Vietnamese Traditional Toys – Take a Deeper look into Vietnam's History and Culture

A toy that is very common in the country, you can find it in the hands of many kids as they roam around the playground. Paper is used to make a drum head which is usually decorated in a vivid and colourful manner. This drum head is fixed onto a bamboo stick with the use of 2 strong wires. A drum stick is fixed in the midst of the wires too. When this drum stick is bashed against the drum head, it creates a strong drumming noise. One can easily find this toy close to any -beach resort in Mui Ne such as Anantara Mui Ne Resort or anywhere else in the country for that matter.

As you can probably guess by the name, this toy is constructed using strong bamboos. Multiple holes are drilled in the bamboo splits and a flexible stick is then snaked through these holes. The end result of this is that the splits take the shape of an A. You will also need an elastic band. Attach the elastic band to the bottom of the structure you made and the other end to a small stick of wood. When using the boat, just turn the rubber band and let go of it. As you can imagine, the rubber band will unwind, forcing the stick to spin which propels the boat front. Children make use of them during the monsoon season and you can see them playing with the bamboo boats in puddles that occur during the rains.

These masks are very common during the autumn festivities that go on. A lion dance is an important aspect of all Vietnam festivals and lion head masks are used in these. Paper mache is painted on and used for the head while mirrors are used for the eyes. The tail is made of red clothing with vivid fibres used to make a main. During the old ages, rabbit fur or wool was used but over the years, people have opted for fibres instead. A single person adorns the mask while the rest of the troupe carries the mane as they keep dancing to the music.

Although it has the word 'gun' in its name, the phoc gun is far from dangerous. Phoc guns are very common during the months of summer and generally used by boys. The 'bullets' used in this gun are small nuts and in some cases well crushes pieces of paper. For the cylinder, the kids make use of an empty bamboo stick with a thickness that does not exceed five millimetres. A similar stick is obtained to be used as a piston. The bullet is sent through the first tube and the second is kept near the entrance of the gun. When the bullet leaves the gun it is known to make a "phoc" sound which resulted in the unique name.