Sol&Silk

 The story begins before dawn, when Hanoi still drools in its sleep and the air smells faintly of wet grass from rain. On a quiet street, a woman lights her charcoal stove. The flame lights up like Rapunzel's hair when she sings, she places a pot of bones on the charcoal and it begins to simmer, the sound is soft and rhythmic. The rising steam, the clinking bowls, the whispers of hungry people, is where Pho is born every morning. But the true story of Pho begins long before that pot of soup, it begins with loss, it was a food born out of nothing, a meal for the poor, crafted by hands that had nothing but hope and a desire to feed their children. In the late 1800's, Vietnam wasn't on its own. The French had come, with railways, soldiers and their love for beef. Back then, Vietnamese people didn't eat cows, cows worked on the rice fields, they were too precious and valuable to eat, so it was very strange that the French ate them. The French however wanted their stews, t...

There are celebrations… and then there is Tết . A festival so important, so deeply woven into the heart of Vietnam , that the entire nation seems to breathe in unison when it arrives. Streets burst into red and gold. Entire families travel across mountains and rivers just to return home. Drums echo through villages. And everywhere you turn, there’s a sense of renewal, like the whole country is collectively turning a new page. I’ve always believed that culture is a doorway into understanding people, what they value, what they hope for, what they survive on. And studying Tết this week felt like an invitation into the Vietnamese soul. And surprisingly? It reminded me of the same thing God teaches me over and over again: every new season is an opportunity to begin again. Welcome to Sol & Silk , where we weave culture with curiosity, faith with history, and beauty with understanding. Today, we explore The Spirit of Tết,  Vietnam’s Lunar New Year . Tết, short for Tết Nguyên Đán...

 There's something powerful about stories, especially stories that have lived for centuries and yet they are still alive, they still breath. They don't just tell us what happened, they whisper about who we are, where we have come from and the strength that runs quietly through humanity like a broken thread. This particular story is one that echoes so much strength and courage that I can't help but see God's reflection in women that never feared no one, not a person, not a system, not an army. Trung Trac and Trung Nhi , the legendary sisters of Vietnam . Over two thousand years ago, in a land filled with rivers and rice fields, the Vietnamese people lived under the heavy rule of the Han dynasty of China . The Han Empire's reach was vast, and with its rule came unbearable taxes, forced assimilation and a quiet suffocation of identity (I will forever be of the opinion that power hungry people are not humans, they are animals in human form). In the midst of it all live...