The practice of chewing betel and blackening teeth has a long tradition.
Each betel quid consists of a fresh betel leaf with lime spread on it, a piece of areca-nut and sometimes included with a wad of tobacco. In some cases, it is prepared more sophisticatedly into the phoenix shape. A betel set consists of a little sharp knife to cut the areca-nut, a slaked lime pot, a bronze box to contain betel ingredients, and a spittoon. Elder people often use a small mortar.
In every rite and ritual, there should be betel and areca-nut. Ancient Viet people used to say, "A quid of betel starts the conversation" so they often invited their guests to chew betel before starting a conversation. Even the rite of marriage proposal is called "betel rite". Nowadays, although fewer people chew quid of betel, it is still an indispensable item in many rituals.
If you would like to learn about Vietnamese traditional in one day Viet Unique Tour advises you should come to Vietnam museum of ethnology, Hanoi city tour is the best choice for all of you.
