VietNam Life Style: Dinh

Showing posts with label Dinh. Show all posts

Monday, February 21, 2011

Hanoi pagoda houses priceless Buddhist relics

Vien Dinh Pagoda in Hanoi

Legend has it that at the beginning of the Ly Dynasty’s rule 1,000 years ago, the King, hoping to develop Buddhism, went in search of a scared land to build a temple.

When passing through what is now Dong Vo in Hanoi, he saw two giant trees that struck him as an embodiment of sanctity and decided to build Vien Dinh Pagoda there.

Despite turning 1,000 years now -- legend also says they stood there long before the pagoda was built -- the enormous Siamese rough bush trees continue to produce beautiful yellow blossoms that release their heady scent every summer.

But the astonishing thing is that the trees, native to Southeast Asia, are usually medium-sized and grow to a maximum height of eight meters. This jaw-dropping pair is dozens of meters tall and has enormous trunks.

Another precious relic lays right in front of us as we walked past the large gate into the sacred temple: an ancient wooden bell tower. It is held up by massive columns made from immense ironwood trees and inside is a huge bronze bell that goes back to the time the temple was built.

We were struck by the massive bell’s antique beauty, engraved as it is with ancient writing and delicate decorative patterns.

Its chimes are believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the locality.

Locals tell of dark times when the area was plagued by devils which only the sacred bell’s peals helped hold at bay.

Sacred land

Vien Dinh Pagoda is an important pilgrimage destination with its large number of revered Buddhist relics.

Since 2002 Thich Chon Phuong, its head monk, has visited major Buddhist temples in countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar for religious and cultural exchanges.

pagoda 2

Vien Dinh Pagoda head monk Thich Chon Phuong

His trips have managed to take Vietnamese Buddhism and stories of the sacred origins of Vien Dinh Pagoda outside the country, and evince keen interest in them.

Vien Dinh got its first relic when he met with the chairman of the World Buddhism Union, Thich Huyen Dieu, in India in 2003.

It has now score of them donated by seven Buddhist centers around the world.

Preserved carefully in a large glass container, they give the room an ethereal air.

Phuong has also helped bring some priceless treasures to other pagodas nearby, “to invoke the great blessings and share the power of divine grace.”

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The ancient massive bell of Vien Dinh Pagoda

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Short stories fill a long sentence

by Phung Nguyen

The write stuff: Prisoner Pham Ngoc Dinh writes a short-story collection with paper taken from used magazines in the prison. — File Photo

HAI PHONG — Few people believed that a notorious criminal from Hai Phong on death row in prison could write a short-story collection worthy of publishing.

But Pham Ngoc Dinh, 49, was able to do just that, and had a bounty of material, as his own life is as tragic as the characters in his collection.

After four-and-half years in prison, Dinh began writing his first-ever short-story collection Den va Trang (Black and White) with paper taken from used magazines in the prison.

Dinh painstakingly split the heavy, glossy pages from fashion magazines into two pages and used the white backs of the paper to write on. It took more than a month to prepare the paper, he said.

It was during the cold days in prison that he decided to write a book for the young generation on how to get rich through business. He thought that no such work had been written.

While he never felt fear when he was working as a gangster, he experienced nervousness when he took pen to paper.

"I was so anxious and shameful although there was only me in the room. I hadn't read or written for several years and in front of me was the gloomy fog. I didn't know how to complete the task," Dinh told Tien Phong newspaper.

He said he was obsessed about being able to finish the book, and thought of each day as his last, knowing that he would face execution.

Day after day, Dinh began writing from dawn to 10pm. Some days, he wrote 15 pages but on other days he completed only a couple of pages.

Every Friday he was allowed outside to sunbathe. Sometimes, when a good idea or a worthy word ignited in his mind, he ignored the rare minutes of freedom and admiration of the blue sky and rushed back to his cell.

The act of writing was a distraction that allowed him to forget about his execution day, he said. After completing the book in late 2005, he gave it to his wife to share with others.

Unlikely dream

Dinh said he had never wanted to write a book. But one spring day in 2004 changed his life.

He was listening to the then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on the radio, who was urging writers to write about the country's march toward industrialisation and modern-isation.

"The Prime Minister encouraged me. I wanted to do something helpful for society. In this situation, the only thing I could do was write," Dinh recalled.

He said by the age of 40 he had not done anything helpful for anybody.

He then wrote a letter to his wife, asking her to find another husband. As he wrote, he was so nervous that he forgot many words and couldn't finish the letter.

Dinh said he hadn't read anything since leaving high school, so he looked for newspapers, magazines and books to read, although he hated to read.

The books brought him pleasure and introduced a picture of a life different from the world of drugs and crimes.

Dinh was born in a middle-class family in Hai Phong.

After two years at a sports college, he quit and joined a gang. He was arrested in 1990 and served a five-year sentence in prison. His first wife left him and moved to Germany.

After finishing his first prison term, he started a new life by selling cars and electronic appliances with some of his friends.

After making a lot of money, he married another woman. But tragedy returned when he bought and sold hard drugs as part of a drug ring and was arrested in 1999.

The court handed down a death sentence in 1999 and he began serving his term in 2000.

After being inspired by the Prime Minister, he began writing in mid-2004 and finished the 800-page short-story collection in 2005.

Two months after finishing the book, Dinh broke into tears when his death sentence was reduced to life in prison by the State President.

Since that time, he has been writing two books. He said he sometimes cries with happiness and pain when writing about his characters. Other prisoners have also broken down in tears when reading his works.

Recently, the President again reduced his sentence, this time to 20 years. Because he has already served 10 years, he will be released in 2020. — VNS

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Hanoi indulges in reading habit

Private bookstores on Ha Noi's Dinh Le Street offer a variety of publications at reasonable price for people of all ages

I met Pham Kim Ngan, a 20-year-old student, on a summer afternoon in a bookstore in Dinh Le Street.

"The reading culture is not dying," Ngan said. "Not in Hanoi anyway."

I had to agree with her. There were no parking spaces on the footpath and the bookstore was packed with people.

Dinh Le lies in the bustling Old Quarter, where the city's signature dry-zone mahogany trees spread their canopies to shield the street from the scorching sun. You can find people of all ages circling Dinh Le Street at any hour to find a literary treat for the week.

"It's just another weekend here," said Nguyen Van Trung, a 23-year-old shop attendant.

Walking into one of the 20-something bookstores in Dinh Le Street, I was surprised by the sheer variety of books on display. On both sides as well as in the middle of the cramped room were three gigantic shelves with what seemed to be every genre of books there is, from the great love stories of Wuthering Heights and Gone with the Wind to the valuable business lessons from Rich Dad, Poor Dad or What They Don't Teach You in Harvard Business School.

Ngan lives far from the area, but still comes to her favourite store. She bought her first book there eight years ago and became a regular.

"The shop sells genuine publications at prices 20-30 per cent lower than elsewhere. Shopping for literature in such a cultural hotspot feels great," she said.

Despite 52 years difference in age, Ngan and Pham Quoc Huy, a 73 year-old retired teacher, are on the same page when it comes to store choices. Huy has been shopping for books in Dinh Le Street for ages. As soon as he walks into the shop, the sales girl warmly welcomes him and introduces new titles he might be interested in.

"I always shop here because of the variety of titles and the discount," Huy said.

The street faces Hoan Kiem Post Office while on the other side, in Trang Tien Street, there is the Books and Publishing Corporation.

A few decades ago, there used to be three nationally famous bookstores in the area: Quoc Van (National Language), Ngoai Van (Foreign Language) and Nhan Dan (People). Today, more than 20 stores, providing tens of thousands of book titles, have taken over the street.

A regular customer, Phan Viet Nga, 29, said whenever he felt low, he'd wander around Dinh Le Street. I don't look for any books in particular, but if I'm lucky, I will find one that speaks to me."

Like Nga, some people go to the area without intending to buy anything.

"Looking at the thousands of colourful books and no-less-colourful titles is very cheering," Nga said.

In the corner of the bookstore came a child's laughter. Seconds later, Phan Quang Huy, 6, went running to his mother holding a colourful comic book.

"Mum please buy me this," Huy pleaded.

His mother, La Thanh Truc, was checking out the translated version of Alone in Berlin.
"Too many comic books might be bad for the kids, but how can you say no to those puppy eyes?" Truc said.

"I bring my son here every Sunday afternoon, and every time I secretly hope that he will come running to me with any kind of book other than a comic," she said, "but it is fine, as long as he still loves reading."

As the city heads inexorably towards modernisation, it's nice to know that in the Old Quarter's jungle of buzzing bars and restaurants there are busy shops in Dinh Le Street in which one can indulge in an age-old pasttime: reading.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Ha Noi indulges in reading habit

by Nguyen Le Hung

Bibliophile's dream: Private bookstores on Ha Noi's Dinh Le Street offer a variety of publications at reasonable price for people of all ages. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — I met Pham Kim Ngan, a 20-year-old student, on a summer afternoon in a bookstore in Dinh Le Street.

"The reading culture is not dying," Ngan said. "Not in Ha Noi anyway."

I had to agree with her. There were no parking spaces on the footpath and the bookstore was packed with people