Culture of Vietnam
Vietnam has a rich and distinct culture going back to the old kingdoms of the Dai Viet period. Living so near China, the influence of Confucianism and the similar practices of ancestor worship were part of the positive exchange between the two cultures.(1) Yet even then the Vietnamese were not easily conquered, resisting the Mongols of Kublai Khan and ensuring that Vietnamese folk culture would remain unique.(2) In religious aspects this can be seen in some folk festivals. On the day before the festival proper, the townsfolk will get local priests to bless water and wash all the statuary of the gods and ancestors in the town. The following day, the deity being honored will have their statue carried down the main street, being born aloft by men, if a god, or optionally by women, in the case of a goddess.(3)
By remaining outside of Kublai’s China, the Vietnamese language was allowed to flourish in the independent kingdoms. This has left a large body of folk literature. Some of these are transcriptions of folk tales passed on by oral tradition, while others are bodies of work by authors during the dynastic period.(4) Building on both the folk literature and the proud independence of the Viet state, modern literature has flourished as well, continuing to carry the richness of the Vietnamese language to future generations.
Visitors to Vietnam may be surprised at the playfulness of the people, engaging in large public games and activities in the spirit of the community. Large Chinese Chess boards have been created in public areas, and people play the parts of the pieces in the games, giving them a degree of theatre that would be lost in a simple game between two players.(5) Vietnamese are also avid kite builders, and enjoy coming up with new and more fanciful designs to send into the sky. Some times catch the wind in their frames and "sing".(6) And for the adventurous there is the northern tradition of the bamboo swing. A large rigid swing is set up and a boy and a girl stand on it, facing one another. They use their bodies to build up momentum, and when they have gotten the swing to it’s maximum extension, one or the other must reach out and grab a prize.(7)
Just walking the streets of the cities of Vietnam can be an adventure, if a quieter one. A good many of the cities such as Hanoi, Hue, and Old Saigon have buildings spanning many different eras of Vietnamese history. Temples from the dynastic period are still in use, their ancient beauty and ascetics still inspiring the people today as they go about their prayers. The colonial period left its mark, giving Vietnam’s ports and central districts a European, particularly French, flavor. After the civil war, Vietnamese who had studied abroad brought back modern designs from places like Moscow, Berlin, and Brazil.(8) Each street abounds with unique, individual buildings that tell a thousand-year story all on their own.
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People Nationality: Vietnamese (nguoi Viet) Ethnic Groups: Kinh 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1% Religions: None (official policy) 80.8%, Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1% Languages: Vietnamese, English, Chinese, French, Khmer. Holidays: |
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