Vietnam is a nation that has been blessed with a rich and diverse culture; many of the cultural practices here are unique to the Vietnamese. Despite its geographical proximity to many other South East Asian nations the mixing of cultures has been pretty minimal. Thus, the music, art and dance of Vietnam are important to the region as it is the only custodian.Vietnamese culture has been influenced greatly by its agricultural practices, which is primarily rice farming. Most of the dance forms have used the motion that farmers and harvesters use out in the field as the basis of their choreography. Even the music speaks about hard days out in the paddy fields. In essence the culture of Vietnam tells the true storey of its people. Much of the historical and cultural practices have evolved from the indigenous Dong Son people who have links with the Tibetan and Burmese. In recent times the culture of China, North Korea and Cuba have also had an impact upon the culture of Vietnam as they formed a communist block that was largely isolated from the rest of the world.
Many of these cultural practices, song and dance routines, art work, handicrafts and sculptures are kept safe at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi. This museum showcases the culture of Vietnam throughout the last hundred years and shows how it has changed with the times. For visitors it is a great experience to truly understand the people of Vietnam and how different historical periods have impacted their lives. The museum is located in what used to be a boarding school for Catholic school girls and an artists colony is found right next door. It is the perfect place to shop for a piece of authentic local art for tourists who have been inspired by the museums exhibits.
Among the popular exhibits are the folk art section and the soviet inspired caricatures. This museum is located within easy reach of guests at serviced apartment Hanoi such as Somerset Hoa Binh Hanoi. Those staying at Hanoi apartments will benefit from a visit to this museum as it offers a glimpse of a different facet of life that is usually unseen by visitors.
