370 women (and a sprinkling of men!) gathered at the Intercontinental Hotel Westlake on 30th November to share ideas, engage in a little wine tasting, learn about higher education & do some pre-Christmas shopping.

 Did you know that Vietnamese artist Lê Phổ (1907 – 2001), a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, is largely responsible for popularising the modern ao dai? We hope you enjoy this selection of his ao dai paintings.

Above: The Ede

Above: The Co Tu

Above: The Black Dao

Above: Mnong

Above: Phu La

Above: La Hu

Above: Lo Lo Hoa

Above: Ro Mam

Above: The Pink Ha Nhi

Above: O Du

Photo credits: Rehahn

There’s a busy street in Hanoi called Lý Thường Kiệt, named after a famous 11 Century general who was also a poet and, quite surprisingly, a eunuch. Castration was practised in Vietnam for centuries and it didn’t just involve the removal of the testicles – the penis was also cut off! Many men volunteered to become eunuchs, so that they could secure a better job; the only men allowed inside the Forbidden City at Huế were the Emperor and his eunuchs.  During the Nguyen dynasty, however, only men from wealthy families could be considered for castration. Lý Thường Kiệt is not Vietnam’s only famous eunuch – there’s also Nguyễn An, a hydraulics specialist and architect who was given to the Chinese emperor as tribute in the 15th Century.

Above: Chinese eunuchs, circa 1908

If you’ve been living in Ha Noi for a few months of more, chances are you’re already familiar with Ba Dinh Square and/or Ba Dinh Square. There’s an interesting story behind the name, Ba Dinh, which means ‘3 communal houses’.

Over 130 years ago in Nga Son district, Thanh Ho province, 3 villages turned their communal houses into guerilla bases, from which they attacked the French colonialists who ruled Vietnam at the time. The fighting raged for 32 days and nights and the incident became known and celebrated as the Ba Dinh Uprising.

When President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence from France in 1945, he chose to do so from Ha Noi’s Ba Dinh Square, giving a nod to the rural men and women who bravely rose up against the colonial oppressors back in 1886.

You know that Autumn has finally arrived when you see cốm for sale on the streets of Hanoi’s old quarter. Cốm is young rice, harvested early, pounded within an inch of its life, and served in a lotus leaf. Much tastier, sweeter and chewier than conventional rice, cốm is best eaten slowly and, believe it or not, tastes great when eaten with ripe bananas.