CHILDREN IN VIETNAM

In Vietnam there are quite a lot of traditions and beliefs related to pregnancy and children.

Today, let’s talk about children. Traditionally, when a baby is born, he gets put around the wrist a braid made of thread. This attachment symbol is very important for the family. We should not really be surprised as it should remind us that infant mortality is still quite high in Vietnam.

At birth, the bracelet allegedly ties the mind and the body into a single entity to enable the start to life. Vietnamese beliefs consider the mind as a reincarnation that finds its form in the baby’s body which is made itself from the body of his mother during pregnancy.

Nowadays traditions are changing and gold or silver bracelets, like the boy on the picture, as gifts are replacing the braided bracelets, engraved with a name or a monogram.

If you want to discover the heart of Saigon’s Chinatown, book our self-guided tour and come investigate the strange case of Dr Lam!