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How did the Vietnamese in the 17th century dress and live?

The two authors, present in Vietnam in different ways, but were attached to our country for quite a long time and carefully recorded what they witnessed, becoming precious documents for us today. .

Christoforo Borri was an Italian Jesuit, he had been a missionary in Cochinchina from 1618 to 1622. Meanwhile, Samuel Baron was born in Thang Long in the late 1630s, to a European father and still living. His mother was Vietnamese, and between 1670-1680 he was a merchant in Tonkin.

How did the Vietnamese in the 17th century dress and live?  - Photo 1.

Paintings of Westerners about the costumes of the inhabitants of Cochinchina.

After returning from the southern part of Vietnam, missionary Borri wrote the Chronicles of Cochinchina in 1631. More than 50 years later, Samuel Baron published a book Describing the Kingdom of Tonkin in 1685 in India.

Cochinchinese people dress modestly

According to Father Borri’s record, the women of Cochinchina had the most discreet dress in all of India (areas influenced by Indian culture). “Even in the hottest weather, they don’t show any skin,” he wrote.

According to the description of this Italian missionary, South Vietnamese women often wear up to five or six layers of underwear of different colors, of which the first layer is so long that it “makes them move with great attention to privacy.” so that not even the tip of a toe is visible.” The second layer of clothing was about half a hand shorter, the third layer shorter than the second, and so on until all layers of color were visible.

And the above descriptions are clothes from the waist down. On the upper body, the women of Cochinchina often wear multicolored double tunics, the outer layer is a thin layer of tunic, so even though it covers the whole body, it still reveals bright and gentle patterns, creating elegant graceful appearance.

“The women of Cochinchina often let their hair down and grow it so long that they can touch the ground, because for them, the longer the hair, the more beautiful it is,” the author wrote. “They wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered their entire face, so they couldn’t see more than four or five feet away. These hats are usually woven with silk or golden silk depending on the status of the wearer. When meeting and greeting each other, residents of Cochinchina were forced to remove the brim of their hats to see each other’s faces clearly.

The costume of the men of Cochinchina consisted of a cloth wrapped around the body instead of tights, the upper body wore five or six layers of wide, colorful long robes woven of fine silk.

From the waist down, the shirt is split into many flaps so that when moving, those skirts blend colors together. “Just a gentle breeze is enough to make them flutter like the colorful tails of graceful peacocks.”

According to Father Borri, the people of Cochinchina are liberal, gentle, polite, live comfortably, and are full of people.

How did the Vietnamese in the 17th century dress and live?  - Photo 2.

Vietnam in the Seventh Century is a compilation of two books by Borri and Baron, detailed by Vietnamese scholars Olgar Dror and KW Taylor. Photo: TL

Outsiders are eager to learn and good at memorizing

According to the records of the merchant Samuel Baron, at the end of the 17th century, the inhabitants of Tonkin often wore their hair long and loose, except for soldiers when practicing and craftsmen when working, who often wore hats to cover their hair or hair. hair in a bun.

Both men and women when they reach the age of 16, 17, dye their teeth black and have long nails, the longer the nails are considered beautiful.

According to Baron, the people of Tonkin usually wear ao dai every day. However, he argued that, by long tradition, commoners were forbidden to wear socks and shoes, with the exception of writers and passers-by. Tuncy (doctor).

This author assesses that the people of the countryside of Dang Ngoai have a simple and straightforward nature, but are easily deceived by their gullibility and excessive superstition.

Northern residents are also commented to be quick-witted and good at remembering. They can do anything with proper training. They are eager to learn, but not because of their own interests, but because it is the path to success and fame.

“When they read books, their voices sound like they’re singing, their language is full of monosyllabic words, and sometimes a word can have 12, 13 different meanings with no other way of distinguishing it than the melody. , such as full mouth reading, heavy pronunciation, stressing or holding down sounds… Very few foreigners can learn this language perfectly,” Baron wrote.

The Tonkinese people always wish to have a large family with many children, so they have the custom of adopting children, both male and female. On Tet holidays, adopted children visit, give greetings and give gifts to their parents, always willing to perform their role as children, such as giving parents the first sweet fruit and freshly harvested rice, making donations. when there are parents, brothers, sisters, relatives… near the land, far from the sky.

Baron also revealed that foreigners residing and trading in Tonkin often use the adoption method to prevent themselves from suffering troubles and harassment from insolent mandarins. Baron himself was also adopted as the son of a prince of Lord Trinh Can.

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