Muslim communities in Vietnam and around the world have entered the holy holiday of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the holiest holiday of the year for Muslims. According to Muslims, this is a month to cleanse sins, seek forgiveness and help people become pure. Thanks to that, they are given more power from God (Alah).
Ramadan has no fixed date. According to the Muslim calendar, the first day of Ramadan is calculated according to the lunar calendar, starting on the first day of the second month, when the crescent moon appears.
On these days, Muslims all over the world will gather in public places: prayer halls, mosques, holy places... to pray together. According to them, praying together will help unite the community and also make the prayer more powerful, be heard by God and give strength.
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| Local Muslims and Muslim tourists come to Al Noor Mosque in Hanoi to pray and enjoy Iftar reception. (Photo: Hong Han) |
During the holy month, Muslims wake up very early, purify their bodies, and eat breakfast before sunrise. When the sun rises, they kneel on the carpet, facing the West (where Mecca is located) to pray. From sunrise to sunset, they only pray and do not eat or drink, and do not put anything in their mouths.
The meaning of fasting in Ramadan is for people to sympathize with the poor who do not have enough food and clothing. Fasting will train people to be self-controlled and resist material temptations.
Traditionally, they gather with family and friends to eat two meals a day: Suhoor (meal before sunrise) and Iftar (meal after sunset).
When breaking the fast, Muslims will eat some ritual snacks such as dates, juice, salad, milk and water to replenish the energy after a long day of fasting. Then there is the Iftar party where they happily enjoy many delicious dishes from lamb, beef, chicken and sweets until late at night.
Around 3am, all adult believers wake up to purify, cook and prepare everything to start a new day of prayer.
The elderly, the sick, pregnant women and women with young children, and people working in non-Muslim countries may not have to perform this fasting ritual.
In Vietnam, in localities with mosques such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang, Ninh Thuan... local Muslims and Muslim tourists from other countries are gathering at the mosque to perform the prayer ritual.
Ramadan Mass 2024 at the only mosque in Hanoi named AI Noor Mosque (12 Hang Luoc), Hoan Kiem - every day there are more than 300 Muslims including local people, foreigners living and working in Hanoi, and Muslim tourists coming to pray and attend Iftar party.
Mr. Raja Janjua, owner of a famous Halal restaurant in Hanoi called Nan n Kabab, said that usually on the first day of Ramadan, his restaurant sponsors an Iftar party at the mosque to entertain believers who come to attend the prayer ceremony. Embassies of Muslim countries and the community of believers also register to sponsor Iftar parties at the mosque throughout Ramadan.
The food served at the Iftaf is Halal food cooked in a style suitable for people from Muslim countries such as pulao rice, chicken biryani, chicken Korma, grilled beef Kabab, lamb curry, nan cake... And dates are always a popular and favorite food of all believers. This year, some friends interested in the Halal industry were also invited by Raja's family to attend the Iftaf to experience this unique cultural feature.
The family of Mr. Raja (who has lived in Vietnam for 19 years) and his wife, Ms. Thuy, are very enthusiastic about serving the Muslim community as well as spreading public understanding about Muslims and Halal food. According to her, it is the joy of sharing and contributing to the development of society.
The Muslim community in Hanoi has joined together to do charity work, contribute to help the poor, those in sudden difficulties and contribute to society. Campaigns within the Muslim community and tourists coming to travel and work in the locality to do charity work have helped many people overcome difficulties and dangers.
In addition, the community is also very active in connecting and helping Vietnamese businessmen to access business and cooperation relationships with Muslims in Muslim countries around the world, mainly in the Middle East. This is an important resource to support Vietnam in expanding its market to the Middle East and GCC Muslim countries - a region with great potential for economic and trade development.
According to Mr. Raja, the number of Muslims coming to the mosque has increased significantly compared to previous years, which is a good sign. This proves that Vietnam's openness and hospitality have attracted the attention of Muslims.
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| Vietnamese guests experience Halal cuisine at Nan n Kabab restaurant. (Photo: Hong Han) |
“The number of Muslim tourists traveling to the northern provinces and Hanoi is increasing. We should take advantage of the opportunity to exploit this Muslim market of nearly 2 billion people to promote tourism as well as export goods. Because when Muslims travel, they often spend a lot (on average, Malaysian tourists spend over 2.5 million VND/person/day; tourists from GCC countries spend 6.5 times more than the global average, with 40% of individual tourists spending more than 10,000 USD per trip...), shop a lot, tend to stay longer and travel in groups (from 5-7 people to dozens of people or more including family and friends). And where there are services suitable for Muslims - according to Halal standards, they tend to stay longer, return frequently and recommend friends and relatives to come too,” Mr. Raja shared.
To enhance the exchange of understanding about Muslim culture and cuisine for Vietnamese friends, Mr. Raja added that the Middle Eastern barbecue restaurant Nan n Kabab at 34 Lo Ren Street (Hoan Kiem) and 49 Xuan Dieu (Tay Ho) will continue to serve throughout the month so that guests can experience Muslim food and culture.
Some Ramadan Iftar set dishes are also served at the store. These dishes are cooked by experienced local chefs from Muslim countries, so they are Halal standard, very high quality, attractive, and slightly modified to suit Vietnamese taste, so they are very easy to enjoy and worth experiencing.
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