Mai Chau

In discussing cultural heritage management in Viet Nam, a discussion about ethnic communities is critical. Viet Nam is home to 54 ethnic communities, although the Kinh community makes up a decided majority of the population. Most of the minority communities live in the hill regions. We visited one of the Thai villages in the Mai Chau valley. (If any of you have seen the new Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino, you will have learned about another community, the Hmong.) One of our study topics on this visit was the role of tourism in heritage management and its impact on cultural preservation.


The trip was a couple of hours, so we made a stop along the way to stretch our legs. Two of my classmates, Burcu from Turkey and Holly from Austria, enjoyed this musical scale. I think Burcu bought one during the trip! "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" seemed the song of choice.


The valley is lovely. Most of the families practice wet rice farming. I loved the bicycle at the entrance to these fields.


The community is also well-known for its weaving and textiles. The loom below is a typical loom used by the women to weave these scarves and wall hangings.



More fields, this time with sleeping dogs along the house walks.


I love these flowers, and get them from our local farmers' markets in the summer. We call them cocks' combs, and they were growing on the side of the road.


I wish I understood the meaning behind these fish tails tacked to the side of the building.


Water buffalo are common, often used to work the rice fields. They seem to have a very calm demeanor. This one wagged its tail every time I spoke, much like dogs do when I speak to them!


We saw a cultural performance that evening, by some of the local Thai dancers. It was lovely. And participatory at the end! Here, Yider from Taiwan is guided through the moving bamboo poles.



We stayed in the stilt house that I posted in the earlier blog. This is the girls' room; Amar was next door. We had mattresses, blankets, pillows, and mosquito nets. It was much like camping, and a lot of fun!