Traditional Hanoian furniture and decor in a typical living room from the early 20th century are recreated in this room.
The Hanoi Museum's team visited the homes of locals to learn more about their history and culture and combed through historical documents from French museums to ensure the accuracy of the exhibit.
Tea table set with five pieces: a table, a bench, two chairs, and a tray to store tea cups and a pot. All are made of mahogany wood and painted brown. Flowers, birds, butterflies, wine gourds, and poetry satchels are carved into the pearl-inlaid surface.
A wooden tray and four porcelain cups made of white glazed pottery painted in blue and embellished with characters, landscapes, and kanji are included in the tray set.
When Hanoians have visitors, they usually serve tea to guests. The brewed tea will be poured into a large cup first and then into individual tiny ones.
Aside from the tea table, the living room features a mahogany cupboard and platform where people used to sleep, eat, drink tea, and welcome guests. Both are inlaid with blessing and longevity patterns.
The living room also has gold calligraphy works bearing etched Chinese characters, as well as several porcelain vases and white enamel painted in a variety of patterns.
Each household, according to age-old custom, set aside the most revered and important location in the home for its ancestral altar. Usually, it takes the form of a table or altar that has been elaborately carved, painted, and gilded.
Around the altars are displayed items like incense bowls, trays, flower vases, candlesticks and others. Tablets bearing the names of the departed are put in the center.
In this exhibition, the Hanoi Museum also introduces the clothes of musician Nguyen Van Quy, later given the nicknames "Quy Sonate" and "Vietnamese Beethoven".
This outfit he often wore during performances.
