Tradition, Revolution, and Market Economy in a North Vietnamese Village, 1925-2006

Appendix 1: Regulations on Cultured Life in Hamlet 5

279 Appendix 1 Regulations on Cultured Life in Hamlet 5 Socialist Republic of Vietnam Independence-Liberty-Happiness * Sơn-Dương, 1 March 2003 Implementing the cultured life regulations of Sơn-Dương commune, the mobilization committee works out the regulations for a cultured life in Hamlet 5 as follows: Part I. General Regulations Article 1 Building a cultured life is an important objective in the government’s tasks of leadership and management and in the self-mastery of the people. It aims to promote good customs, to uphold the people’s tradition of moral standards, and to spread the good tradition of the native land. Article 2 Regulations on a cultured life aim at regulating the activities of every member of society in compliance with the policies of the Party and government ; at developing the economy, raising living standards, building a life with culture, raising the solidarity in the neighborhood and hamlet, and providing mutual support for progress. 280 Appendix 1 Part II. The Contents of the Regulations Article 3 Every member of the hamlet and of each family actively participates in production in order to eliminate starvation and to reduce poverty. We strive for stable living standards and to achieve per capita income of 2 million VND a year. Family members should live harmoniously and provide mutual support to one another, with grandparents and parents being exemplary, and with children and grandchildren showing filial piety. We should maintain hierarchy and order in the tradition of the patriline and among matrilineal relatives; solidarity within the neighborhood and the village; and exemplary compliance with policies and laws. There should be no illiteracy, no school dropouts, no participation in “social evils,” and no family with more than two children. We mobilize every member to participate actively in social and cultural activities, to have at least 80–85 percent of the households hang the national flag on holidays and during the Lunar New Year, to encourage the patrilineages to establish education-promotion funds in order to encourage students to excel in their studies as in the Nguyễn patrilineage. We actively participate in cultural and sport activities that are beneficial to the health of everybody. Part III. Weddings, Funerals, Longevity Celebrations, and Festivals Article 4 On weddings. A wedding takes place in conformity with the law on marriage and the family and with local customs. The engagement ceremony is simple, with no more than fifteen representatives on each side, with no meals and banquets, and without cigarettes. If there are any violations of these engagement ceremony regulations, neighbors will not participate in the wedding. The bride and the groom have to register their marriage before the wedding, in conformity with the law on marriage, and they do not get married early. If there is a deliberate violation of the law, the hamlet will criticize the violator and propose that the People’s Committee of the commune render justice in conformity with the law. The wedding celebration has to be simple and may not last more than one day. The groom’s family will not go the bride’s family twice to receive Regulations on Cultured Life, 2003 281 the bride, and there will not be a banquet in connection with the visit to the bride’s family two days after the wedding (lại mặt). Wedding gifts should reflect sentiment and not corruption, debts, and conspicuous consumption . Wedding clothes need to be beautiful and simple. The groom will wear a Western suit, and the bride a traditional áo dài [Vietnamese dress]. The wedding room will be decorated well but not elaborately. The wedding music has to be sound, played at a reasonable volume, and turned on only between 5:00 and 22:00. The wedding banquet depends on the family ’s circumstances, but invitations should be extended only to relatives, immediate neighbors, and close friends. Cigarettes will absolutely not be offered at a wedding. Article 5 On funerals. A family with a member passing away needs to inform the hamlet chief and the People’s Committee of the commune so that they can prepare for the funeral. The family also needs to inform the cemetery caretaker so that a plot can be reserved for the burial. The funeral will be organized by the Cultural Office, which represents the Party and the government, and by the mass organizations. The hamlet will assign an agricultural production team to dig...