The Hon Tam Island is the only Hotel in Nha Trang with an extensive element of local flavour and is proud to be involved in the revival of Local Art, Dance, Music, Culture, Traditions and Handicrafts. We search for heritage and put in our best efforts to display them to our guests thus to sustain communities and indigenous values.
Our ultra luxury class hotels seamlessly blend in the natural environment. The structures resemble a traditional Vietnamese architectural style. The Hon Tam Island which is also known as the Silk Worm Island is a part of local legend and myth. We are partners of international hospitality with a local flavour.

Heritage and inheritance play a key role in our hotel representing the thousand years of cultural heritage. The Hon Tam Island has inherited the environment and the locality that we operate on. It is a solemn responsibility for us to conserve this inheritance and pass it on to future generations.

The 200 year old and relocated ancient village in the Hon Tam Island acts as the hub for heritage display and activity. As a part of our corporate social responsibility and commitment to reviving indigenous values, we have hired musicians and craftsman from all over Vietnam. The hotel supports their craft, creations and provide them with a livelihood.

Art
Through the upheavals of history, compared to other Asian countries, and according to several art commentators, Vietnam was the earliest to merge into the main stream of modern art, as defined by the West, in both form and content. Such a fact can be easily seen with the coming into existence of Ecole Des Beaux Arts (Indochina's School of Fine Art) in the early 1930s, with the presence of professors from France.

In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the first generation of Vietnam’s modern artists joined in the international market of art and was highly evaluated, in Vietnam as well as overseas. From then on, they gained good reputation and were honored the masters of Vietnam’s modem art. Among them were To Ngoc Van, Nguyen Phan Chanh, Nguyen Gia Tri, Bui Xuan Phai, Le Pho, Tran Van Can, Nguyen Do Cung, Nguyen Lien Chung, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Duong Bich Lien, etc.
At present, members of' the first generation have all gone, except two artists, Nguyen Tu Nghiem (Ha noi), and Le Pho (Paris); nevertheless their names have become almost immortal in Vietnam's art history.

Silk Painting :  The traditional Vietnamese art of silk painting has become famous around the world for its simple poetic themes and vibrant colours. The success of a silk painting very much depends on the quality of the silk. This depends on many factors from the quality of cocoons to the decisive techniques of starching and weaving.
 Dong Ho Painting is a Vietnamese folk painting style which has originated in Dong Ho Village in Song Ho Commune, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province. Dong Ho paintings have approximately 300 years of history.
In addition Vietnam has art forms such as paper paintings, oil paintings and Lacquer paintings

Dance
Most folk dances backed by traditional music, roots back in to ancient village festivals. It is usually connected to lunar festivals or harvesting events. A few of these dance traditions are,
Ethnic Dance Vietnam
Vietnamese Traditional Lantern Dance
Traditional Vietnamese Cylindrical Drum Dance
Vietnam Bamboo dance
Mua Lan - Dragon Dance In Viet Nam
Water Puppets. : Can be described as a form of dance or a performing art of its own. Vietnamese water puppets probably began as a ceremonial ritual and a prayer to seek spiritual help for rain. For this reason, the mythical dragon (a positive image in Vietnamese culture) is a particularly strong character in this performing art. The Red River Delta is hot, humid and filled with rivers. Every village has a pond or lake that can serve as a water-puppet theater. The weather must be warm since the performers stand in waist-deep water for hours. A theatrical set, which is often a village temple, separates the audience from the performers who works from behind a bamboo curtain. They manipulate their puppets at the far end of the bamboo pole about two meters long and must keep the pole under the water..
The traditional casts of puppet characters include farmers and village workers such as sawyers, blacksmiths, and carpenters. All themes are set on village folk fore and probably the only connection to the outside world is a procession for a villager who returns after successfully completing the competitive mandarin exams.

Music
In Vietnam, music is used to express inner most feelings and to encourage the Vietnamese while working. Furthermore, music is also a tangible means of communication between Vietnamese people. A few of the musical styles would be as follows;

Ca tru music sounds strange to the uninitiated. Clicks and clacks accompany these century old ballads.
Cheo Opera is a form of popular theatre in Vietnam that roots back to ancient village festivals.
Tuong (Hat Boi). A drama style which reaches the national theatre. Tuong came into being over five hundred years ago, reflecting the rich and special culture of Vietnam.
Cai Luong (renovated opera) appeared in the south part of Vietnam in the 1920s. This relatively modern form combines drama, modeled after French musical theatre.
Quan Ho  is folk songs and a very rich and beautiful musical storehouse of Vietnamese people.
Hat van is a traditional folk art which combines trance singing and dancing. This is also a religious form of art used for praising dignified national heroes.
Hat Xam or the song of the blind artists’, has existed since the Tran dynasty (13th century).
Hat then “ "Hat then" are religious epics of Long Poems, performed by the highland Tay and Nung minority groups. These songs tell the story of the path to paradise and asks the Jade Emperor to settle troubles for the head of the household.

Musical Instruments are a key foundation for music. Vietnam uses some of the following traditional and indigenous instruments

Festivals
Vietnamese Lunar New Year The lunar year festival, or Tet Nguyen Dan, is the largest and most celebrated festival in Vietnam. This week long festival is a family-oriented celebration. The most sacred moment is at midnight on Tet Eve, when it is time to bid farewell to the past year and to welcome the New Year. The festival is glazed with lighting incense in remembrance of their late relatives, pluck the plant buds, invite the first New Year’s visitor, and toast to each other. The lunar year festival is the occasion for family members to meet each other. Tet is also the time when every house hold cooks traditional dishes, such as rice cake, a cake made from sticky rice filled with bean paste and pork meat.

Trung Nguyen Festival The Trung Nguyen Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Trung Nguyen Festival, also called "xa toi vong nhan" (forgive the loss souls), originates from Buddhism's Vu Lan Festival which is aimed at saving and freeing souls from sufferings. It is believed that criminals in hell are released on lunar July 15th. People usually prepare plain gruel, popcorns, votive papers, etc. to offer them. They place these offerings in temples, communal houses’ yards, at the foot of banyan trees which are meant for forsaken spirits. After worshipping, the offerings are given to children and poor people and votive papers are burned to send to the world of death.

Killing the Inner Insect Festival  This festival take place on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month in every house of the Kinh (Viet).This is the mid year festival for the prevention of diseases and to ward off evil spirits. This is usually the day where the weather changes weather from spring to summer.  On the day of ‘killing inner insects’, every one has to get up early and eat fermented sticky rice and fruits. The worshipping is held at the noon hour of Ngo.

The Mid-Autumn Festival  Every year, on the 15th day of the 8th month in lunar the calendar, the children throughout the country are given permission by their parents to march in a procession and carry their lanterns. They eat the Mid-Autumn Festival cakes and perform the dragon (unicorn) dance, oh, how great and uproarious they are!
This Festival is called "Mid-Autumn Festival" - or also called Children's Festival.

Cold goods Tet  Cold goods Tet or Tet han thuc is celebrated on 3rd day of the third lunar month. Tet han thuc offers glutinous rice flour cakes stuffed with plum and brown sugar (banh troi), rice flour cakes stuffed with green bean paste (banh chay), to worship ancestors. Tet han thuc also is  an occasion for people to visit and tidy the burial graves of relatives.

Other regional festivals

• Khau Vai Love Market Festival
• Hung King Praying ( Cherry Blossom Coloured Lantern Festival )
• Hung King Temple Festival
• Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
• Chu Dong Tu Festival
• Huong Pagoda Festival
• Thay Pagoda Festival
• OocOmBok Festival
• Leaving the Tomb Festival
• Elephant Race Festival
• Co Loa Festival
• Keo Pagoda Festival
• Thay Pagoda Festival

Handicrafts
Vietnam is a country rich in handicraft products and the varieties of which are too numerous to be listed hence only a handful are introduced here. For a very long time handicraft products have been a source of cultural pride and an income earner in addition to farming. With about 2,000 years of history, Vietnamese products made by a community of handicraft artists have established a firm and growing position in both domestic and international markets.
Woven Tapestries : The brocade hand bangs are unique work from the skilled hands of ethnic women living the northwest regions such as Cao Bang and Lao Chai. Wool Tapestries from Hanoi and Haiphong and jute tapestries from Hung Yen, Haiphong, Hanoi and Thai Binh are mush sought after.
Embroidered articles and silk products are famous from the regions of Van Phuc ( Ha Tay ), Nam Ha, Thai Binh, Hue, Dalat ( Lam Dong )
Ceramic and Porcelain items have been produced in Vietnam for a very long time. Ceramic and porcelain products glazed using traditional methods are beautiful works of art. This art is quite popular in Hanoi, Dong Trieu, Than Ha ( QuangNing) and Haiphong.
Copperware is fabricated by skillful coppersmiths in Ngy Xa ( Hanoi ), Dai Bai ( Bac Ninh ) and Dong Son ( Thanh Hoa )
Jewellery and metal workers are mostly concentrated to Hanoi, Thai Binh and Hung Yen.
Stonework is mainly inherited to Da Nang ( the five element mountain region )Wood products and wood carvings can be usually found in Phu Xuyen ( Ha Tay ), Dong Ky ( Bac Ninh ), Haiphong and Hue.
Lacquerware : While Lacquerware artists produce a limited number of paintings and sculptures, lacquer crafts has been a part of Vietnamese live in forms of ; vases, boxes, interior décor, Jewellery and office products.

Some of the above information is gathered from published articles and websites on Vietnam. For more information please refer web sites such as www.vietnam-culture.com or read Lonely Planet Guides and Travel Guides on Vietnam.