Cham women

A Cham woman and Cham pottery works Binh Thuan, a tourist site in the central coastal province, does not own its popularity to attractive beaches, splendid sand dunes or deluxe resorts and spas, but rather to its renowned Cham minority craft village known as Go Hamlet by local Vietnamese or Play Gok by Cham minorities. For thousands of years, the generations in this hamlet, located at Tri Duc Commune, Phan Hiep Village , have grown up learning the pottery skills of their forefathers. Every day women knead the clay which the men take and mix with water and then mould on a very simple potter’s wheel made of wood. The final products are polished with a layer of clay water. Products are also fired in the traditional Cham way. First they are dried in the sunshine on vacant land next to the hamlet and then the locals collect straw and firewood to put around and into the products to fire them over night. From traditional models learned from older generations … [Read more...] about Cham Pottery from Go Hamlet in Binh Thuan

At least three leading international aid agencies have partially resumed life-saving work in Afghanistan after assurances from the Taliban authorities that Afghan women can continue to work in the health sector. An Afghan labourer carries oil containers provided by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for distribution among the needy people, at a gymnasium in Kabul on January 17, 2023. Hundreds of NGOs have been instrumental in trying to address one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with half of Afghanistan's 38 million people hungry and three million children at risk of malnutrition. CARE, Save the Children and International Rescue Committee (IRC) suspended their operations in late December in protest against a government order banning Afghan women from aid work, the latest rollback of women's rights in the country. "We have received clear, reliable assurances from relevant authorities that our female staff will be safe and can work without … [Read more...] about Three foreign NGOs partially resume aid in Afghanistan with women workers

Ngoc, 35, an office worker with a monthly salary of VND15 million ($639.39), lives with her husband, two sons and her parents-in-law in an 80 m2 apartment with three bedrooms. Her daily life is stressful due to the constant verbal fights between her and her mother-in-law. Ngoc has always considered herself to be a straightforward person, who would "always voice her opinions when there's something wrong," whether it be about shopping or parenting. Meanwhile, her husband, an only child, often sides with his parents, making the relationship between husband and wife strained. A month before Tet , Ngoc's husband was fired from a real estate firm after his contract ran out. All the family's economic burden then rested on Ngoc's shoulders. Since then, she's been lying beside her sleeping husband on the mattress wide awake at night, thinking about buying gifts for her families, friends and colleagues. Sometimes she can barely breath, she feels fatigued and unfocused, easily irritable and … [Read more...] about For many Vietnamese women, Tet is more headache than fun

Bau Truc is one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia. Over 90 percent of some 500 families in Bau Truc village are making pottery. For the Cham ethnic minority people, ceramics are not only used as daily utensils, but more importantly, they are an intermedia for them to connect with gods. Local potters believe that their craft was founded more than a thousand years ago by Poklong Chanh, a man who refused to become a mandarin in order to stay at his village teaching housewives how to take clay and shape and fire it into utensils and decorative items. To show their gratitude toward the forefather of their craft, Bau Truc villagers built a temple dedicated to Poklong Chanh and pray for him during Kate, the Cham’s biggest festival held annually in the seventh lunar month. Truong Thi Gach, an 80-year-old potter who has been making ceramics her entire life, said her mother learnt the craft from her grandmother and then passed it down to Gach when she was 10. Gach is now … [Read more...] about Bau Truc – Perfect place for tourists to explore quintessence of Cham pottery

Products of the Bau Truc pottery village of the Cham ethnic people in Ninh Phuoc district, south central Ninh Thuan province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The inscription of the art of pottery making of the Cham people on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding will promote measures to preserve the heritage, create more sources for the preservation and promotion of the heritage’s value, and support economic and cultural development toward sustainability and inclusiveness in localities and residential communities. Inscribing Vietnam’s first craft The Chairman of the 17th session of the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage hammers to recognise the art of pottery making of Cham ethnic people as the intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. (Photo: VNA) Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Chief Representative of the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO, said that the art of … [Read more...] about UNESCO-recognised Cham people’s pottery making art: Preserving unique craft

Two senior UN leaders said Wednesday they were pressing the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on Afghan women, particularly a ban on working in aid delivery, with one official warning that "famine is looming" during the harsh winter. Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, gestures as he speaks during an interview with AFPa at the UN Compound in Kabul on January 25, 2023. Speaking in New York, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said she pushed "pretty hard" on women's issues during a visit last week to Afghanistan and sometimes "the reaction wasn't pleasant." Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban government has rapidly squeezed women out of public life, banning them also from secondary education, public sector work, as well as parks and baths. The country is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, aid agencies say, with more than half of Afghanistan's 38 million population … [Read more...] about UN presses Taliban for ‘clarity’ on women’s role in aid delivery

With the Lunar New Year arriving, delegations from the Australian embassy to Vietnam and GREAT continue to work with the northern mountainous district of Lao Cai and Son La provinces, where ethnic minority communities receive support from these two organisations. Ms May of the Red Dao community cooperative showcases her traditional herbal bath products, Source: vietnam.embassy.gov.au. These visits also serve as field trips to survey and evaluate the effectiveness of GREAT models over the years and, at the same time, provide a more effective plan for the second phase that is about to begin. Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski and the Australian embassy delegation last year were joined by the Vietnam and Lao Cai Women’s Union on a visit to Hung Hien noodle cooperative in Lao Cai’s Bat Xat district. He was impressed by the strength of women’s leadership and the opportunities created for local producers and service providers. Ambassador Goledzinowski noted the importance of … [Read more...] about Women-led producers demonstrating empowerment

The island cluster of Cu Lao Cham was recognized in 2009 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a biosphere reserve with more than 950 aquatic species being protected. In October 2003, the Cu Lao Cham Nature Reserve was established to preserve wildlife on the island. It is one of the 15 marine protected areas of Vietnam (data from 2007). Currently, Hon Lao is known as the largest island in the Cu Lao Cham chain, which is where most of the population is concentrated. On Hon Lao island, there are many mountains, the highest peak is 517m. The flora is rich, with many primeval forests containing many trees such as red oak. This is also the residence of many kinds of wild animals and sea birds, especially swiftlets. According to historical documents, bird’s nests here have been exploited by humans since the 17th century. On the island, there is also a shrine to worship the ancestors of bird's nest collecting. Currently, bird’s nests in Cham … [Read more...] about Cu Lao Cham – Appealing attraction for tourists

Visitors find a bamboo house with palm thatched roof an interesting part of Go Co village. (Photo: VNA) Quang Ngai (VNA) - Boasting untouched beauty, and unique cultural vestiges and traditional practices of Sa Huynh culture, Go Co ancient village in the central province of Quang Ngai is an attractive cultural destination for travelers. The ancient village is in Pho Thanh ward, Duc Pho town, about 60 km south of Quang Ngai city. The Sa Huynh beach has distinctive golden sand. Go Co is isolated in a valley surrounded by granite that is millions of years old, with its back leaning against the mountain and facing towards the sea. Surrounded by four mountains – Ganh, Ong Tau, Tru Bo and Ba Quach – the ancient village is naturally protected by the mountains and a downhill valley from natural disasters. Vestiges of Cham, also known as Champa culture, were excavated 100 years ago by French archaeologists and then Vietnamese researchers in the late 1970s. Grave jars of … [Read more...] about Go Co ancient village adds charm to Quang Ngai province

Northwest Vietnam is benefiting from a project worth US$24 million to mainly develop community-based economic models. Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski has led a delegation to visit projects in Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho that are benefitting from Australian support. Ambassador Andrew meets with Mr Dang Xuan Phong, Party Secretary of Lao Cai province. Photo: Embassy of Australia in Hanoi The visit on January 11-13 shows that Australia remains committed to supporting socio-economic development in Northwest Vietnam. In the meeting with leaders in Lao Cai and Yen Bai, the discussions confirmed that the northwest region remains a focus in the broader Australia-Vietnam bilateral partnership. Australian support is growing from an initial focus on clean water and agriculture to now include transport infrastructure, women’s economic empowerment, tourism development and private sector development to better the lives of men and women, … [Read more...] about Australia continues supporting development in Northwest Vietnam