Women in the Spotlight, Plus More Adventures

November 10, 2024

Our p-day adventure last Monday was under the direction of Barbara Adams, who chose to go check out the Vietnamese Women's Museum. This was an interesting place on 3 floors that included: 1. Women in Family, 2. Women in History, and 3. Women in Fashion.

Our Branch President thought we (me especially) might enjoy seeing the museum. It really was a nice tribute to the women in Vietnam for all their dedication to and hard work for their families.

The displays were generally showing the hard work the women did in the fields, in the home, and supporting the family by working as vendors on the streets. It was impressive and also very sad that such hard work by women was necessary. Many women leave their husbands and children in the country and go to work in the cities, selling fruits and vegetables and anything else they can, to support their families, only going home sometimes once in two weeks. I thought how dedicated they all are, and determined to provide for their families, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in. I am not certain if this was more prevalent in the last century or equally prevalent now, but I felt extremely blessed and privileged to come from America.

Also very interesting was the different displays about the various ethnic groups in Vietnam, and their customs, beliefs, and way of life.

Their weaving must be incredibly time-consuming and tedious, especially when compared with the amazing and intricate looms we saw with the silk weaving.

One large portion of a floor was dedicated to explaining the Vietnamese folk belief of worshipping Mother-Goddess, which is widely practiced in Vietnam and in their overseas communities.

They had beautiful clothing dedicated to this worship.

I didn't take any pictures from the Women in History floor, although it also showed the dedication of the Vietnamese women in the protection of their villages. They recounted the sacrifices and achievements of female soldiers and civilians during the two resistance wars, one of which was with America. It was very poignant to see that war from the side of the Vietnamese women, who did all they could in the service of their country, and to know what that meant to our own country. There was no denying the commitment of the women and the work they did for their homeland. I had a heavy heart as I thought of the choices that had to be made and the sacrifices performed in a world filled with war and conflict, and that is what Vietnamese women have known for such a long time.

The top floor was Women's Fashion and I was expecting amazing ao dais (long shirts/dresses), but it was more of the fashions that developed among the ethnic groups, or perhaps historically among all Vietnamese women.