Phan Ke Binh (1875-1921) was a famous translator, journalist, writer, researcher, and researcher of Vietnamese ethnic culture. Living in the transition period between the 19th and 20th centuries, when Western civilization began to enter, and at the same time the country faced great turmoil, Phan Ke Binh clearly expressed progressive ideas, although he himself was a Confucian scholar, having passed the Bachelor of Chinese Studies.
Those progressive ideas were clearly expressed by him through a series of articles published in Indochina magazine in 1913-1914, which were later collected and printed together in the book Vietnamese Customs.
Vietnam Customs writes about nearly 100 typical customs and practices of the Vietnamese people. The book is divided into 3 parts (3 chapters): Family customs, village customs and social customs in general.
These three chapters clearly show the system of relationships that every person has to go through in their life, from blood relations between siblings, close relatives to neighborly relationships in the village and beyond, and even higher, the duties and responsibilities of oneself to the nation and people.
Each custom, though briefly written in a few pages, contains essential information, distilled from the objective and scientific perspective of a knowledgeable researcher. From the name, origin to the description of the characteristics, the way the custom or practice takes place or the differences of the same custom between regions and localities... are all explained in detail by the author.
The author also criticizes the exploitation of people's beliefs for personal gain, such as the practice of spirit mediums, spirit calling, witchcraft, burial plot viewing, etc. At the same time, he points out to readers that Western countries are still developing strongly and becoming rich without believing in fate or these practices.
This work by Phan Ke Binh not only helps to understand more about Vietnamese customs, but also inspires, continues to think, looks back and rethinks about Vietnamese customs. The book promotes healthy, good things with typical character and identity that need to be preserved and maintained, and boldly criticizes conservative concepts and bad customs that hinder the development of individuals and society on the path to civilization and integration.
The book Vietnamese customs published by Omega+ is compared with editions through the periods, with additional annotations and illustrations. This edition uses vivid illustrations by artist Ngo Manh Quynh, hand-drawn, wood-carved, printed on Do paper from old publications such as Old and New Vietnamese Villages and silk and ink paintings created by artist Manh Quynh in the period 1980-1990.
The work is in the Customs - Lifestyle section of the Human Life Bookshelf - Selected for Vietnamese people.