city over the centuries.

Thu Quyến Rũ (The seduction of  Autumn of Đoàn Chuẫn-Từ Linh).
Saxophonist Quyền Văn Minh.

This track is taken from the album « Hànội mùa thu và em » (Hànội, the autumn and my love).

 Over night

vieux hanoi la nuit

 

 

 

Temple Quán Thánh (Đền Quán Thánh, Hànội)

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Đền Quán Thánh

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Không cách xa Hồ Tây bao nhiêu, đền Quán Thánh là một điểm tham quan không thể thiếu sót  khi đến Hànội. Đền nầy là nơi để thờ một vị thần của Đạo Giáo tên là Huyền Thiên Trấn Vũ được xem ở Á Châu là hoàng để ở phương Bắc ngự trị trên các  loài  động vật ở dưới nước.  Theo cách bố trí tinh vi của phong thủy, đền nầy được dựng lên cùng ba đền khác hợp thành Thăng Long tứ trấn, để trấn giữ bốn cửa ngỏ của Hà thành chống ngọai bang và ma qủy, mỗi đền một phương ( Đền Bạch Mã Hàng Buồm phương đông, đền Voi Phục phương tây, đền Kim liên phương nam và đền  Quán Thánh phương bắc). Theo lời nói dân gian, đền nầy đã được dựng lên năm 1010 dưới triều đại Lý Thái Tổ. Lúc đầu tượng tạc bằng gỗ. Đã bao lần sửa chữa dưới đời  nhà Trần nhưng chỉ có lần duới triề u của vua Lê Hy Tông năm 1677, sự phục hồi nó mới đáng kể đó là sự thay thế tựợng gỗ bằng đồng đen và gác chuông.

Tượng thần to tác nầy  nặng có 4 tấn và cao gần 4 thước được đặt trên bục đá một thước bề cao. Có một khuôn mặt hình vuông, ngồi chững chạc, chân không  với một bộ áo đạo sĩ. Tượng cầm trong  tay phải có cây  gươm có rắn quấn và chống lên lưng một con rùa và tay trái thì bắt quyết (hay ấn). Màu đen được chọn cho pho tượng vì màu nầy trong ngũ hành là màu tượng trưng cho nước và phương bắc. Phải nói đây là một tác phẩm kỳ diệu của những người dân  đúc đồng của làng Ngũ Xã dưới sự hướng dẩn của Vũ Công Chấn, để lại cho chúng ta  đã có gần 4 thế kỷ rồi. Đền  nầy không những là một trong những đền thuộc đạo giáo còn tìm thấy ở Hànôi mà nó còn là nơi lý tưởng để dành riêng cho những ai muốn tìm sự yên tịnh và thư thản ở Hà Thành náo nhiệt nầy.

Le temple Quán Thánh

Étant situé  non loin du lac de l’Ouest (Hồ Tây), Quán Thánh  est l’un des sites incontournables de Hànội.  Ce temple  sacré est réservé au culte d’un dieu taoïste de nom Huyền Thiên Trấn Vũ considéré en Asie comme l’empereur du Nord (Bei Di (ou Bắc Đẩu en vietnamien))  régnant sur le monde aquatique. Selon l’aménagement judicieux de Feng Shui (Phong Thủy), il est édifié  avec les trois  autres temples dans le but de protéger la capitale Thăng Long contre les envahisseurs étrangers et  les mauvais esprits, chacun dans une direction bien précise (Temple  Bạch Mã  à l’est,  temple Voi Phục (Thủ  Lệ ) à l’ouest, Kim Liên au Sud et Quán Thánh au nord de Hànội). Selon l’on-dit, ce temple fut érigé en 1010 sous le règne de Lý Thái Tổ.

La statue était   en bois au début de l’installation. En dépit des rénovations successives   sous la dynastie des Trần, c’était  seulement en 1677 sous le règne du roi Lê Hy Tông que la restauration fut significative avec l’installation et le remplacement de la statue en bronze noir ainsi que le clocher du temple. 

L’autel de Vũ Công Chấn

 Cette statue colossale de  4 tonnes et haute à  peu près de 4 mètres a été posée   sur une estrade en marbre  d’un mètre de hauteur. En position assise avec un visage carré et  ses pieds nus, elle a une tenue traditionnelle taoïste.  Elle tient dans sa main droite une épée pointée  sur le dos d’une tortue et décorée superbement   par la présence   d’un serpent  enroulé tandis que dans sa main gauche, une mudra taoïste, un geste rituel   codifié  est visible  en guise d’exorcisme (bắt ấn).  Associée  à la direction du  Nord et à l’eau, la couleur doit être  noire selon la théorie des 5 éléments (Ngũ hành).  C’est l’explication trouvée dans le choix de la couleur  réservée pour  la statue taoïste. 

La finesse des détails et la taille imposante de cette statue réalisée il y a presque 4 siècles témoignent  incontestablement de l’exploit prodigieux  et du savoir faire des métallurgistes paysans du village Ngũ Xã de cette époque supervisés par Vũ Công Chấn.

Ce temple est non seulement  l’un des derniers temples taoïstes trouvés dans la capitale mais  aussi l’endroit idéal pour ceux qui aiment retrouver la sérénité et le calme dans une ville aussi animée et  bruyante comme Hanoï.

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Ancienne maison Mã Mây (Hànội)

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Nhà cổ Mã Mây

Ngôi nhà nầy được xây cất vào cuối thế kỷ 19 và được thay đổi nhiều chủ nhà mà phần đông họ là những người buôn bán. Ngôi nhà nầy được sùng tu lại gần đây  trong chương trình hợp tác giữa thành phố Hànội với thành phố Pháp Toulouse. Tại sao có tên Mã Mây ? Vì trước đó phố (hay đường) Mã Mây  ở đoạn đầu phố  là Hàng  Mây chuyên môn bán đồ tre và cuối phố thì Hàng Bạc bán vàng mã. Phố nầy thời Pháp thuộc rất sầm uất và buôn bán nên qui tụ nơi nầy rất nhiều thương gia nay trở thành một trong những phố có nhiều du khách ngoại quốc. Nhà cổ Mã Mây được xây cất theo dạng hình ống, rất hẹp chiều ngang và có chiều dài và đa năng sử dụng. Mặt trước là cửa hàng phiá trong có sân tiếp đến là nhà hậu và sau cùng là nhà bếp và khu vệ sinh.  Trên tầng 2 là gian thờ ông bà tổ tiên  và phòng ngủ. Ngôi nhà nầy là mẫu nhà truyền thống mà được công nhận từ năm 2004 bởi bộ văn hoá Việtnam.

Tọa lạc ở  số 87 Mã Mây – Hàng Buồm – Hoàn Kiếm – Hà Nội

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Cette vieille maison Mã Mây a été construite à la fin du 19 ème  siècle et changée plusieurs fois de propriétaires, en particulier des commerçants. Elle a été rénovée  dans le cadre de coopération entre les villes de Hanoï et de Toulouse (France). Pourquoi a-t-elle ce nom Mã Mây? Cette maison se trouvait dans une rue dont l’une des extrémités était la rue Hàng Mây destinée à vendre des articles en bambou et en rotin et l’autre extrémité, la rue Hàng Bạc où on ne trouvait que les objets votifs.  À l’époque coloniale, cette rue fut tellement animée et commerciale si bien qu’elle devint en quelques années un lieu de rassemblement de commerçants. Aujourd’hui, la rue Mã Mây est l’une des rues les plus fréquentées par les touristes étrangers. Cette vieille maison a été construite sous forme tubulaire. La largeur de la maison est très limitée par rapport à sa longueur. Elle a plusieurs fonctions d’usage. Pour répondre à cette exigence, il y a un ordre très précis dans la répartition :

  • Pièce principale-cour-pièce postérieure-cuisine et toilette.
  • Au deuxième étage, la pièce donnant sur la rue est dédiée au culte des ancêtres tandis que l’autre pièce sert de dortoir.

Cette maison fut reconnue comme  le modèle de la maison traditionnelle par le ministère de la culture  en 2004.

Adresse: n° 87 Mã Mây – Hàng Buồm – Hoàn Kiếm – Hà Nội.

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This old Mã Mây house was built at the end of the 19th century and has changed owners several times, particularly merchants. It was renovated as part of a cooperation between the cities of Hanoi and Toulouse (France). Why does it have the name Mã Mây? This house was located on a street whose one end was Hàng Mây street, intended for selling bamboo and rattan items, and the other end was Hàng Bạc street, where only votive objects were found. During the colonial era, this street was so lively and commercial that it became a gathering place for merchants within a few years. Today, Mã Mây street is one of the busiest streets frequented by foreign tourists. This old house was built in a tubular form. The width of the house is very limited compared to its length. It has several functional uses. To meet this requirement, there is a very precise order in the layout:

  • Main room – courtyard – back room – kitchen and toilet.
  • On the second floor, the room facing the street is dedicated to ancestor worship, while the other room serves as a dormitory.
    This house was recognized as a model of traditional houses by the Ministry of Culture in 2004.

Address: No. 87 Mã Mây – Hàng Buồm – Hoàn Kiếm – Hà Nội.

Nhà cổ Mã Mây

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Gia Long ( Founder of Nguyễn dynasty)

j050807 Histoire, Traditions, Vietnam ,

 

Gia Long

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Gia Long is the imperial title prince Nguyễn Phúc Ánh took in 1802 for his reign at the time of the reunification of the Vietnam empire which extended from the border of Lạng Sơn to the point of Cà Mau on the gulf of Siam.

Gia long results from the combination of two following words: Gia and Long (Gia being a word extracted from the name Gia Định, the ancient city of Saïgon and Long that of the name Thăng Long, the ancient capital Hànội). During the 25 years of fighting against the Tây Sơn, he roamed the whole Cochinchina. He knew perfectly well all the corners of the Mekong delta. Prince Nguyễn Ánh was so attached to the people of the South and in particular to Saigon city that he was khnown at the time as « General Gia Định« .

Before the unification of Vietnam (1801), the last survivor of the Nguyen was hunted down several times by the Tây Sơn ( or the people from the West ) of Nguyễn Huệ. He owed his safe life to a French missionary Pierre Joseph Pigneaux de Behaine who shared with him his meal brought in by a confidant, P. Paul Nghi, and who did not hesitate to organize his escape in the Cancau principality of Mạc Thiên Tứ, the son of his allied Mạc Cửu Hà Tiên region) after the assassination of Nguyễn Huệ. Vương by the Tây Sơn, which is told by the British John Barrow in his book «  Voyage in Cochichina » in 1793.

The tough life he experienced during his years of vicissitude gave his partisans an occasion to interpret later his exploits and perils that he succeeded in overcoming as a sign of God’s will in helping him to regain the throne. The grotto of coins (Hang Tiên) in the region of Ha Tien, accessible nowaday by boat, evokes the souvenir of the young prince Nguyễn Ánh, who took shelter there with his troops while waiting for French reinforcements. One  finds coins left by pirates. Vietnamese sayings go with his exploits, such as:

« Kỳ đà cản mũi »

The varanus is in front of the prow

to mean a task cannot be done because of the obstruction of someone. Thanks to the presence of a monitor that blocked his junk on its way to the sea, he was narrowly saved because his enemies were waiting for him there. Another time in the region of Ha Tien, his junk was bothered by the presence of snakes. He was forced to give order to his subordinates to row faster so as not to be pursued by the snakes. This allowed him to reach Phú Quốc island sooner and avoid the trap set by his adversaries. That is why a Vietnamese saying goes:

« Gặp rắn thì đi, gặp qui thì về »

to mean it is possible to keep going when encountering snakes and it is better to go back when encountering turtles.

Thoughout historical accounts, it is noted that Nguyen Anh was lucky during the years of fighting with the Tây Sơn. One time he was chased by the enemies. He was forced to cross a river by swimming. He was aware that the river was infested with crocodiles. He had to resort to buffaloes that splashed about the riverside to take him over. Even the perilous rescue of his boat engulfed by waves by the young intrepid Lê Vân Duyệt (15 years of age ) who later became his talented general, in a stormy night was the object of prophecy discussed for so many years by the people of Long Hưng Tây village before the event took place.

In spite of these facts having something to do with legitimizing by divine protection the struggle led by Nguyễn Ánh, it is not fair to ignore the qualities in this outstanding personage. He did not have the genius of strategy of his adversary, general Nguyễn Huệ. But he had an incommensurable patience parallel only to that of Gou Jian (or Cẩu Tiễn in Vietnamese ), the prince of Yue in the North at the episode of Spring and Autumn ( thời Xuân Thu )( 476 B.C ) who waited long years to get ready for revenge against Fu Chai (Phù Sai) the Wu State’s sovereign ( nuớc Ngô của Ngũ Tử Tư ).

He was gifted at being able to recruit as subordinates individuals of valor ( Võ Tánh, Lê Văn Duyệt, Nguyễn Văn Thành etc.) and grant to frienship a particular signification during his reign, which has been noted towards French missionary Pigneaux de Behaine or his French lieutenants Jean Baptist Chaigneau ( Nguyễn Văn Thắng), Philippe Vaniera, Olivier Puymanel or Siamese king Rama I ( or Chakkri ).

In acknowledgement of the debt that Nguyễn Ánh had let him go back safe and sound with his army to rescue his imprisoned family, the latter was fast to offer many years of hospitality to prince Nguyễn Ánh and his suite when he was forced to take refuge in Bangkok after his scathing defeats against the Tây Sơn at Mỹ Tho (1785).

Nguyễn Ánh was a brave and tough man. With him it seems like there is no one in the South who dares to oppose him. To repay the debt toward his family assassinated by the Tay Son, he remained unruffled before the tortures he reserved for his adversaries. The vanquished enemies were put to death by appalling tortures. Men were torn and women and children were stamped by elephants. Their corpses were thown in the field for crows to eat. It was the fate reserved for the female general Bùi Thị Xuân, the son of emperor Nguyễn Huệ, king Nguyễn Quang Toản etc.

This pact of friendship was born in a military confrontation between his lieutenant Nguyễn Hữu Thùy and Chakkri which was still a general sent by the Siamese king Taksim (Trịnh Quốc Anh ).

Before the volte-face of Taksim imprisoning his family, Chakkri was forced to compromise with Nguyen Anh and return to Bangkok to overthrow Taksim. To recognize this debt and to assist Nguyen Anh to recover the throne, Chakkri sent an army of 50,000 men which was completely decimated in 1785 by the strategist Nguyễn Huệ in the western Mékong (Mỹ Tho).

For political reasons, he did not hesitate to kill people who had served him with devotion when he was still a young prince hunted down by the Tây Sơn. It is the case of Nguyễn Văn Thành, Ðặng Trần Thường. That is why he was ofen compared to Liu Bang (Lưu Bang), the great Han emperor having reserved the same treatment toward his comrades-in-arm. Despite that, he was also seen as a man of the heart. He was fast to render great homage to his comrade-in-arm Nguyễn Văn Thành whom he forced to commit suicide for a calomnious insinuation and burst into tear before the altar set up in honor of the latter. He ordered freedom for his family and restitution of confiscated possessions and titles. One also finds his profound attachment to his subordinates’ lives through the message addressed to his brother-in-law, general Võ Tánh in charge of defending Qui Nhơn or to Pigneaux de Behaine, his spiritual father, military advisor through the ceremony arranged at the funeral of the latter, which was reported by Father Lelabrousse at the Missions Etrangeres on April 24, 1800.

He was also a seducing warrior. His consideration toward queen Ngọc Bích, the young wife of his adversary, young king Cảnh Thịnh (son of king Quang Trung) was exemplary. She was crying out when she saw a very majestuous man standing in front of her:

-General Gia Ðịnh, what do you want of me?

He smiled and answered her with kindness:

Don’t be afraid and stop crying please. General Gia Dinh will be more gentle than a Tay Son one. This residence remains the same for you despite of the change of ownership.

Since his gentleness and his will to conquer the heart of the queen was so strong the latter could not resist. She became thus his first rank concubine and had two sons with him. She was married two times to two kings (Cảnh Thình and Gia Long) and was the last daughter of the Lê kings. That is why the two implacable adversaries became « brothers-in-law » because Nguyễn Huệ was the spouse of Ngọc Hân and Gia Long that of Ngọc Bích. It is also for the latter that a Vietnamese saying goes:

Số đâu mà số lạ lùng
Con vua mà lấy hai chồng làm vua

What a bizarre fate she has
Daughter of a king, she got twice married to kings.

In spite of his reputation of being a warrior hardened by years of war and vicissitudes, he was also as vulnerable as any ordinary man. A great number of worries has come upon him that he did not wish to hide and reveal to his confidant, Frenchmen Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau: 

Ruling country is easier than managing a harem.
This was revealed by Michel, the son of J.B. Chaigneau in his journal « Le Moniteur de la Flotte » in 1858.

Despite the treaty initialed at Versailles in 1787 by Counts de Vergennes and de Montmorin for king Louis XVI and by his son Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh witnessed by bishop of Adran, Pigneaux de Behaine, the collaboration of a great number of French subordinates in his ranks and his interest in science and Western techniques, he continued adopting a very ambiguous policy toward the Europeans, in particular the missionaries. Was this benevolent attitude due to the friendship he tried to honor toward his friend Pigneaux de Behaine or to his open mindedness like KangXi in China aiming at better utilizing the catholic missionaries’s competences?

One keeps asking these questions up to now. However, one knows that throughout the construction of the Purple City, the maintenance of the mandarinal system, the reform of the Le code based on that of the Qing in China, he appeared to be more than never an admirer of the Ming and Qing dynsties, a convinced Confucianist and a more retrograde emperor. During his last years, he began a policy of folding back by choosing as his successor prince Nguyễn Phúc Ðảm supported by most of the Confucianist mandarins in lieu of the children of prince Cảnh who deceased of an illness. The prince known under the name of Minh Mang did not hesitate to do away with the children and wife of Cảnh (Mỹ Ðường) and gave the Europeans an opportunity, especially the French government to intervene militarily, by deliberately leading an anti-western and anti-catholic policy and thus renewing a policy in line with the Chinese policy. Nguyen Anh could have become a great emperor at the image of a Japanese « Meiji » when he had the advantage of being circled by a great number of Frenchmen including his private physician (a certain Despiaux) and he had an open mind to Western techniques and sciences.

It is a shame for Vietnam to have lost an opportunity to enter the era of modernization.

It was unfortunate for the Vietnamese people to have written later their history with blood and tears

He does not deserve being forgotten in our history because he arrived at enlarging our territory and unifying the country under his banner. But he is no longer a great emperor of Vietnam because grandeur is measured by not only the enlargement of Vietnam but also by the good deeds he brought to the Vietnamese people and by the magnanimity toward his adversaries.

It is regrettable to say so because Nguyễn Ánh with the qualities he showed us during his 25 years of vicissitude could have done better to his country and people more than any other kings of Vietnam (including king Quang Trung).

 

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Concubines under the Nguyễn dynasty (Cung tần mỹ nữ)

j050807 Anglais, Histoire, Lịch sử, Traditions, Vietnam ,

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Trong cunq quế âm thầm chiếc bóng
Ðêm năm canh trông ngóng lần lần
Khoảnh làm chi bầy chúa xuân
Chơi hoa cho rữa nhị dần lại thôi.

In the royal genaeceum, I stay alone with my shadow,
All night long, I eagerly wait for his visit.
Instantly, many springs have gone by,
He ceased coming in as this flower is withering.

Ôn Như Hầu

Except Gia Long, the founder and Bảo Ðại, the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty no emperors of this dynasty granted a title to their principal spouse during their reign. No historic documents found today show why there was that systematic refusal since the application of Minh Mang’s decree. On the contrary, only this spouse received her title after her disappearance.

First imperial concubine ( Nhất giai Phi ) ( 1st rank )
Second imperial concubine ( Nhị Giai Phi ) (  2nd rank )
Superior concubines ( from 3rd to  4th rank ) (Tam Giai Tân và Tứ Giai Tân ), simples concubines ( from 5th to 9th rank ) ( Ngũ Giai Tiếp Dư , Lục Giai Tiếp Dư, Thất Giai Quí Nhân, Bát Giai Mỹ  Nhân, Cữu Giai Tài Nhân ).

Then came the Ladies of the Court, next, the subordinate servants. It was estimated that those women along with the eunuchs, the queen mothers and the emperor made up a purple forbidden society of Huế. The status of those women (even that of the servants) no matter what it was, went up considerably when they gave birth to a son.
Speaking of those concubines, it is impossible not to evoke the love story of Nguyễn Phi, the future empress Thừa Thiên Cao Hoàng Hậu with prince Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long. This one, beaten by the Tây Sơn (or the peasants of the West) in the Fall of 1783, had to take refuge on the Phú Quốc Island. He had to send his son Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh, 4 years old, accompanied by archbishop Pigneau de Behaine to France to ask for military aid before king Louis XVI (Treaty of Versailles 1787), and took refuge in Bangkok ( Thailand) waiting for French reinforcement. Before the time of separation, he hastened to cut a gold bar into two halves and gave one to his spouse, Nguyễn Phi telling her:

Our son has already gone. I am about to leave you to resettle in Thailand. You stay here to take care of our queen mother. I do not know the date of my return nor the place of our reunion . I leave with you this half gold bar as the token of our love. We will have the chance to see each other later if God helps us to defeat the Tây Sơn.

During Nguyễn Anh’s years of exile and setback in his reconquest of power, Nguyên Phi continued to take care her mother-in-law, queen Hiếu Khương (spouse of Nguyễn Phúc Luân ) and to make uniforms for recruits. She arrived at overcoming all the difficulties destined to her family and showed her courage and bravery in escaping traps set up by their adversaries.

Thanks to his perseverance and stubbornness, Nguyễn Ánh succeeded in defeating the Tây Sơn in 1802 and became our emperor Gia Long. The day following their touching reunion, he asked her about the other half of the gold bar he had given her at the moment of their separation. She went looking for it and gave it back to him. Seeing the half of the bar in the state of shining, emperor Gia Long was so touched he told his spouse Nguyễn Phi:

This gold that you succeeded in keeping in its splendor during our difficult and eventful years shows well the blessings and grace of God for our reunion today. We should not forget that and should talk about it to our children.

Then he reassembled the two halves of the gold bar to make it whole again and gave it to Nguyễn Phi. This gold bar later became under the reign of Minh Mạng, not only the symbol of eternal love between Nguyễn Ánh and his spouse Nguyễn Phi but also an object of veneration found on the altar of emperor Gia Long and empress Thừa Thiên Cao Hoàng Hậu in the Ðiện Phụng Thiên temple in the purple city of Huê.

No one was surprised that thanks to his daughter Ngô Thị Chánh, former Tây Sơn general Ngô Vân Sở was spared from summary execution by emperor Gia Long during the victory over the Tay Son, because his daughter was the favorite concubine of his crown prince Nguyễn Phúc Ðảm, our future emperor Minh Mang. When this one acceded to power, he did not hesitate to grant her all the favors uniquely reserved up until then for his principal spouse. This concubine, when alive, often had the chance to tell the emperor:

Even you love me as such, the day I decease, I will be alone in my tomb empty-handed.

That was why when she died a few years later, the emperor followed her to the place of burial taking with him two ounces of gold. He then asked the eunuch to open the two hands of the concubine. The emperor himself put an ounces of gold in each hand saying with emotion:

I give you two ounces of gold so that you do not go empty-handed.

One found this love fifty years later in poet emperor Tự Ðức. At the funeral of his favorite concubine, he composed a poem entitled « Khóc Bằng Phi » whose two following verses immortalized love and affection emperor Tự Ðức reserved for his concubine Bằng Phi:

Ðập cổ- kính ra, tìm lấy bóng
Xếp tàn-y lại để dành hơi

I break the old mirror to find your shadow
I fold your fading clothes to keep your warmth.

Cung tần mỹ nữ

 
Under the Nguyen dysnasty, the genaeceum took an important dimension. To consolidate his authority and gain fidelity from his subordinates, emperor Gia Long himself did not hesitate to establish the politics of alliance in taking for concubines most of the daughter of the subordinates. This was revealed by his confidant, the French mandarin J.B. Chaigneau in his  » Souvenirs of Huế 1864 « . But sometimes the concubine of the emperor may be issue of a different medium. It is the case of the concubine of emperor Thành Thái, the father of Duy Tân. This concubine was the rower of a ferry boat in the region of Kim Long known for the charm and grace of its inhabitants. That is why people did not hesitate to sing the following popular song to evoke the idyllic love that emperor Thanh Thai reserved for the charming rower of the ferry and his audacity to disguise himself as a common traveler to visit Kim Long.

Kim Long có gái mỹ miều
Trẩm yêu trẩm nhớ trẩm liều trẩm đi

Kim Long is known for its charming girls
I love, I miss, I dare and I go.

One beautiful morning of our new year, Thành Thái intrigued by the charm of the Kim Long region decided to go there alone. He disguise himself as a young traveler to visit that famous region. On his way back, he had to take the ferry the rower of which was a charming girl. Seeing her timid in gait with her red cheeks under the overwhelming sun, emperor Thành Thái began to flirt with her and tease her with this idea, saying:

Miss, do you like to marry the emperor?

Stunned by this hazardous proposal, the girl looked attentively at him and replied with sincerity: Don’t you talk nonsense, they are going to cut off you head.

Seeing her in a fearful state, the emperor was determined to bother her more: That’s right, what I have proposed with you. If you agree, I will be the intermediary in the matter! Caught by a sense of decency, she hid her face behind her arm. On the ferry, among the passengers, there was an older and well dressed person. This one, having heard their conversation, did not hesitate to push on by saying to the girl:

Miss, just say « Yes » and see what happens!

Encouraged by the daring advice, the ferry rower responded promptly: Yes Happy to know the consent of the rower, Thành Thái stood up, went toward the rower and said with tenderness:

My dear concubine, you may rest. Let me take care of rowing the ferry for you.

Everyone was surprised by that statement and finally knew that they were in front of young emperor Thành Thái, known for his anti-French activities, deposed and exiled later by the French authorities to the Reunion island because of his excess in « madness ». When the ferry reached the Nghinh Lương dock, Thành Thái ordered the passengers to pay for their tickets and led the young rower into the forbidden city.

Generally speaking, the concubines lived surrounded by Ladies of the Court, eunuchs and devoted their time in embroidering and weaving. Some died without ever having received the emperor’s favor, or having got out of the palace.

A famous poet of 18th century Nguyễn Gia Thiều known under the name of Ôn Như Hầu (because of his title), had denounced the injustice inflicted upon these women, their sadness and isolation, in his work  » Cung Oán Ngâm Khúc » (or Sadness of the Palace ). Others enjoyed their status of a favorite but none was equal to Ỷ Lan, the favorite of Lý Thánh Tôn of the Lý dynasty, who had assumed brilliantly the regency of the kingdom during her husband’s campaign against Champa.

[Return Huế]

Concubines sous la dynastie des Nguyễn (Cung tần mỹ nữ)

j050807 Histoire, Lịch sử, Traditions, Vietnam ,

English version

Vietnamese version

Trong cunq quế âm thầm chiếc bóng
Ðêm năm canh trông ngóng lần lần
Khoảnh làm chi bầy chúa xuân
Chơi hoa cho rữa nhị dần lại thôi.

Dans le gynécée royal, je suis toute seule avec mon ombre
Tout le long de la nuit, j’attends avec impatience sa visite
Plusieurs printemps ont été partis instantanément
Il cessait de venir et je suis comme une fleur qui se fane.

Ôn Như Hầu Lire la suite

The Vietnamese bra

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French and Vietnamese versions

yem_dao
Being an integral element  of four-part dress, Yếm is the most popular bra worn by Vietnamese women in the past. One finds in its manufacture a silk or cotton fabric square, the ends of which  are fixed by the straps tying behind the back and at the neck  level.This is intended to cover and support the chest for leaving  naked the rest of the body’s upper part. Yếm causes not only lure of seduction but also pleasant freshness during summer days. However in winter, it becomes a kind of the underwear above which is added the four-part dress,  thus allowing  Vietnamese women to protect themselves against the severe cold.

In the Vietnamese tradition, the wasp waist is one of the distinctive traits  of female beauty. Perhaps that’s why the birth of this bra is linked to this tradition intended   to emphasize  the line of the women’s body by giving it the shape of the segmented body of the wasp. 

This bra  was worn by all sections of the population without exception. But the notion of color differentiates between the categories of people wearing it. The brown colour is intended for  farmers while  educated girls prefer the harmonious, elegant and discrete colors. For the elderly, the dark remains the most widely used. Despite this observation, it is possible to see Yếm with eccentric colours.

Pictures gallery

One does not known its origin but  Yếm was appeared for the first time in the 11th century under the Lý dynasty. It underwent many changes over time before being again recently an glamourous fashion article, competitor of « Áo dài ». In  old days, it was accompanied by wearing a skirt and a turban cloth (black or brown) or a scarf ending with a « Crow beak » at the  front top. (khăn vuôn mõ quạ). It is only during the reign of  Minh Mạng emperor  that the black pants was  imposed instead of the skirt.

Yếm is an inexhaustible source for Vietnamese poets among which is  famous Hồ Xuân Hương. She has had the opportunity to describe not only the romantic and glamourous image of this Vietnamese undershirt but also the innocence of a young girl living in a society ruled by Confucian immutable ethic, in her poem entitled « the girl asleep in the daytime » (Thiếu nữ ngủ ngày).

Mùa hè hây hẩy gió nồm đông
Thiếu nữ nằm chơi quá giấc nồng
Lược trúc lỏng cài trên mái tóc
Yếm đào trễ xuống dưới nương long
Ðôi gò Bông đảo sương còn ngậm
Môt lạch đào nguyên suối chưa thông
Quân tử dùng dằng đi chẳng dứt
Ði thì cũng dở ở không xong.

Summer breeze is sporadically blowing,
Lying down the young girl slides into sleeping.
Her bamboo comb loosely attached to her hair,
Her pink bra below her waist dropped down fair.
On these two Elysian mounds, the nectar is still remaining,
In that one Fairy rivulet, the current seems to stop flowing.
At such a view, the gentleman hesitated,
Odd to leave, yet inconvenient if he stayed.

Yếm is mentioned so many times in  popular poems. It reflects the strength and intensity of the love through these two following verses:

Trời mưa trời gió kìn kìn.
Đắp đôi dải yếm hơn nghìn chăn bông.

It’s raining and it made the wind with intensity.
To be covered with a pair of Yếm better than to get thousand duvets

 

It is difficult to leave the person we fell in love unless we have become this undershirt to retain her. That is what we have in the two verses below:

Kiếp sau đừng hóa ra người
Hóa ra dải yếm buộc người tình nhân.

In the future life, one should not be born a man
But it is necessary to be transformed into undershirt to retain the lover.