Exploring Vietnam: Culture and KidLit

Vietnam: Crafts and Books for Kids

I’ve never been to Vietnam but it’s at the top of my list of places that I want to visit, particularly for the food which we eat at least once a week so it was an easy choice to armchair travel.  I grew up 15 minutes from Little Saigon in The O.C.  and I am a big fan of Vietnamese food.  It’s my favorite Asian cuisine.  My mom worked in a real estate office near Little Saigon years ago and she ate at almost all of the phô and seafood restaurants in the area and would bring us to her favorites. It’s only fitting that food is included.  I’ve actually made this recipe for Lemongrass Beef served Vietnamese “Burrito” style AND had my kids’ playdates enjoy this recipe which surprised me as some of my kids’ friends are fussy eaters.  I also selected a cookbook by Saveur contributor, Andrea Nguyen, who returned to her homeland to research this book.

For children’s literature, I picked two books, one picture, and one chapter book, that really seem to evoke the culture and spirit of Vietnam. Both have a Zen quality to their story:  spare, eloquent, and powerful.  Both stories recall the terrible war but also the ability of the Vietnamese to transcend and make peace with it. For those who might want an intricate project, I have included a link to creating (and then possibly racing) a Dragon Boat.  It’s a pretty labor-intensive project, so it’s not for everyone.

Finally, I searched for something emblematic of Vietnam and found lacquered paintings that are unique as well as beautiful.

I hope you enjoy our trip to Vietnam and that it inspires you to visit or revisit Vietnam soon!

Children’s Books About Vietnam or Vietnamese Culture

A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui

This is a gentle story that touches on more serious subjects. A boy and his father go on an early morning fishing trip but they fish for dinner, not for sport. The boy asks his father why they need to fish since his father works two jobs. Fishing also reminds his father of his brother, another sad subject touched on since his brother who fought by his side in the Vietnam War never returned. This quiet story is like the pond itself, tranquil on top but teeming with possibilities including life or death underneath. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland

This gorgeous picture book for kids is a spare and beautifully written book that touches on the most recent history of Vietnam.  In this story, a young girl watches the emperor cry as his kingdom falls.  She takes a lotus seed from the Imperial Garden and guards it throughout her harrowing journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States.  When her grandson plants the seed, she is inconsolable when she cannot locate her seed.  Spring comes and the lotus blooms.  The Grandmother carefully saves the seeds from the flower to give to the children, keeping one for herself.  The lotus is an enduring symbol of Buddhism:  rising from the mud comes a beautiful flower. [picture book, ages 6-12]

Thank you to Amber for her great recommendation for a Thanksgiving book!

A Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There’s just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner — not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving — what will her teacher and the other kids think?

To her surprise, Tuyet enjoys her yummy Thanksgiving dinner anyhow — and an even bigger surprise is waiting for her at school on Monday. Dinners from roast beef to lamb to enchiladas adorned the Thanksgiving tables of her classmates, but the celebrations all had something in common — family!

Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about “the right way” to celebrate an American holiday. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

The Walking Stick by Maxine Trottier and Annouchka Gravel Galouchko

The walking stick from a teak tree near a Buddhist temple is young Van’s talisman as his life winds through marriage, a child, the Vietnam War, immigration to a new land, and back again to the same temple by way of his granddaughter.  [picture book, ages 6 and up]

Bella’s Vietnam Adventure by Stacey Zolt Hara, illustrated by Steve Pileggi

I met author Stacey Zolt Hara on Twitter. She shares her experiences living as a U.S. ex-pat in Singapore through her daughter Bella’s eyes. In this charming picture book, they all travel to Vietnam as tourists where they experience the intimidating traffic, Hoan Kiem Lake, shopping at street fairs, and the beach. This is a must for anyone thinking of taking their young kids to Vietnam! [picture book, ages 4-10]

Adrift at Sea: A Vietnam Boy’s Story of Survival by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch with Tuan Ho, art by Brian Deines

Review by Randomly Reading:

A young boy and his family risk their lives escaping from Vietnam in 1981, to join his father and sister in Canada. [picture book, ages 6 and up]

The Buddha’s Diamonds by Carolyn Marsden

This chapter book also has a spare yet richly nuanced story conveying life in rural Vietnam.  1o-year-old Tinh works with his father to catch fish for their livelihood.  When a storm damages their boat because he fails to secure it, Tihn must go on a dangerous journey through old landmines from the war still buried in the countryside to get the engine repaired. [chapter book, ages 9-12]

Vietnamese Cookbook from Saveur Editor, Andrea Nguyen

One of my favorite magazines of all time is Saveur Magazine.  It’s a food magazine that goes deep into the culture of different countries, typically exploring home cooking.  I’ve enjoyed reading Andrea’s articles and now she’s has a cookbook published on her native cuisine.

Lemongrass Beef

Flank steak, cut against the grain into thin ribbons, about a pound

Marinade for a few hours or overnight in:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon minced inner stalks of lemongrass

1 clove garlic, minced finely

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use Kikkoman’s)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Dipping sauce:

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar (or juice from one lime)

1/4 cup Vietnamese fish sauce

4 teaspoons sugar

Stir to mix and serve in small bowls.

Serve with:

1/2 head Bibb lettuce, washed and leaves separated

2 small carrots, julienned in long strips

1 English cucumber, julienned in long strips

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 package rice paper wrappers, 6 inches in diameter

Lightly coat a cast iron grill pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sear steak and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until done to the degree you prefer.  Discard marinade, and arrange steak with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, herbs on a platter.  Bring out a large bowl of water, the rice paper wrappers, and the dipping sauce.   Dip the rice paper wrappers in water then lay them out on a plate.  Let each diner add on the veggies they like best, then wrap like a burrito, dip into the sauce and eat.  The appeal of this meal for children is that they can make their own, it’s hands-on, and it’s delicious!

Craft:  Vietnamese Dragon Boat

In Vietnam, boat racing is a national sport and has become a traditional way to celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan, the Vietnamese New Year. This boat takes about 6 hours but is broken out into about 2 hours of assembly time and 4 hours of drying time so it’s doable albeit ambitious.  Here’s the link.

Vietnamese Lacquer Art Paintings

Vietnamese Lacquer Ware is based on natural vegetable lacquer, a product made from the lacquer tree which is found in several Asian countries. But the resins in the lacquer trees in the province of VinhPhu, Vietnam, produce the best lacquerware products. They are the most beautiful and durable lacquerware items in the world today.

The origins of making lacquerware date back six to seven thousand years in China. These early examples were very basic and lacked the number of processes done today. Modern lacquerware styles and processes came about during the first century AD. Somewhere around the 8th century, this form of art came to the North of Vietnam. That explains why today, Vietnam is well-known in this field. When speaking today about fine lacquer products, items from Vietnam represent the finest examples of art today.

Lacquer painting can also be combined with gold and/or silver leaf for stunning results!

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