People in
Vietnam are an eclectic mix of cultures, languages and religions and up to 54 ethnic groups. The origins of the nation stem from a combination of Mongol races in north and east Asia, but with influences from China and India.
People in
Vietnam are an eclectic mix of cultures, languages and religions and up to 54 ethnic groups. The origins of the nation stem from a combination of Mongol races in north and east Asia, but with influences from China and India.
Its population is the second largest in Southeast Asia, but Vietnam is the most ethnically uniform country with around 90 per cent of its population being Vietnamese.
The
Vietnamese language reflects the diverse origins of the people who speak it. It is a fusion of monotonic Mon-Khmer, and Thai tonality and grammar. It also demonstrates the nation's history as its governmental, literary, and technical vocabulary comes from the Chinese, as Vietnam was a province of the country for over a millennium.
Though an original writing system was made in the eighth century using modified Chinese characters, it wasn't until the mid 1600s that a proper way of spelling was developed integrating Chinese accents to indicate tone.
Popularity of the script spread and was made the official written language of Vietnam in 1910 by the French and is still now learnt by all Vietnamese people.
Traditionally people dress modern but modest. The Ao Dai which is a basic long dress with a slit at each side is thought to be the most representative of the country. The dress reflects a grace and serenity that many of the people identify with, especially women. It is still common in daily life and can be uniform in many schools and universities.
In the past women used to blacken their
teeth which was considered beautiful.
Elements of these traditions are still reflected
in the many festivals that the nation celebrates
to remind the new generations of their
cultural heritage.
With influences from the east and west it
is common to now see people wearing
jeans or other more casual clothes.
Legend
A lot of Vietnamese people believe an old legend that they were "children of the dragon and grand children of the fairy" through many generations. A great number of historians and writers have taken the folklore as background for research and writing.
The legend says that the Vietnamese were created from a bag of one hundred eggs born out by a fairy called Au Co who was married to a dragon named Lac Long Quan, who was King of under the sea. The couple became separated and the fairy led 50 of their sons to a new nation and these were the Vietnamese people.
Origins
Ancient society didn't have different classes; instead people would call each other by their role in the family, such as grandfather, mother, brother etc even when they didn't belong to the same blood family. This was unique to ancient Vietnamese people.
They decorated their body by painting or tattooing.
As a fishing nation it was often attacked by underwater monsters and complained to the
King, who advised them to decorate their body
to make them look like the sea creatures so
they wouldn't be attacked.
People had their hair short in ancient Vietnam probably to make swimming easier. They wore
a short garment with the flap closing to the left
but would wear feather hats during festival times.
The history of Vietnam has been one of struggle
with Chinese imperialism, a two-pronged battle,
to avoid annexation and acculturation.
Food
Undoubtedly cuisine is a big reason visitors flock to the country every year. Pho is a typical food that tourists will want to try during their visit. Each region has its own type of food or fruit that it is proud of and that locals feel represent their home.
Relationships
Respect is an important part of maintaining relationships, which is a focus of Vietnamese life and is embedded in several religions and philosophies held dear to many of the nation's people.
It is most commonly shown by different ways people address each other, but can also be expressed by non-verbal behaviour, which can be misinterpreted by Western cultures.
Many students will not make eye contact with teachers as a mark of respect for them, but this could be misunderstood as suspicious behaviour in other cultures. If a local person offers you assistance it is customary to give them small trinkets as thanks such as cigarette lighters.
Men will often hold hands in public as a sign of friendship, but hugging is only used between families. However women are unlikely to shake hands with men or each other.
Storytelling
Telling stories is very popular among Vietnamese people. Whenever people meet they will talk about neighbours and friends or entertainment. Many topics that would be deemed personal by Western culture are talked about openly like age, relationship status, if you have children and how much you earn.
Vietnamese people can be very intimate and are therefore a very romantic race, not only with partners but also with their families, country and village.
