DATE POSTED: May 29, 2023.

Team members engaging in discussion with Dr. Schwenkel. Photo by Dr. Richard Grinker 

On Monday, May 1, 2023, members of Rituals in the Making team had the opportunity to meet with Christina Schwenkel, a professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Riverside, to workshop a chapter from her upcoming book, tentatively titled, Pandemic Soundscapes and the Sonic Governance of Care in Hanoi. 

Dr. Schwenkel had the unique opportunity to reside in Hanoi, Vietnam throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, having traveled there from California to visit family just before the outbreak of cases globally. Distanced from the disjointed and confusing response measures in the United States, Dr. Schwenkel witnessed the lack COVID-19 cases in Vietnam from March to July 2020 due to strict quarantine and lockdown measures. In addition to its restrictions on movement and social gathering, as Dr. Schwenkel explained, the Vietnamese government adopted effective outreach strategies—from social media campaigns to loudspeakers already long-embedded in Hanoi’s history of wartime preparedness and resistance.  

Take, for example, the “Washing Hand Song” (Ghen Cô Vy), which went viral globally: 

As an example of the Vietnamese government’s public awareness campaign utilizing social media, see this compilation of dance videos that people from all over Vietnam recorded to the very catchy “Washing Hand Song” (Ghen Cô Vy). 

Exploring and documenting pandemic conditions began almost immediately for Dr. Schwenkel, as she noted the absence and subsequent evolution of her local “soundscapes,” essentially defined as anything in the environment contributing a noise or sound. Dr. Schwenkel explains that even sounds such as the local construction and the ambient noise of neighbors or passersby contribute to a sonic environment. 

The team gained much insight from these scenes of Vietnam, as well as Dr. Schwenkel’s analysis of the loudspeakers that are placed throughout Vietnam. These speakers disseminated information to the public regarding quarantine and other safety measures during the pandemic, and were influential features of the soundscapes of Vietnam, helping to combat misinformation. 

Although the RIM team has focused primarily on the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of research into pandemic responses in other parts of the world. With Dr. Schwenkel’s research as an example and inspiration, we will be more attuned to soundscapes, especially those of grief and mourning, as we continue to study COVID-19 advocacy groups and memorial events.