Vietnamese river culture

Since humans learned to use animals for food, rivers and water have been the earliest and most abundant source of food. There are many birds and animals, but hunting them is not easy. People can catch shrimp, fish, crabs, and other aquatic products without much effort, which are very nutritious sources of protein. Fish, shrimp, shrimp, and many other aquatic products are not only the main source of food for humans, but are also processed into fish sauce, becoming items to reward officials with merit in ancient feudal times. Protein from aquatic products is still valuable in daily life today, even in mountainous areas where there is a lot of bird and wild animal meat, protein from fish sauce and salt is indispensable. It can be said that water is the “mother” of humans since the beginning. The appearance of rice in the fields is a miracle for the Vietnamese people. It provides food in the form of starch that is nutritious and can be preserved for a long time. Without water, there would be no rice and no rice civilization. It is not by chance that people rely on riverbanks for housing. The proverb: “First near the market, second near the river” proves that. People live along the river, grow rice, cast nets, and pull nets to make a living. River junctions and coastal areas quickly form bustling villages, becoming political, economic, and cultural centers. This is where the quintessence and new information from the capital to the countryside converge. Girls living along the river often meet boyfriends from all over the country and form relationships. In the past, Vietnamese people knew how to use three types of boats. The smallest were dugout canoes and basket boats. The larger boats were made of planks, with oars at the stern, used for transportation, and were quite beautifully decorated. The largest were warships, equipped with weapons such as axes, spears, javelins, daggers, shields, crossbows, etc. to serve combat. People relied on rivers and water for food, housing, transportation, and survival. Rivers and water protected people. It is not difficult to understand why people worshiped Mother Water. For thousands of years, the ancient Vietnamese people lived closely with rivers and formed a system of river culture. The stories of thunder, lightning, rain, and calling the clouds and rain had an impact on people's lives. Ancient people believed that in this world there were gods who took care of water and rain so that people could grow crops and live. Forms of praying to the gods to protect and help people escape disasters were born, and gradually became customs. Many customs with social significance such as water-splashing festivals and boat racing festivals are still passed down to this day. King Le Dai Hanh officially made the annual boat racing festival a national festival. The king was aware that Vietnam was like a mountain placed on a boat floating on the river, and promoted the tradition of rivers among the people. A series of cultural and artistic forms were born from rivers: Folk tales, oral traditions, folk songs, and proverbs related to rivers such as the myth of Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh fighting each other due to jealousy, causing annual floods; a forbidden love story between the ferryman Truong Chi and My Nuong; Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung in the legendary love story by the river... Then the songs of sitting on the side of the boat, rowing the boat, rowing the boat, the songs of pulling the net, and casting the net appeared distinctively in the river and sea areas. The Vietnamese people were proficient in rivers, skilled in using boats, good at fishing, navigating waterways, and understood the laws of rivers. When the country was at war, rivers and waters contributed to glorious victories with humans. At that time, rivers and waters knew how to resent, knew how to turn into screams to kill the enemy. In Vietnamese history, there are many famous people who work in the river. Yet Kieu in the Tran Dynasty is a typical example. He was poor, every day he rolled around the riverbank, catching crabs and fish to make a living. He had the talent of diving and swimming like an aquatic animal, and was highly regarded and trusted by Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan. During the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army in the 13th century, he once dove to the bottom of the river to drill enemy boats, making great achievements. He was a famous general who knew how to put the Fatherland above all else, his loyalty shining brightly in the starry sky. When Yet Kieu died, the people of his hometown built a temple on the riverbank of Ha Bi village, also known as Quat village, Gia Loc district, Hai Duong province. The festival at Quat temple is very crowded and often has the custom of rowing, racing men's and women's boats to compete in talent, but it is to show respect for Yet Kieu - the founder of the profession of swimming and diving, hoping that he would bestow all blessings.

Heritage Magazine