The traffic in Vietnam is really quite ridiculous. We already have 18-wheelers, family-packed scooters, and cow crossings high on the list of look-out-for-possible-collisions; as if that wasn’t enough, now there’s a new player in town: dragon dancing troupes.
A remnant from Chinese merchants of the past, today dragon dancing troupes are especially popular in Vietnam. Boys practice for years to master the necessary acrobatic and music skills required to make the dragon come to life. Dragon dancing is thought to bring good luck, especially before Chinese festivals, such as the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.
These boys literally jumped in front of us to perform an intermission show while we were cycling through their town. After thoroughly amazing us with their intricate footsteps and heart-pounding drumbeats, they continued down the road to bring good luck to neighbors and shopkeepers.
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Have you seen dragon dancing before?
Wow, that is really cool, and a bit scary (the jumping out in front of you). Did they want a tip, or just an audience?
Rhonda Albom recently posted…CassaStorm – Taking The World By Storm
They were super friendly. There was one who even had a paper fan and gave us a little breeze break, no tip necessary :-)
LOL! Goodness, glad they didn’t cause you to crash with their impromptu show.
Jennifer recently posted…Luxe Lotte Hotel Moscow
Me too! :-)
What a nice surprise seeing dragon dancing troupers while cycling. How long did you watch them for :-)?
Agness recently posted…5 Things I Could Not Get Used To In Holland As A Pole
They performed for maybe a minute or two while we took a water break and then moved on down the road. It was definitely a surprise! :-)
Great pic, I hope we get to see some dragon dancing when we’re in Vietnam, it sounds pretty elaborate!
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You could tell these kids had been practicing. They were pretty good with all that fancy footwork to the beat of the drum.
How fun! I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see very many dragon dances in China. The ones I did see were put on especially for Western guests. Shanghai is enormous, though, so maybe I just wasn’t in the right place at the right time.
We were cycling on this particular day and saw maybe 10+ separate troupes of kids throughout the day dancing into houses along the road. Definitely something we had never witnessed before.