Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s spouse Le Thi Bich Tran and Loo Tze Lui, spouse of visiting Singaporean PM Lawrence Wong, visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi on May 26 morning. During their tour, the two women explored various sections of the museum, including spaces showcasing Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage, a folk architecture garden, and the Southeast Asian exhibition hall.
They learned about the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, their traditional attire, musical instruments, farming tools, crafts, and rituals, while contemplating the reconstructed folk architectural works from different Vietnamese regions. The two took commemorative photos at the Rong house, a stilt house typical of the Central Highlands, traditionally used as a communal gathering space.
The visit continued with a demonstration of Dong Ho folk painting, one of Vietnam’s four major traditional painting styles. Tran gifted Loo with a famous painting from this genre titled "Chan trau thoi sao" (herding the buffalo while playing the flute).
The PM spouses also observed artisans from Hanoi’s Chuong village crafting traditional Vietnamese conical hats. Tran introduced her Singaporean guest to hand-painted hats featuring lotus motifs, which are a national symbol of Vietnam, as well as those decorated with vibrant ethnic brocade patterns.
On this occasion, Muong ethnic artisans presented traditional brocade garments to both ladies, explaining their cultural significance. In the Muong tradition, brocade symbolises prosperity, with the quality and quantity of the fabric reflecting a family’s social status and wealth. For Muong women, weaving skills and the possession of finely crafted textiles are seen as measures of both dexterity and virtue.
The tour concluded with a performance of traditional Vietnamese folk arts in the museum’s courtyard./.
