RITUALS:In Vietnam, couples often stage their wedding photographs weeks before the event. FRANK MILLERwatched a few of these curious rehearsals around Hoam Kiem lake in Hanoi
THERE ARE MANY surprises facing the visitor to Vietnam, but one that you won’t find in the guidebooks involves an utterly charming scene around Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of Hanoi. At certain times of year, this endearing oasis of calm in an otherwise frantic city provides a backdrop for scores of couples having their wedding photographs taken.
The Vietnamese have adopted elements of Western marriage customs, none more striking than the donning of Western-style dress for wedding album photography. In a traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremony the bride wears red and the groom wears blue. Nowadays, a variety of styles and colours are evident – if not for the actual ceremony, then at least for the wedding album.
The photographic sessions often take place weeks or even months before the wedding, most frequently on weekends, with purchased or hired outfits and an elaborate team-based photo-shoot involving stylists and lighting assistants as well as the photographer and at least one assistant. Couples can be seen queuing up to have their photographs taken at some of the key locations around the lake. They move from spot to spot, providing free street theatre and talking points for curious onlookers.
Observing the body language, it is clear that the perfect wedding album is more of an obsession among the brides than the grooms. While the brides inspect the images as the session progresses, and have their hair and make-up refreshed, the grooms can be seen taking calls on their mobile phones and smoking cigarettes. There is a great sense of fun, however, and the spectacle is hugely enjoyed by passers-by.
The favourite time of year for marriages in northern Vietnam is before and after Tet, the celebration of the lunar new year in January. That’s when the weather is most pleasant and least humid and most people have some time off work. Favoured times of day would be in the mornings and afternoon for the softer light. A full photo shoot, which can take place three months before the actual wedding, costs about US$500, which is a lot of money by Vietnamese standards.
Other popular photography venues around Hanoi include the Museum of Ethnology and the Botanical Gardens, but Hoan Kiem has a special place in the hearts of most residents of Hanoi as the location of a King Arthur-type legend. In the 15th century one of the giant turtles of the lake emerged with a magical sword for General Le Loi, which helped repel Chinese invaders from the city. In 2010 the lake was the main site for celebrations of the millennium in the city.
When it comes to choosing the wedding date, a fortune teller is invariably consulted to come up with a suitably auspicious date that tallies with key dates in the lives of the couple and their families and ancestors. Couples would never contemplate marrying on certain dates considered unlucky, thereby dooming the marriage to failure. Before a marriage there are ceremonies involving the groom and his family visiting the family of his bride-to-be, and a reciprocal ceremony for the bride and her family.
The civil aspect of the wedding takes just a couple of minutes and involves some routine paperwork, but there is usually a party for family and friends afterwards.
The Western practice of exchanging rings is starting to creep into local culture. Gifts from close family would normally consist of gold jewellery, in particular a heavy gold necklace is often given to the bride by her mother, only ever to be sold in case of emergency. Other family members would present gifts of gold, jewellery or cash. More distant relatives and friends would usually give gifts of cash to help defray the cost of the wedding and to help the couple start their new life together.
Compared to an Irish wedding, the reception would resemble a speed-date, with a short but happy party of eating, drinking, socialising and gift-giving.
Unlike us Irish, the Vietnamese know when to leave and, as if alerted by a hidden signal, guests vanish almost simultaneously after about an hour and a half, but not before one of the highlights of the wedding. You guessed it – a PowerPoint presentation of the wedding photographs taken around Hoan Kiem lake.
