Positioning the Capital's brand through the elegant qualities of Hanoi people

Baoquocte.vn. Elegance and politeness are the standard behavioral traits of Hanoians past and present, becoming a unique brand of the thousand-year-old capital.

Poet Nguyen Cong Tru summarized the people of Hanoi in his famous poem Thanh Thang Long : "Even if not fragrant, they are still jasmine flowers/Even if not elegant, they are still people of Trang An".

Cultural researcher, Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong. (Photo: Phuong Linh)

In Hanoi Thanh Lich - the last book of his life, culturalist Hoang Dao Thuy wrote about Hanoi people: "People summarize the elegance, the height, the politeness, the hidden meaning in two words: Thanh Lich".

Perhaps, the two words "elegance" have been given by history to the people of the Capital, and then the Hanoi quality, that elegance is like a cultural passport, defining the brand for the Capital.

"Golden light" of the land of the capital

According to historian Le Van Lan, "thanh" means clear, with a clear green color, and "lich" means polite, courteous, elegant, historical, that is, experienced and intelligent.

The two words "elegant" have become a symbol of the personality, qualities, and spiritual values ​​of the people of Thang Long - Hanoi, past and present, likened to the sparkling "golden light" of the Imperial City.

Talking to us, cultural researcher, Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong, former Head of the Department of Culture - Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication, explained that "elegance" is a unique feature and originates from the historical and social characteristics of the capital Hanoi itself.

Firstly, Hanoi is the place where the soul of mountains and rivers has settled for thousands of years, a place with a rich cultural sedimentation with a rich, diverse and profound cultural value system.

Before becoming the capital marked by King Ly Thai To's proclamation to move the capital to Thang Long, Hanoi was a fertile land, had an important position and was chosen as the place to build the central capital of the whole country.

Throughout its history, Thang Long-Hanoi reached prosperity and flourishing development in the post-Le Dynasty. Not only was it a capital and a political center, but the Le Dynasty also developed Hanoi into a model city. Kinh Ky, also known as Ke Cho, was at that time the busiest city and commercial port in the country and one of the largest in Asia with “thirty-six streets clearly defined”.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong affirmed: "Hanoi carries two important responsibilities: one is the capital - administrative aspect, two is an urban area, that is, a Cho Lon with economic functions".

It can be said that the orderly, neat, and leisurely appearance with heavy standards of discipline, etiquette, and royal culture combined with dynamism, creativity, and rational thinking, has been deeply ingrained in the demeanor of the people of Trang An and then blended together, becoming a typical residence of the capital's culture.

All are wrapped up in the golden rule of the two words "elegance", creating a pure, delicate, graceful behavior but with intelligence, understanding, experience, and wisdom.

Trang An people's character

To talk specifically about the outstanding characteristics of Hanoi people's elegance, Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong said "it would take a whole day to tell them all".

Hanoians are elegant and polite, not only in their gestures and appearance, but also in their speech. Hanoians are very polite, with a bit of hesitation, especially the phrase “Yes sir!” which is used a lot in daily life.

Even when older people talk to younger people, they still say “Yes sir!” to each other. Or when apologizing, they often “say it’s rude” before they can bother anyone, and when thanking someone, they often say “I appreciate it” when receiving a little help, etc.

As analyzed before, besides the gallant features, the ancient Hanoians carried within them a strong urban quality, most clearly expressed in their "sophistication".

Elegant pleasures of Hanoi people. (Photo: Phuong Linh)

Reading the articles of writers like Thach Lam, Vu Bang, Nguyen Tuan, one can clearly see the "sophistication" in the way of eating, dressing, feeling, and thinking of Hanoians.

The culinary culture of Hanoians is “the quality is precious, not the quantity”, meaning the quality is precious. The people of the capital are famous for their meticulousness, elaborateness and elegance in eating.

Hanoians eat carefully and value spices. A bowl of pho must have coriander leaves; a piece of fish must be accompanied by dill; vermicelli with crab must have shiny crab fat and mixed vegetables; when eating bananas, they must always break the banana in half, peel each half to form flowers, then slowly bring it to their mouths or dip it into a plate of green young rice placed neatly on the table; when making tea to invite guests, there is always a cup of "tong khau" water for guests to rinse their mouths...

Just like traditional Vietnamese families, the main meals of Hanoians include fish and rice with famous specialties that have been mentioned in folk songs and songs of Thang Long - Hanoi such as West Lake carp, Dam Set perch,...

From the elegant way of life, mixed with the "sophistication", Hanoians can calmly listen to the birds singing, can patiently wait for each flower petal to bloom, patiently sip each sip of tea brewed ten times with lotus rice or enjoy each thin, fragrant grain of green rice.

It is this elegant, refined way of life that creates people with moderate minds, moderate lifestyles, who hate exaggeration and excess.

In addition to the hobby of enjoying and appreciating sophisticated art, Hanoians are also famous for their talent, artistry, and intellectual, academic qualities. Craft villages and streets scattered throughout the inner and outer city, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, the Pen Tower, etc. are beautiful evidences of the ingenuity and talent of Hanoians from the past to the present.

This character is also expressed through the high level of education, studiousness, respect for knowledge, and emphasis on education of the majority of Hanoians.

The phrase "Bac Ha scholars" is not only a way of calling and distinguishing Hanoi intellectuals from intellectuals from other regions, but also a title that contains pride in the spirit and unique qualities of Hanoi intellectuals.

Also because of the respect for knowledge and integrity, a prominent character often mentioned when talking about Hanoians is the quality of "scholars". In Hanoians, whether they are uneducated or educated, it is easy to recognize some features of a Confucian scholar - a gentleman. A bit wild, a bit arrogant, carefree, not hasty, high self-respect, not groveling or lowering oneself.

Position your own brand

Nowadays, cities are constantly searching for something called “local branding” – finding unique features, identities, and outstanding features associated with history to position themselves on the international map.

The same goes for Hanoi. To position its own brand, it is necessary to identify the most unique culture of Hanoi, the passport of the capital.

When asked where the soul of Hanoi lies, photographer Quang Phung replied: “It lies in the people.” When asked to discuss this with Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong, she had a similar opinion.

Indeed, the elegance of Hanoi people is the strongest and clearest cultural identity to create a unique brand of the capital.

First of all, to create the elegant brand of Hanoi, Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong believes that the most important thing for any development is to preserve and promote the elegance of Hanoi people.

On February 19, 2024, the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Party Committee issued Directive No. 30-CT/TU on "Strengthening the leadership of Party committees in building elegant and civilized Hanoians". This is considered a breakthrough to strongly arouse the spirit of Hanoi and Hanoi culture, especially among the youth of the capital.

In addition to strengthening leadership and participation from the board of directors, experts, including Dr. Anh Hong, all believe that civilization and elegance need to come from individuals, because it is not something too lofty that no one can do, on the contrary, it is very ordinary, it is human habits and daily behavior.

To continue to maintain the cultural values ​​of the capital, the character, spirit and elegance of Hanoians, and turn them into daily actions, requires every Hanoian to always be deeply aware of the honor and responsibility of being a "citizen of the Capital".

Besides, Dr. Nguyen Anh Hong also believes that the journey from identity and elegant qualities to a distinctive "local brand" that everyone knows is a very long one.

According to her, with the orientation of developing the cultural industry, the positioning of the elegant Capital brand also needs to follow the same direction by creating and promoting products and services that highlight the elegance of Hanoi.

The elegance of Hanoians is reflected in their clothes and their steps. (Source: Hanoi Life)

These could be tours to experience the lifestyle of Hanoians, tours connecting places of craft villages that demonstrate talent and ingenuity, or heritages that symbolize the studious spirit and literary character of Hanoians.

In addition, there could be products such as handbooks and cultural guides to Hanoi, providing guidance on culinary culture, enjoyment culture, and the "connoisseurship" of the people of Trang An, including locations that still preserve the elegant pleasures of "the past" of Hanoi.

Currently, some experiential tours such as “Hang Street Stories” vividly recreate the old lifestyle of Hanoians combined with performing arts, attracting a lot of public reception, especially young people.

All of those products and services need real experience, because Hanoi people have the clearest Hanoi soul, and are the most attractive and memorable connection.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dinh-vi-thuong-hieu-thu-do-qua-pham-chat-thanh-lich-cua-nguoi-ha-noi-294500.html