When I started to work with Dr. Thái Kim Lan and the rest of the team on establishing Hương River Antique Pottery Museum (Bảo tàng Gốm Cổ Sông Hương) at 120 Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên (Huế) in 2021, I had thought I that I involved in this project because of my mentor Hồ Tấn Phan’s dream. Little did I know that I finally did it for my own good.
In Search of Lost Time
Photo Essay: Bịp Bịp Fruit Beeps for Childhood Memory
Especially for Bụi, For many Huế people, bịp bịp fruit (pronounced “beep beep”) is a simple and nostalgic gift from the old days when we ate more locally-grown and wild fruits and vegetables. Although it shares the same family with rambutan (known to the Vietnamese as chôm chôm), bịp bịp fruit’s flesh is yellow instead […]
Liễu Cốc Cham Towers to Wail for Help
In a village located about 12 km away from Huế City’s center, a pair of 9th-century Cham towers are silently collapsing and disappearing. Being recognized as a National Historic Site of Vietnam in 1994, Liễu Cốc Towers have not been well treated as they deserve. Trees and other kinds of plants overgrow here, which harasses […]
A Saturday Morning with My Mentor Phan
Almost every weekend, I meet up with my mentor Phan at his home for some talks and then we go on field trips together. I feel like at home when sitting at their living room jammed with old potteries and other artifacts. While he enriches my history knowledge with his here-and-there stories and sometimes serious […]
A Cham Soul Hidden in Vietnamese Look
In Lương Hậu Village (Hương Thủy Town, Thừa Thiên Huế Province), there are some remains of Champa Kingdom existing side by side with Vietnamese people’s cultural/historic sites. It’s about 13 km to the South-East of Huế City’s center. Last Wednesday, my mentor Phan and I visited some of the Cham relics there. We stopped by […]
In Search of Lost Time
My mentor Hồ Tấn Phan and I have known each other for about 5 years and we have become good friends since then. Actually, I consider him my mentor who teaches me about history and culture of our own hometown Huế. He does not give me any serious lessons but via informal talks and fun […]
Visiting some Champa relics in Thừa Thiên Huế
Last Sunday, I had a chance to follow two special researchers on a field trip visiting Champa relics in Hương Trà and Quảng Điền, Thừa Thiên Huế Province. One is my history teacher Hồ Tấn Phan, a Huế culture researcher; and the other is Mr. Jean-Francois Hubert, the author of “The Art of Champa” and […]
A Garden of Broken Potteries
When my history mentor Hồ Tấn Phan’s house has no more room for both intact and broken old potteries “excavated” from Hương River, he has to leave them outside in his garden. You’re invited to visit a corner of his pottery garden in the video clip below:
The Servant of Hương River
For decades, many artifacts collected from the Hương River have been under Phan’s loving care. His house is overwhelmed with the artifacts and so is his big and shady garden which turns into an open antique exhibition. Some are piled up to the ceiling, some crammed in the dark and narrow attic or even in Phan’s own bedroom. They can be found anywhere that spares space for them – indoor or outdoor.