Ambassador Solbakken and her family visit Mia Pagoda when Tet Viet is coming. (Photo: TM)

As spring is knocking and Tết (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year) is approaching, Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam, Hilde Solbakken, together with her husband and daughter, spent an afternoon in Đường Lâm ancient village outside Hanoi to explore the beauty of the Vietnamese traditional culture.

They had a wonderful time with amazing experience. Ambassador Solbakken was very impressed by the ancient architecture of the local houses with connecting rooms and many generations living together. Particularly, the sense of respect of Vietnamese for their ancestors can be felt everywhere.

Walking around the ancient village and touching the rustic and beautiful fences made of local đá ong (laterite), Ambassador Solbakken made a comparison between the Vietnamese and Norwegian ancient houses, where the latter are mainly made of wood.

“Norwegians are big, therefore the door to our houses is higher. I love the ancient houses in Đường Lâm with spacious and beautiful gardens with flowers and green plants even fruit trees”, she shared.

Mr. Adrian Stuart, Ambassador’s husband, was also impressed by the charm of the ancient village. He disclosed a secret “I am doing my doctoral thesis on the Vietnamese history. So, every time I am fortunate enough to visit another part of Vietnam, I am always struck by the authenticity and beauty of it. Today’s trip is absolutely incredible, and so are the local people. They are very nice and friendly”.

In a peaceful ancient house, Ambassador Solbakken and her family had a unique experience of making "chè lam" - a local specialty for Tết, made of sugar, fresh ginger, roasted glutinous rice flour and peanut.

A number of pictures of the visit as follows: