The HISTORY and CULTURE of VIET NAM

Brief History of Viet Nam

By some estimates, Vietnamese history goes back about 500,000 years.  What is fairly concrete is as follows.  Kinh Duong Vuong ruled the Xich Quy kingdom, which comprised an area from the Blue river to the north, Szechuan to the west, the sea to the east, and central Viet Nam to the south.  The Hong Bang dynasty dynasty ruled over the Van Lang kingdom in Tonkin and the northern part of central Viet Nam.  These years were from about 3000 BC to 258 BC.

From 257 BC to 208 BC the Au Lac Kingdom was ruled by An Duong Vuong.  Then a Chinese general named Trieu Da began the Trieu dynasty which spanned 207-111 BC.  From 111 to 906, Viet Nam was "dominated" by China, but in 906, Viet Nam gained its independence.  A long succession of dynasties followed, which may be studied in greater detail elsewhere

France, in 1861, began its colonial government in Saigon.  By 1883, France controlled Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam.  In 1940, Japan wrested control of the area from the French, but by 1945, it was back in French hands.  French forces suffered their ultimate setback at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.  At this time, Ho Chi Minh became the president of the new nation of North Viet Nam, and Bao Dai was the royal figurehead of South Viet Nam while Ngo Dinh Diem became the actual leader.

1965-1973 were the American war years.

Overview of Vietnamese Culture

Language
The Vietnamese language was originally derived mostly from Chinese Mandarin, then adapted to a Latin-based script in a major feat of linguistic brilliance by Alexander de Rhodes, a French missionary who arrived in 1627.  The spoken form of the language is monosyllabic and based on eight basic tones (e.g. one says "Ha Noi:" not "Hanoi").  Of course, there are 54 distinct ethnic groups.  Even staying within the main language of Vietnamese, there are three dialects: north, central, and south.    

Religion
The main religion of Viet Nam is Mahayana Buddhism. The French introduced Catholicism at the beginning of the 17th century.  Today, in Viet Nam about 9% of the population is Catholic. Caodaism has about 2 million followers, founded in early 1920s by Ngo Minh Chieu, and purpose was to create the ideal religion by fusing the secular and religious philosophies of both east and west. There other religions and practices by the minorities through the country. 

Social Customs
The customs of Viet Nam date back many centuries.  Generally, the people are very mindful of their ancestors, and erect shrines in their homes to honor deceased family members.  People are very respectful and nurturing toward older people. The concept of face is important here, with losing or gaining face an important part of life. There are 53 different minority groups live through out Viet Nam, each of them has its own culture and language. Most of the minority groups live in the remote mountain areas. Visiting family and friends is an important activity for Vietnamese. 

Eduation
The education of children is extremely important in Viet Nam.  From an early age, they are given strict yet nurturing guidance with rigorous examinations at set intervals through the years.  They believe the only way to get out of poverty is through education, it is not surprising to find the most intellectual students in the poorest areas.  Many leaders and historical figures are also from the poorest areas.  Students compete in class subject matters as of the students in the States compete in sports. As a student and called a nerd, it is an honor  instead an outcast.

Food
The Vietnamese have a very healthy diet which results in a low incidence of cancer and heart disease.  The food is very fresh and features intricate and complex spicing. Rice consumption is a major part of diet, about 80% of their diet.  Accompanying with the rice, fish and vegetable are the most common for meals. Meats are served on special occasions.  Because of so much influence of Chine and French, The food has been aborted in the Vietnamese cooking. You may find baguettes all over Viet Nam. The most distinctive Vietnamese sauce is called " Fish Sauce" people all over the world are starting to recognize and acquire a taste for it. 

Clothes
The clothing ranges from the traditional costume of the Ao Dai  (white for high school students and many colors for office workers and others) and sandals to more modern western wear.  The colorful conical hats are often worn by rural people. Fashion shows are widespread now, top-notch, and well-attended. Silk or light polyester is often worn because of the humidity. It's said that because of the thin fabric the women's clothes hide nothing but cover everything. Within the schools, it's strictly uniforms from middle school all the way to high school. You will find male office workers wear long-sleeved shirts and dark pants. As a traveler, one should wear shirts with collars and long pants to respectable places. T-shirts are considered underwear instead of leisure wear. Footwear is not so important as to the westerner--sandals or a clean pair of shoes would be fine.

Transport
Viet Nam has a  comprehensive transport system ranging from jets to trains to buses to trucks to cars to cyclos to scooters to bikes to xe lams to hydrofoils to Honda Oms to oxcarts to water buffalo. It depend on the region and its economics. The traffic there seems chaotic at times because the road may not have enough area, however, they were born with this system and they follow a group sense of order. For example, a skating rink may seem chaotic, but it has its own way of working out the traffic. In the larger town, air and noise pollution may be a problem because pollution is not regulated. And also they use the horn to warn slower traffic. 

Arts & Entertainment
The arts here are diverse and complex and unique, with examples like the world-famous water puppet shows in Hanoi, to song-dance-mime-narrative sketches and plays, to ancient traditional music played on unusual folk instruments, and on and on. You will find lots of art galleries in Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Saigon. Each of these towns has its own unique style, especially Hoi An. Because of the French influence, Hoi An combines beautiful watercolors with Asian-tinged art. Hanoi has been a home for many upcoming sculptors. Their expressions are themes from the oppression of the war and the government and society. There are not a lot of movie theaters in Viet Nam due to videocassettes and television becoming mainstream. Attending sporting events, professional and amateur, is a treat for those who see it. 

Architecture
Architecture here is also quite diverse, from the ancient Champa structures to old Vietnamese buildings to French style beauties. Hoi An is one of the best places to go to view ancient buildings. Before Ha Noi, Hoa Lu was the capitol of Viet Nam. It was established in 968 A.D. This old capitol preserved it history very well despite not very much restoration work. The ancient structure used large wooden columns instead of steel and cement. Many temples were built among the jagged edges of mountains ranges. The One-Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature were built in 10th century, 400 years before Columbus discovered America. Many French buildings have been restored by the government and wealthy people, as documented in architectural magazines. Lots of historical buildings built by the French have made it into the headlines, such as the infamous Ha Noi Hilton. Ha Noi has a smaller version of the Paris Opera House. It's believed to be the only opera house in Asia built for opera only. If you adventure up into the highlands of South Viet Nam, Da Lat would be a little Switzerland. It has gingerbread house styles and French villas. 

Government
After America left Viet Nam in April of 1975, Viet Nam became one nation under the Communist Party. In 1988 the government decided to open its tight grip (called doi moi), and in this new era the government allows more privatized citizens, more permissive travel, and allows foreign and Viet Kieu to come into the country. Even though the communists have the only political party, they embrace both the liberal and the conservative views. The conservatives are the ones who fought during the war and want to preserve the culture and heroic history from their past. The liberals want to improve the economy and move forward into the future. Viet Nam is trying very hard to normalize relations with America despite once being enemies. Even though Viet Nam is a third world country which is trying to improve its economy, it, at the same time, wants to preserve its culture while modernizing that economy. 

Occupations
Viet Nam is still largely an agricultural economy. Fishing is the second most common occupation. As you travel along Highway 1, which is tucked along the ocean, you will see lots more fishermen than agricultural people. In the larger cities, there are more industrial and professional occupations. There are a lot of students in groups on the roads before and after school hours. There are a lot of government organizations staffed up by many people. There are a lot of street vendors, especially those who sell food. Vietnamese are entrepreneurs by nature. Almost every other house would set up a storefront to sell something. Teaching is the most respected occupation, even though they don't make the most money. Even the police are making a good living, but as with anywhere else where law is corrupted, are not widely respected. As the tourist industry is getting bigger, tour guides and translators are more in demand and make good money. 

Sports
Soccer is a very popular sport here, even though the country has not emerged at the world level. But the people enjoy the sports of other countries like their own. Asian sports such as ping-pong are very popular. In the morning, you may find people in the lager cities practice Taichi. Wushu  in Viet Nam is becoming one of the best in Asia. Badminton and tennis are also very popular.

Landscape
The Red River Delta in the North and the Mekong Delta in the South are symbolically represented as the geographic shape of Viet Nam and are compared to two baskets at either end of a pole . The country is shaped like an elongated S. It has about 2000 miles of  incredibly beautiful coastline. But, there are pristine mountain landscapes to be enjoyed, as well. Even though Viet Nam is the size of California, it has 8 million people occupying the land. It is the number 2 rice and coffee exporting country in the world behind Thailand and Colombia.