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Focusing on the Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam

An Interview with Alden Anderson

I recent­ly did an inter­view with Sam­my Tuong Hoang of Cul­ture Mag­a­zin for the Dec/Jan 2021 issue. Pre­sent­ed here is the print­ed article.

The arti­cle can be found on their web­site here.

This arti­cle is also avail­able: Tiếng Việt

Focusing on the ethnic minorities of Vietnam with Alden Anderson

Focus­ing on the eth­nic minori­ties of Viet­nam with Alden Anderson

Focusing on Ethnic Minorities with Alden Anderson

Focus­ing on the Eth­nic Minori­ties of Viet­nam with Alden Anderson

360nomad

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"My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend "My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend themselves from wild animals and to protect our village from other tribes because in the old days there was a lot of fighting. The shields were made of wood or bamboo with a layer of sap from a specific tree and then it was coated in sand." . "Amongst the young men in a village, one would be chosen who was wise and excelled at combat. All the other men respected and listened to that man. If a tiger or anyone attacked, he would be the first person to defend the village." . A Biu, 63 Bahnar Ethnic Group Kon Tum, Central Highlands, Vietnam . Trinh has put together a wonderful and fun video of A Biu, highlighting where he lives and some of the Bahnar traditions. You should definitely check it out and follow her on youtube to see a budding filmmaker documenting Vietnamese cultures. Link to the video is in the bio. . It's been a while, so I wanted to give an update. Due to complications related to the pandemic, I had to return to Los Angeles where I’m from. Perhaps it was a good thing, considering I hadn't been back to the US in 5 years. Seeing friends again and re-connecting with family have been the highlights. Then there's the societal adulting issues that had to eventually be sorted out. All those things that are nearly impossible to do while out of the country. Renewing a lost California driver's license is pretty much not possible to do when you're out of the country. Banks and the government don't really have a corner for people who are gone for years. . Recently, I've taken up a new project combining my passion for photography as well as the outdoors, namely canyoneering. Canyoneering is the activity of descending canyons. It usually involves rappelling, down-climbing, hiking, navigation and depending on the canyon, swimming, waterfalls and water currents. I view it as a sub-culture here in Los Angeles with it's own lingo and dress codes. . And now, plans are in the works to return to SE Asia in the not-too-distant future.
"This is how I usually dress at home (referring to "This is how I usually dress at home (referring to his clothes and  jewelry). We used to drink, sing, have fun and play gongs a lot. Now the young generations don't know much about our culture, they just know how to drive motorbikes. Therefore, I constantly remind them that they have to keep our culture  going and to not forget our origin. I can make crossbows, musical instruments, bamboo baskets and lots of things." . "Deforestation is prohibited  here.  There used to be rhinoceros in this area." . "We used to worship Yang (Creator) to have good crops . To pray for peace and prosperity, we sacrificed chickens, buffalo or pigs. Whenever we were sick, we would always organize ritual worship, but people were still sick and died. It was very expensive to do that, we had to sacrifice at least 2 or 3 buffalo. Now, I follow Jesus and if we are sick we will see doctors." . Brê, in his 80s Ma Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam
"I was in the army during the war, fighting in the "I was in the army during the war, fighting in the forest and in the mountains. Every battle was very tough. The bullets fell like rain. There were many people dying. It was fate whether one lived or died! I was in a situation where I had to fight. If I had not fought against the other side, they would have killed me." . "Lots of girls chased me when I was young, but I was just in love with my wife. She was adorable. We wrote letters while I was in the army. My parents organized the wedding for me while I was fighting in the war. I couldn't be the groom in our wedding. I only believed that I was alive when I came back home to her. She passed on 13 years ago due to heart disease." . "I love people watching. It makes me happy. The pictures that you gave me before, I hung them in my house." . Le Sa, 85 Hoi An, Vietnam . Le Sa spends his days in a small fishing village on the outskirts of Hoi An making basket boats for fishermen and small model boats to use as an offering at the temple. I was fascinated by these fully functioning miniatures and so bought the one he was making. He wanted a photo of him making the boat, so we returned to give him a print which he was happy to receive. (Additional photos in story)
"We sell about 400 cups of Chè every night." . Ch "We sell about 400 cups of Chè every night." . Chè or "Sweet Soup" as it's sometimes called, is a popular Vietnamese dessert consisting of a range of ingredients from mung beans to tapioca and lotus seeds and all kinds of jellies and puddings. Typically one chooses a few of the ingredients in a cup and then adds ice for a sweet dessert. Huế in Central Vietnam is particularly well known for the sheer number of choices for your Chè. It's like the Ben & Jerry's of  Chè if Ben & Jerry's made everything by hand. . Here, Truong chooses from 24 different options, under the Tràng Tiền Bridge on the banks of the Perfume River. With so many flavors to choose from it becomes a bit of a challenge and I was "forced" to eat a few cups to sample just a portion of the many flavors. It reminded me of visiting Thrifty's as a kid and trying to figure out which flavor of ice cream to get for my 35 cent cone. That typically ended up being rainbow sherbert because to 6-year-old me, it looked like a mix of all of the flavors and was so beautifully colorful. . For these 24 flavors, there's a lot of work involved. Each of the 24 pots must be specially prepared by hand. It's a job for 4 people. But as I dip my spoon through the various layers in my cup and try to guess what each of the ingredients is I don't think about all that hard work. I'm enjoying my Chè on a warm summer night along the banks of the Perfume River in the ancient capital of Vietnam. Although the "Perfume" part has me scratching my head, as it certainly doesn't smell like it. . Huế, Vietnam
"I sometimes feel sad. Some people say we look lik "I sometimes feel sad. Some people say we look like vampires and I wish that I could look as normal as other people. I quit going to school a long time ago. When I went to kindergarten, my teacher was scared of me, so she kicked me out of the class. After that, I didn't go to school anymore." . "If I were normal, I would work for Kinh (Viet) people because I could earn more money. However, since my vision is weak, I am not as productive as others. Therefore I just work for my family. Sometimes, I collect leftover coffee from the fields to sell. I wish I could earn a lot of money to help my family." . Soát, 20 (eldest sister) . Hin, 10 Soát, 20 Quyết, 5 Bahnar Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam . 2 of 3 . By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary
"At school, other kids tell me that I look like a "At school, other kids tell me that I look like a ghost. Some boys bully me for being so white, others are scared of me. It is hard for me to see all the words (when reading), so I cannot learn much. But my teachers understand and love me, so they let me sit in the front row and let me move on to the next grade." . Hin, 10 years old Bahnar Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam . 1 of 3 . By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary
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"My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend "My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend themselves from wild animals and to protect our village from other tribes because in the old days there was a lot of fighting. The shields were made of wood or bamboo with a layer of sap from a specific tree and then it was coated in sand." . "Amongst the young men in a village, one would be chosen who was wise and excelled at combat. All the other men respected and listened to that man. If a tiger or anyone attacked, he would be the first person to defend the village." . A Biu, 63 Bahnar Ethnic Group Kon Tum, Central Highlands, Vietnam . Trinh has put together a wonderful and fun video of A Biu, highlighting where he lives and some of the Bahnar traditions. You should definitely check it out and follow her on youtube to see a budding filmmaker documenting Vietnamese cultures. Link to the video is in the bio. . It's been a while, so I wanted to give an update. Due to complications related to the pandemic, I had to return to Los Angeles where I’m from. Perhaps it was a good thing, considering I hadn't been back to the US in 5 years. Seeing friends again and re-connecting with family have been the highlights. Then there's the societal adulting issues that had to eventually be sorted out. All those things that are nearly impossible to do while out of the country. Renewing a lost California driver's license is pretty much not possible to do when you're out of the country. Banks and the government don't really have a corner for people who are gone for years. . Recently, I've taken up a new project combining my passion for photography as well as the outdoors, namely canyoneering. Canyoneering is the activity of descending canyons. It usually involves rappelling, down-climbing, hiking, navigation and depending on the canyon, swimming, waterfalls and water currents. I view it as a sub-culture here in Los Angeles with it's own lingo and dress codes. . And now, plans are in the works to return to SE Asia in the not-too-distant future.
"This is how I usually dress at home (referring to "This is how I usually dress at home (referring to his clothes and  jewelry). We used to drink, sing, have fun and play gongs a lot. Now the young generations don't know much about our culture, they just know how to drive motorbikes. Therefore, I constantly remind them that they have to keep our culture  going and to not forget our origin. I can make crossbows, musical instruments, bamboo baskets and lots of things." . "Deforestation is prohibited  here.  There used to be rhinoceros in this area." . "We used to worship Yang (Creator) to have good crops . To pray for peace and prosperity, we sacrificed chickens, buffalo or pigs. Whenever we were sick, we would always organize ritual worship, but people were still sick and died. It was very expensive to do that, we had to sacrifice at least 2 or 3 buffalo. Now, I follow Jesus and if we are sick we will see doctors." . Brê, in his 80s Ma Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam
"I was in the army during the war, fighting in the "I was in the army during the war, fighting in the forest and in the mountains. Every battle was very tough. The bullets fell like rain. There were many people dying. It was fate whether one lived or died! I was in a situation where I had to fight. If I had not fought against the other side, they would have killed me." . "Lots of girls chased me when I was young, but I was just in love with my wife. She was adorable. We wrote letters while I was in the army. My parents organized the wedding for me while I was fighting in the war. I couldn't be the groom in our wedding. I only believed that I was alive when I came back home to her. She passed on 13 years ago due to heart disease." . "I love people watching. It makes me happy. The pictures that you gave me before, I hung them in my house." . Le Sa, 85 Hoi An, Vietnam . Le Sa spends his days in a small fishing village on the outskirts of Hoi An making basket boats for fishermen and small model boats to use as an offering at the temple. I was fascinated by these fully functioning miniatures and so bought the one he was making. He wanted a photo of him making the boat, so we returned to give him a print which he was happy to receive. (Additional photos in story)
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