VIETNAM

Basic Vietnamese phrases for greetings

 Xin Loi (Sorry)

 Cam on (Thank you)
 Chao buoi sang (Good morning)
 Xin Chao (Hello)
 Ban Khoe Khong (How are you?)
 Tam Biet (Goodbye)

Brief History of Vietnam

Vietnam has a history of tribes uniting to form strong dynasties. The first dynasty that many consider to be the
start of the Vietnamese state was the Hong Bang Dynasty which was ruled by the legendary Hung kings.In
111 BC, the Han Dynasty from China absorbed Vietnam into their empire. Vietnam would remain a part of the
Chinese empire for over 1000 years. It was in 938 AD that Ngo Quyen defeated the Chinese and gained
independence for Vietnam. Vietnam was then ruled by a succession of dynasties including the Ly, Tran, and
the Le dynasty. Under the Le dynasty the kingdom of Vietnam reached its peak, expanding to the south and
conquering a portion of the Khmer Empire. In 1858 the French came to Vietnam. In 1893 the French
incorporated Vietnam into French Indochina. France continued to rule until it was defeated by communist
forces led by Ho Chi Minh in 1954. The country became divided into Communist North Vietnam and the anti-
Communist South. The Vietnam War raged for years between the two countries with the US supporting the
South and communist countries supporting the north. The North eventually won uniting the country under
communist rule in 1975.

Basic Information
Vietnam officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the eastern most country on the Indochina
Peninsula. Vietnam is divided into 58 provinces.

The gold five- pointed star symbolizes the five groups of workers in the building
of socialism (intellectuals, peasants, soldiers, workers and youths) , while the
red symbolizes bloodshed, and the revolutionary struggle.

NAME: red flag with a gold star" (cờ đỏ sao vàng)

CAPITAL: Hanoi
LANGUAGE: Vietnamese
RELIGION: Vietnamese folk religion or non religious ( 73.1%) Buddhism (12.2 %) Roman Catholicsm
(6.9%) Caodism (4.8%) Protestantism (1.5%) Hoahaoism (1.4 %) others (0.1%)
GOVERNMENT: Communist Government
PRESIDENT: Nguyễn Phú Trọng
PRIME MINISTER: Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
TOTAL AREA: 331,210 km²
POPULATION: 96.46 MILLION
CURRENCY: Đồng
Cultures of Vietnam
Superstition
Vietnamese philosophies for life generally rely on emotions or the words of their forefathers. In their twelve-
year lunar calendar many of the years are considered incompatible, meaning a traditional Vietnamese man
could not marry a woman born in the wrong year because it would break the family ties with his parents and
relatives. Duck eggs are also meant to bring good luck but eating them in odd numbers will reverse the
process and send bad luck.
Martial arts
The Vietnamese martial arts tradition was born of the constant need for defense against foreign invaders. It
was also heavily influenced by China during its ongoing occupation, but over time the Vietnamese have
developed their own distinct styles. ‘Vovinam’ was founded in Hanoi, and practitioners can be recognized by
the blue uniforms they wear. ‘Vo Binh Dinh’ practitioners wear distinct black uniforms and owe their reputation
to the legendary warrior king, Quang Trung. Traditional wrestling is also considered an ancient martial arts
tradition and is practiced during Tet.
Religion
Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are known in Vietnam as the ‘triple religion’, and all three are prevalent
in Vietnamese culture. However, Vietnam owes much of its belief system to folk tales and in the traditional
sense, is one of the least religious countries in the world. It is also believed that failing to conduct proper rituals
upon death will create ‘hungry ghosts’, so the spirit world is commonly considered to be of great importance.
Clothing
A tight-fitting silk tunic called ‘Ao Dai’ is the Vietnamese national dress for women. It is now made in white for
schoolgirls and is designed to accentuate womanly curves whilst covering the whole body. Dresses are
commonly made of silk or cotton and sandals are made of old tire rubber. The national dress for men is similar,
but it is lose-fitting and shorter in length.

Traditions of Vietnam
Ancestor Worship
Vietnamese ancestors are believed to continue to live in another realm and that it is the duty of the living
beings to meet their needs. In return, the ancestors give advice and bring good fortune. A small altar is placed
in almost every house in Vietnam; it is used to commune with the departed loved ones. The rites consist of
making offerings and burning incense before praying in front of the altar.
Burning votive paper
Votive papers can be houses, clothes, fake money, cars, motorbikes made of paper. They represent gifts for
the ancestors. After being burnt, a little wine is sprinkled upon the ashes so that the spirits can ascend to
heaven and bring the gifts for the ancestors to use them. This ritual takes place regularly on particular days
such as festivals, new and full moon days, yearly ancestors’ death anniversaries or the Lunar New Year.
Animist beliefs
Animists believe that souls or spirits exist in non-human entities as well as in humans and that all phenomena
and forces in the universe are controlled by spirits and the souls of the dead. A large number of gods like the
sun, the moon, or the tree have been worshiped since the ancient times. If propitiated, they provide the living
with protection; if ignored, they induced misfortune.
In Vietnam, animism is more significant among ethnic communities in the highlands. Many communities in
Vietnam perform rituals to request blessings from the gods when planting and harvesting.
God of Wealth Worship in business
According to Vietnamese conception, Than Tai ( God of Wealth) is a sort of "benefactor" to bring fortune into
business. In principle, the altar should be placed in a well-ventilated position, in a corner of the house or in
front of the entrance. That is why you will find a small altar like this one in almost every shop, boutique, or hotel
in Vietnam.
Visiting the pagoda by the beginning of year
When the spring is coming, many Vietnamese go to the pagodas and temples to pray for health, peace and
happiness. This is not only simply a wish, but also a moment for people to gather in a spiritual place, leaving
behind the difficulties in life and feeling all together the harmony of heaven and earth.
Lunar New Year reunion (Tet holiday)
The Vietnamese New Year (Tet) takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around
late January or early February) for at least three days. It is a joyful family reunion full of smiles and blessings to
express the filial piety, the family bonds and the desire for an coming year full of happiness, prosperity and
goodness.

LITERATURE
Folk- oral literature
Written- includes kanji, “chu Nom” and “chu Quoc ngu” literature.
About 60 percent of modern Vietnamese words are of Chinese origin. Many basic words, like geographical
terms, were adopted from mono tonal Mon-Khmer languages, while tonality came from Tai.
Vietnamese Language and Scripts
Among the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups some have had their own scripts for a long time and some have not
preserved their ancient scripts.
Nom Character
From an early period a special ideographic script known as chữ nôm was also devised for transcribing spoken
Vietnamese.
Classical Han Chinese
During the 1,000 years of Chinese rule over what is now northern Việt Nam, chữ Hán (classical Han Chinese,
also known as chữ nho) became firmly established as the language of the Vietnamese royal court and would
remain so until as late as 1918 when the ancient system of mandarin examinations was finally abolished.
Modern literature before 1945
The first real flowering of modern Vietnamese literature took place in the north under the influence of the
romantic styles, themes and techniques of French literature.
Modern literature 1945-1975
few southern writers had achieved recognition or success, but against a background of relative stability,
prosperity and artistic freedom in the late 1950s and early 1960s a small but active literary scene began to
emerge in South Việt Nam, initially under the influence of a circle of writers, linguists and educators who had
relocated from the north.
Modern Vietnamese Character
Modern Vietnamese literature finds its roots during the French colonial period, when popularization of the
Romanized script quốc ngữ finally allowed it to break free from the restrictions of classical Chinese literature.
Vietnamese Proverbs AZ
Vietnamese proverbs are concise statements expressing deep thoughts, practical knowledge, and experience-
based judgments, covering all aspects of Vietnamese life, and bearing some flavour of a particular culture.

Some Examples of Literature

The Tale of Kieu (Đoạn Trường Tân Thanh)

Written by: Nguyễn Du
Published: 1820

No. of Verses: 3,254

 is an epic poem
 The Hundred-Knot Bamboo Tree (Cây Tre Trăm Đốt)
 a Vietnamese fable and parable
 part of Vietnam’s oral tradition

Literature of Vietnam
 Created largely by Vietnamese-speaking people.
 There are three main types of Vietnamese literature: Truyen (traditional oral literature); Han Viet
(Chinese-Vietnamese literature); Quoc Am (modern literature, or anything written in the romanticized
quoc-ngu alphabet).
 Chinese influenced the written literature of Vietnam. Most Vietnamese writing before was in Chinese
ideograms. After that, Chữ nôm (the southern script) was created around the 10th century, allowed
writers to compose in Vietnamese using modified Chinese characters.
 Quoc-ngu, Roman alphabetical script (the national script) first proposed in 1651 by the Jesuit priest
Alexandre de Rhodes.

Facts About Vietnam

1. legend has it that the people of this land originated from a union between an immortal Chinese princess
and “The Dragon Lord Of The Seas”.
2. The country’s name was originally spelled as two words, Viet and Nam.
3. Their culture is a complex adaptation of Chinese, Japanese, French and American colonial influences.
4. In 938 AD, the Vietnamese develop a trade system to exchange animal skins, ivory and tropical goods
for Chinese scrolls on administration, philosophy and literature.
5. The body of their first president Ho Chi Minh (Uncle Ho) was embalmed, and is on display in a
mausoleum.
6. The flag consists of a golden star with five ponts tp represents farmers, workers, intellectuals, youth
and soldier. The red background pays tribute to the bloodshed during the wars.