In the opening speech, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Director of Vietnamese Women’s Museum generated a warm emotional response from attendees when she shared her personal memories of the old markets:

“In our minds, I am sure we have memories of our grandmothers and mothers in crowded corners of old markets, their noisy hustle and bustle as well, of course, as unforgettable natural local food. To me, the market is also linked to my childhood memories when I carried my own small basket, going with my mother to do her shopping. I was eager to inspect and help choose the food that my mother bought for our family. This was a special time for us, a time when my mother passed on so much knowledge about life around me and how to run a household. Thanks to my dear mother, I could identify all kinds of water vegetables, root crops, fruit and vegetables and know the names of all kinds of fish from the rivers or the sea.”

The exhibition stalls in the “Stories of Markets” attract visitors by their interactivity, the narrated stories from “Markets in the past” and their old bamboo curtains, straw, chicken cages, baskets… this brings back memories to all our visitors. The “Markets at present” displays typical stalls such as: dry produce stall, tea shop… in very vivid and colourful ways. “Markets in the future” encourages visitors to share their ideas… The exhibitions offer you chances to experience baskets; check the weight of corn or rice seed with pecks instead of scales.

Space “Village market” is set up outside the exhibition with girls in traditional brown silk clothes; and bamboo stalls with palm roofs offering food from many different villages… It creates a noisy and animated atmosphere. The noise from the buyers and sellers makes it a real ‘market. There you can buy vegetables, tomato, courgettes, pumpkins, fresh and dry bamboo shoots, noodles, knives and scissors, bronze products… If you are hungry, there are many choices with cakes, eggs… to serve you.

“Village market” is available from March 6th to March 9th, 2014.

The exhibition “Stories of Markets” open to April 15th, 2014.