Introduction: bàbu, a Vietnamese Culture Collective in Phú Quốc

Xin chào,

We are bàbu—or, at the time of writing, simply I. Yet “we” feels right, because bàbu is meant to become a collective, not just a single voice. The pronoun “I” belongs in “Haneki’s Remarks”—that’s where you’ll meet the person behind the brand. Here, it’s about bàbu: a brief, informal, and hopefully, enjoyable introduction for anyone curious about who we are.

From the beginning, defining what bàbu is proved challenging. The roadmap included a travelogue for Phú Quốc, a line of cultural merchandise, a platform for reading Vietnamese literature, and a dictionary.

A little here,
a little there,
a little everywhere.

We’ve always known our work centers on culture, but no phrase truly captured it. Searches for “culture company” turned up only articles on corporate culture, not an entity dedicated to culture itself. So we decided: if the term doesn’t exist, we’ll invent it. With the help of ChatGPT (for our limited English), and our own one-line description framework, we settled on the following description (with many grammar tweaks from said AI assistant):

bàbu is a culture collective based in Phú Quốc, dedicated to Vietnamese culture, bridging tradition and contemporary life through travel guides, heritage-inspired goods, digital literature, and language platforms—introducing Vietnamese culture to both locals and the world.

We don’t aspire to be a large company or a dominant force in this field—though we believe this is an industry, even if it doesn’t have its own name yet (despite nearly every country having a ministry of culture). Our aim is to be a catalyst, helping Vietnamese culture transform and expand. We want to make it more accessible to both Vietnamese people and the wider world. We hope to deepen understanding among our own people, especially the youth, and to increase appreciation for Vietnam and its traditions abroad.

What is gone, will be preserved.
What is relevant, will be practiced.
What has yet to come, will be looked after.

bàbu’s mission is to nurture, celebrate, and share Vietnamese culture.

Culture is never static; it is always in motion. We see our role as nurturing that evolution. As the saying goes, “integration without assimilation”: keeping our cultural identity intact while embracing new and valuable influences.

Another expression comes to mind—“forgive but never forget.” Many things have faded in modern times, but we won’t let them disappear entirely. They are part of what makes us who we are. Even when they’re no longer part of daily life, they deserve to be remembered and passed on.

We nurture the future, share the past, and celebrate the present. If you ask how we do it, it is as simple as this:

Everyday, gently.

Culture isn’t something you can fully experience through a quick tour or a single event. It’s lived—quietly, daily, and with care. That’s the spirit captured in our tagline.

Often, we follow cultural practices without thinking about them. bàbu wants to help people understand the “why” and “what” behind daily rituals. Why is trầu cau essential at engagements? Why shouldn’t you leave chopsticks sticking upright in a bowl of rice?

Understanding these details matters—so that anyone can become an advocate for Vietnamese culture. How do we approach this? We spent a long time studying other organizations’ core values, knowing that values guide every action. We tried words like integrity, continuity, reverence. None felt quite right—they all seemed too distant and too “corporation”. Then, we realized everything could be distilled into one word, right in front of us all along:

Genuine.

You cannot truly understand unless you are genuine in your curiosity. You cannot share culture with others unless your understanding is sincere.

Culture is genuine, through and through.

With that spirit, we are delighted to announce the beginning of our journey. We hope our project comes to fruition and fulfills all that we set out to achieve. As bàbu grows, we look forward to sharing our progress, proudly documenting each milestone in articles like this—adding more and more chapters to a living chronicle for every visitor who follows our journey.