Vietnamese traditions. The multifaceted culture of Vietnam
The unique culture of Vietnam has developed as a result of the fusion of traditions and beliefs of many peoples. Despite the difficulties and hardships experienced by the Vietnamese people, the culture of Vietnam continues to develop, and the people of this country continue to enjoy life. These are friendly, spiritually rich people who immediately put you at ease, and the culture of Vietnam arouses genuine interest among everyone who comes to this country.
Vietnamese culture
The culture of Vietnam is both a traditional way of life and, at the same time, modern technologies that harmoniously fit into the traditions of the local people.
Vietnamese culture: photos
Vietnamese culture: lifestyle, religion, traditions, art, cuisine
Despite the fact that the Vietnamese lifestyle may seem quite measured, they are hardworking people. Many people work almost seven days a week from early morning until late evening. The streets of Vietnam are bustling. The movement of motorbikes, cars and public transport in Vietnam seems chaotic and chaotic to Europeans. Local residents protect themselves from exhaust fumes and the hot sun with masks.
In terms of religion, more than half of Vietnam's population practices Buddhism. Here you can find beautiful Buddhist pagodas and Buddha statues. They can be made from a variety of materials, and many reach impressive sizes. Under the influence of the French, some residents of the country converted to Catholicism. Therefore, the Catholic Church is not uncommon in Vietnam. In general, colonial Vietnam felt a strong French influence. This is evidenced by the European-style villas and palaces that appeared in the country at that time.
Walking into any Vietnamese home, local restaurant, store or even office, you will find an ancestral altar. Vietnamese people honor the memory of their deceased relatives and regularly bring fresh fruits and flowers to the altar. Money, clean drinking water and incense sticks can also be seen at the altars. Particular attention is paid to the altar of the ancestors before the new year (Tet), which also symbolizes the onset of spring.
During Tet celebrations, Vietnamese streets and houses bloom with bright colors. Fresh flowers can be seen everywhere. Residents of Vietnam prefer to spend this most significant holiday of the year with their family. A popular Tet gift is a small red envelope with money. Representatives of the older generation give such envelopes to children. Another New Year's tradition is the lion dance. Dancers dressed in colorful costumes (usually two people control the lion) perform various rhythmic movements to the music.
Speaking about the culture of Vietnam, one cannot fail to mention the theater on the water. This art appeared in the 11th century and continues to live to this day. The performance takes place with live folk music right on the water. The actors in this unusual theater are not people, but puppets made of wood and other natural materials. The water theater is popular both among local residents and among tourists who come to get acquainted with the culture of Vietnam.
In Vietnam, a popular type of creativity is silk embroidery. There is a silk factory in Dalat where craftswomen create stunning paintings. These can be natural landscapes or portraits that amaze viewers with their complexity and beauty.
As for Vietnamese architecture, in addition to the most beautiful Buddhist temples, Cham architecture is of particular interest. The religious buildings built by these people fascinate with their antiquity and resistance to the passage of time. In large cities you can also see modern achievements in the field of architecture. For example, in the center of Ho Chi Minh City there is the Saigon Sky Dec skyscraper. This new tall tower attracts tourists thanks to its observation deck located on the 49th floor of the building. On the floor above there is a panoramic restaurant where you can have lunch or dinner, watching the life of a huge metropolis from above. Unusual from an architectural point of view is the unique Crayzy house hotel, located in Dalat. You can stay in it like a hotel, or you can come to it like a museum to be surprised by the unusual solutions of the talented architect Mrs. Dang Hang Nga.
Cuisine is also an element of the culture of any country. In Vietnam, the main components of dishes are rice and noodles. Seafood, as well as dishes made from pork, beef and chicken, are popular in the country. One of the most popular dishes is pho noodle soup. Vietnam is a country where you can taste exotic dishes - ostrich and crocodile meat, shark dishes, venison and snake. There is a stereotype that food in Vietnam is spicy. This is not entirely true. Almost all Vietnamese food is suitable for Europeans. The Vietnamese love to season their food with soy and fish sauces.
Vietnam is a socialist country and many of the orders and foundations here are very similar to those in the USSR: pioneers, councils, certificates and badges, as well as rather puritanical views in decent society (couples do not hug in public, many bathe exclusively in clothes or very closed swimsuits, women absolutely rarely drink and do not even always sit at the same table with the formal head of the family, despite complete management of the family budget). All this, of course, occurs in contrast to the ubiquitous small businesses, the presence of girls of easy virtue and soft drugs, which are quite openly offered to tourists on the streets of Saigon and resorts.
We see that the culture of Vietnam is a unique way of life, developing over millennia, currently built on the contrast of business and religion, socialism and capitalism, traditional way of life and modern achievements.
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The culture of Vietnam is unique and original, the process of its development has been going on for the third millennium. The Vietnamese nation was born among the lagoons and swamps of the Red River Delta approximately 4,000 years ago. For most of its independent existence, it was governed from Hanoi, Vietnam's small, elegant capital in the heart of the northern delta. Four greatest philosophies and religions have shaped the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity. The Vietnamese became acquainted with Confucianism and Taoism thanks to the Chinese. Along with Buddhism and Hinduism, which were brought here by Indian traders, these religious and philosophical teachings also largely determined the cultural development of Vietnam.
Over the centuries, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism have been intertwined with Chinese folk beliefs and ancient Vietnamese animist views to form what is called Tam Giao (Triple Religion). The official language in the country is Vietnamese (Kinh). Different regions also have dialects spoken by different ethnic minorities. In some parts of the country, Khmer and Laotian languages are spoken. Developed forms of art include: traditional silk painting; an eclectic form of theater including drama, puppetry, music and dance; religious sculpture; lacquer miniatures and ceramics
The territory of Vietnam has always been under the influence of three religious movements - Confucianism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Therefore, the Vietnamese mentality is prone to religious syncretism. Village temples feature local patron spirits, as well as the obligatory Buddha, Bodhisattva, Confucius and other religious and historical figures. Such an eclectic neighborhood does not seem strange to the Vietnamese. Village houses usually have at least two altars. The first is dedicated to ancestors - patrons, the second - to some deity.
The desire of the Vietnamese for a syncretic understanding of different religious movements led to the emergence of two sects that combine elements of European and Eastern religious philosophy. The first of them was called “Caodai” (Caodaism), which translated means “supreme palace”. The second sect, called Hohao (“Harmony and Nobility”), placed its main emphasis on the ideas of Taoism and Buddhism.
A feature of local religious consciousness is the cult of ancestors and the belief that the spirits of ancestors live in the same world with the living and are capable of influencing events. Most Vietnamese believe that ancestors are directly involved in all the affairs of their descendants - first of all, protecting them and warning them of impending danger. Preserving the memory of one’s ancestors and honoring them in every possible way is considered the moral duty of every person in this country.
Vietnam celebrates many religious and national holidays. The largest religious holiday is the Vietnamese New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan. Also, the Giong Festival, Marble Mountain Festival and folk song festivals are especially revered by local residents. At this time, various festivals and puppet theater performances take place in the country. Also important holidays for all Vietnamese are the Day of Wandering Souls and the Festival of Remembrance of the Dead. These holidays are celebrated according to the lunar calendar.
National holidays directly reflect the most significant events in the annals of Vietnam. This is the founding day of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Liberation Day, Ho Chi Minh's Birthday, International Labor Day, Nation Day, Youth Day and Defender of the Fatherland Day. Among the sporting events, it is worth highlighting the Singh wrestling festival, elephant racing, traditional bullfights, the Doi wrestling festival, ox racing and cockfighting.
Kitchen
Vietnamese cuisine is very diverse and has more than 500 national dishes. Traditional dishes include exotic meats and delicious vegetarian options. The basis of Vietnamese cuisine is white rice, generously seasoned with vegetables, fish, meat, spices and sauce. Spices in Vietnamese cuisine are soft and piquant: mint leaves, coriander, basil, ginger. Each region of the country has its own culinary pride. The North is famous for its unique noodle soup, seafood and fried meat dishes. In the south they prepare delicious seafood dishes - crabs, lobsters, squids and a wide variety of fish. The central part of the country is famous for its complex dishes, which are prepared according to extremely complex and ancient recipes.
The most popular dishes are noodles with sliced pork, eggs, chicken and shrimp, clams with sea crabs, fried with salt. For preparing dishes we use: duck, pork, fish, spices, vegetables and fruits, crab meat, lobster and oysters. Buns, pasta, and boiled rice dumplings are very popular. Among the first courses, you should try eel soup, vermicelli soup, with chopped chicken and bitter soup. There are a lot of different original fruits: dragon fruit, jajabe, khaki, longan, pomela, three-stone cherry and water apple. Among the drinks, rice wine and numerous apricot, orange and lemon wines are very popular. Vietnamese coffee (ca fe phin) is very tasty; it is usually prepared very strong and very sweet.
Vietnamese home
A traditional Vietnamese home should fit into the overall picture of village life: it is separate from others, but at the same time it is part of the whole; it does not depend on anyone and at the same time is part of the village community. The walls separating the passages between the houses create a kind of closed world for the family living in this house, but at the same time they are “open” to the attitude of the entire village.
There are many different types of structure for a traditional Vietnamese home, but the two most common types are: T-shaped architecture (hình thước thợ) (main room and outbuildings) - this type is common in the lowland areas of northern Vietnam; architecture in the form of the hieroglyph "Môn" (the main room is located in the middle, and there are two outbuildings on the sides).
wedding ceremony
The Vietnamese have quite a few relatives, so most often the wedding lasts for a week, first congratulations from the bride’s relatives, then congratulations from the groom’s relatives. Matchmaking is a fairly common ritual and Vietnam is no exception. The groom and his matchmakers spend money on gifts for the bride and her relatives. Vietnamese brides accept all kinds of sweets as gifts; a mandatory gift is a coconut palm branch - a symbol of love in this country. After matchmaking, the groom must move into the bride's house and live there for approximately 3 years, but increasingly, under the influence of European views on life, this rule is becoming a thing of the past.
Since a Vietnamese wedding lasts for a week, and the country has a hot climate, much attention is paid to the choice of outfits for the bride. Since a wedding consists of several stages (registration at the city administration, temple, wedding walk, meeting guests), the bride has to change her outfit quite often.
After a half-hour wedding ceremony in the temple, the young couple invites guests to a festive dinner. If the wedding takes place in a Vietnamese village, then the feast is organized in a specially decorated tent. If the conditions are urban, then more often young people opt for small restaurants.
Recently, the wedding transport in Vietnam has been the rickshaw; even the rich part of the Vietnamese do not skimp on using the services of “cabs”.
The Vietnamese wedding menu is quite varied, starting with traditional rice, ending with seafood - food, drinks - vodka, beer. Pepsi is very popular. People who visited Vietnamese weddings claim that some dishes of the wedding dinner are prepared by the guests themselves, due to the fact that, there are a lot of invitees, sometimes several “streams”, the bride and groom do not have time to pay due attention to everyone. But only those dishes that do not require special preparation are prepared this way. Large containers with boiling oil are placed on the wedding table and the guests themselves put in some “delicious food”, most often it is sea food.
A few words about gifts... Most often it is souvenirs, gold jewelry, paintings depicting a dragon and a phoenix are symbols of happiness and prosperity. But according to tradition, in addition to gifts and flowers, it is customary to present watermelon seeds - a symbol of fertility.
The most important tradition Vietnam can be considered a sacred attitude towards ancestors and one’s culture, therefore, if European views on life have an influence on the rules and laws of Vietnam, then this influence is not significant. Attitudes towards family in this country have remained unchanged for a long time.
New Year
Vietnamese Tet (New Year) takes place on the 1st of the lunar calendar, not the solar calendar. Tet is a very multifaceted concept: it is preparation for welcoming the new year and seeing off the old year, full of joyful bustle, shopping and preparations; these include traditional rituals and ceremonies, games and competitions, musical and costume performances held before and after the start of the new year according to the lunar calendar; This is a very special state of people when it seems that everything bad and sad remains in the old year, and the new one will bring only everything good and kind.
Depending on the phases of the moon, this holiday falls at the end of January - beginning of February. Each year of the 12-year lunar cycle corresponds to a mythical creature, animal, reptile or bird, symbolizing the stages of the closed ring of life.
Vietnamese New Year - Tet - has centuries-old traditions. At the stroke of midnight, festive fireworks explode the skies of Hanoi and Haiphong, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. In temples and pagodas the sounds of copper bells and the clatter of wooden chairs sound. Young people carry painted paper and cardboard dragons through the streets and squares. Red and yellow colors predominate in the festive decorations. Tet lasts four days.
Firstly, it is considered honorable to spend New Year's Eve in the company of a gray-haired man who is over 70 years old. The next morning you should go in search of a flower with dew drops on its petals, pick a branch of a peach tree, and give gifts to the children. By following these rituals, evil will never enter your home. But the most important thing on New Year's days is not to wish misfortune on another: following good rules will give peace and happiness to you and your loved ones. Even in the most difficult years, flatbreads and pies are always put on the festive table - banting and banzei, which are shaped like a circle and a square. They mean heaven and earth, and together - peace under a common roof.
On the second day of Tet, the most fun and fierce cockfights flare up on the territory of the most ancient temple in Indochina, Van Mieu. On the Lake of the Returned Sword in Hanoi, the water puppet theater gives performances - a unique folklore troupe, the only one in the world. In the historical center of Hanoi, on Hangluoc Street, elderly people kindly offer long bamboo poles. They need to be “planted” in front of the entrance to the house - they will block the way for evil spirits.
Tet is also a festival of flowers. The most festive flower is considered to be matcha - a sunny flower, or eastern “aster”. And these flowers, says the folk wisdom of the East, should be as many as there are people on Earth.
Tet has an ancient history, like the country of Vietnam itself. In Tet, people return to their origins, their ancestors. Everyone is trying to return home, even from a distance of thousands of kilometers, to be sure to be at home with their family.
There are many customs during Tet celebrations, especially on the first of January of the lunar year. As soon as twelve o'clock in the morning has arrived - this time is called "Giao Thya" (meaning "meeting of times") - children and grandchildren congratulate their grandparents and parents on the New Year, wishing them longevity and good health and prosperity. Then the adults congratulate the children and give them money for good luck. How much money doesn't matter. The most important thing: the money must be new (new bills or new coins). They must be packed in new red bags (either paper or fabric) with a red bow. On subsequent holidays, adult relatives, friends, and family acquaintances come to visit and can also give money for the well-being of children. The custom of giving money to children for the New Year is obligatory these days, and not a single New Year in Vietnam passes without observing this custom. Traditionally, the Vietnamese believe that giving children a little money is like the beginning of “prasadam” in the New Year, so that this beginning will be multiplied many times over.
During Tet in Buddhist temples, monks give money to parishioners, which is also placed in small red bags. It is like a gift of well-being from Buddha, from God. This is a gift for luck. A Vietnamese aphorism says: “A little prosperity from the Buddha is equal to a whole large basket of earthly prosperity.”
Family relationships in Vietnam represent mutual affection between all numerous family members: parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents.
An ordinary Vietnamese family consists not only of a husband, wife and their unmarried children, but also includes the husband's parents, children's sons and daughters-in-law, and often also all immediate relatives.
According to statistics, men get married at the age of 27, women at 23-24, but civil marriages are not common in Vietnam.
Society in Vietnam is also experiencing modern trends; marriages with foreign citizens are now not uncommon. Such families most often leave Vietnam, but the attachment to relatives and to their home village or city remains very strong.
Mutual sympathy and trust are fundamental concepts when creating a family, and therefore children are born and grow up in an atmosphere of love and care. It is customary to have more than two children, and, according to tradition, the desired first child is a boy. It is interesting that the birth rate surges, among other factors, are influenced by the lunar calendar, or more precisely, by the Vietnamese’s belief in it.
The attitude towards children in Vietnam is special; they are cared for and cherished, both their own and those of others. It seems that there is no division between insiders and outsiders here; any child - be it a little Vietnamese or a child of a tourist - will be hugged, caressed and given all sorts of attention with equal joy.
If you come to Vietnam with a child, you will immediately notice how everyone smiles at you on the street, in the market they give you some fruit in addition to your purchase, give up their seats and try to entertain your baby.
Family relationships are distinguished by strong emotional attachments and oblige a person to love and respect his parents and the older generation. That is why the Vietnamese have been practicing the cult of their ancestors for many centuries. Most residents of the country, regardless of religious affiliation, have an altar for worship at home or at work.
The sense of heredity is very developed here, and the wonderful custom of commemorating ancestors has not only original cultural features, but also a deep sacred meaning. In those rare cases when a person has died and there is no one to honor his memory, he is called a man without descendants.
The most striking feature of the entire Vietnamese people can probably be called patriotism. Even poorly educated citizens confidently name dates, names of scientists, emperors, and in cities and even small villages you can see state flags hanging everywhere. This is probably due to the fact that for the people of Vietnam, collective interests have always been above personal interests.
The main religious movements in Vietnam are Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism; under the influence of French rule in the 19th century, Catholicism became widespread. However, most of the population still practices traditional religions, worshiping spirits, gods and the mother goddess.
Also in Vietnam at the beginning of the 20th century, a mysterious cult arose - a new religion called Cao Dai.
According to legend, the Supreme Being appeared to its founder and ordered the founding of a new religion that would unite all others: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam.
Cao Dai followers recite prayers, worship ancestors, practice non-violence and vegetarianism, one of the goals is to reunite with God in heaven.
Vietnam is imbued with Confucian morality: all people must observe certain standards of behavior and strictly conform to their social status, guided by the five virtues - humanity, justice, nobility, knowledge and sincerity.
The attitude towards foreigners in Vietnam is friendly, the local population is hospitable to travelers and, to the best of their ability, will try to make your stay in the country comfortable and interesting.
In clothing, the place of traditional attire is gradually being taken by Western models, with the exception of the most famous Vietnamese costume in the world and popular among the population - ao dai (áo dài). There are both female and male types of ao dai, but in the 20th century it began to be worn mainly by women. Ao Dai consists of a long dress with slits on the sides and loose trousers.
Currently, when choosing clothes, the Vietnamese are increasingly guided by the principle of simplicity and convenience; so-called suits, consisting of a loose shirt and pants of the same color, reminiscent of a pajama set, are very common among women. They sleep in them, cook in them, go shopping, and work in them.
And if adults can sometimes be careless in their clothes, then they try to dress up children in bright, beautiful things, make sure that the child is combed, washed and tidy, and if the financial situation of the family allows, he wears gold and silver jewelry.
The daily routine in the country is highly dependent on the sun; the Vietnamese are accustomed to starting the day before dawn and going to bed shortly after sunset. This light regime significantly shifts daytime life towards the morning. School classes begin at 6:30-7:00, banks and other official institutions are open from 8:00 to 17:00, lunch break from 11:30 to 13:30. Local residents prefer to dine on the street, especially since for most it is much more convenient, and sometimes even more profitable, than cooking at home.
Small and private businesses are very developed in Vietnam, many work where they live, hence a huge variety of cafes, drinking establishments, hairdressers, repair shops, sewing studios on the ground floors of residential buildings. And the Vietnamese generally go to bed early - it is difficult to see working establishments and walking groups after 10 pm. But this, of course, does not apply to tourist places!
Pregnancy in Vietnam is not a disease, but a reason for pride. It is not customary to hide it; on the contrary, some expectant mothers begin to wear loose blouses with ties at the back even before they have any hint of a belly.
Nutrition is considered the most important thing in the life of a pregnant mother. These are alpha and omega. You don’t just need to eat, you need to eat a lot! In this, the Vietnamese often simply cross all sorts of boundaries. The concept of “proper nutrition” is here replaced by “enhanced nutrition”. Expectant mothers themselves are not happy, but the whole family literally “fattens” the pregnant woman to incredible sizes. A weight gain of 10 kg is considered negligence and neglect of the child. But, having gained 20 kg, you can boast to all your friends. Interestingly, most doctors do not see anything wrong with this. The obvious harm of this approach does not stop anyone, and the family stubbornly forces the woman to eat to her fill several times a day. At the same time, the pregnant woman is surrounded with total care. She is given the best pieces, all the conditions are created for her, she is not allowed to overwork, although the latter is rather a new trend. In the past, women carried bags in factories until the last months, and pregnant women worked in the fields in the heat of the day.
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After childbirth, it is customary to strictly observe certain restrictions. This is associated with the need to restore the female body after pregnancy and childbirth. A young mother must lie down all the time for a month. You can only get up to go to the toilet, otherwise, as they say here, your lower back will hurt for the rest of your life. Also, in the first month it is forbidden to wash or come into contact with water at all. It is believed that during this period it is deadly. A weakened body easily catches a cold, and then death is not far away. It is customary to rub yourself with saffron (turmeric), lie next to the brazier and sweat (it is believed that all accumulated harmful substances will be released with sweat). Several relatives are always close to the mother and baby, caring for them, first in the hospital (the staff in public clinics do not provide any care at all, even relatives prepare food), and then at home. Typically, a woman lives with her mother for the first three months after giving birth. All child care during this period is taken over by maternal relatives.
Family in Vietnam
Choosing a name for a baby in Vietnam is not an easy task. In addition to the fact that names must be selected according to their meaning, they must also be combined with each other. A Vietnamese name consists of a surname (first syllable), middle name (second syllable, this name is passed down from generation to generation, or is chosen in combination with a personal name), personal name (last syllable). For example, Chau Nhat Bang, “Nhat” is the sun, day, “Bang” is an obsolete “friend”, respectively, the name means “friend of the sun, day, light.” There are also traditional taboos: you cannot name a child after one of your living relatives. This is considered disrespectful and even insulting. The Vietnamese reason simply: it is indecent to call a bare-bottomed toddler the same name as a respectable adult. This is partly why there are so many original names in Vietnam. Families are large, we have to come up with something new so as not to repeat ourselves.
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Often the full name is practically not used before school. Short “household” names are common: Bin, Tin, Tom, Siu, Bo, Bee, Chip. Sometimes they are formed from American names (Bean is Bill), others are simply easy to pronounce sound combinations, something like “Baby”, “Button”, “Pie”, “Bunny”, etc.
Upbringing
The sign on the façade of most Vietnamese kindergartens reads: “Today’s children are tomorrow’s world.” Children are the main value for society. On the school facades the inscription is different: “First learn ethics, and then knowledge.” This means that, first of all, children must learn the norms of relationships in a team, in society, in the family, and only then science and skills. Studying is not considered a secondary activity, quite the contrary, but “every vegetable has its turn.” First we learn to live and act in society, then everything else.
Vietnam families
In the words of everyone’s beloved Ho Chi Minh: “A child is like a bud on a branch. He eats well, sleeps well, studies well - that means he’s doing well!”
A Vietnamese sees himself, first of all, as a part of society and a participant in complex relationships. This worldview is reflected in the language forms that children are taught from a very early age. One of the first words that a child is taught (before one is even a year old; by the age of one and a half years, children can already speak it) is “ạ”, a respectful particle at the end of a phrase. Without this particle it is impossible to contact or respond to an elder. The baby may not be able to speak other words, but he definitely knows this particle.
In general, you should not call your elders, including your husband, by name - this is disrespect. And the pronoun “I” is practically not used in Vietnamese. When talking about yourself, you need to choose the right word depending on who you are talking to. When addressing her husband, a wife calls herself “younger sister,” when talking to a child, parents refer to themselves as “mother,” “father,” and a daughter-in-law, when talking to her mother-in-law, calls herself “child, daughter”—thus, the personal “I” is replaced by the word, denoting social status.
The main positive quality for the younger generation is “ngoan”, which means “calm”, “obedient”, “well done”, “diligent”.
Obedience in Vietnam is valued much higher than independence, and fantasies, at least in village families, are suppressed: “don’t make things up, don’t lie.” Here they don’t teach children “whoever doesn’t have time is late”, “you need to spin in life”, on the contrary, they constantly pull you back - “everything needs to be done slowly”, “whoever is in a hurry has a lot of trouble.”
Recently, Vietnam has been affected by a general Asian trend - to study more and more, even if this means the child is actually deprived of his childhood. Which, by the way, contradicts the precepts of the same beloved Ho Chi Minh. But in a society that has since ancient times encouraged learning and developed a cult of knowledge, all kinds of courses and extracurricular activities very quickly gained enormous popularity. All children are intensively prepared for school. By the way, primary school teachers who conduct this training are directly interested in this. It even happens that in the first grade they skip the study of letters on the grounds that, they say, the children should have learned them in preschool classes, which, of course, are paid.
Customs and traditions
Despite long military conflicts and difficult times, Vietnam has preserved its ancient traditions and unique culture. The locals love their country very much and are friendly to guests.
The way of life and customs have evolved over many centuries. The Vietnamese have a leisurely and measured way of life, they are not in a particular hurry, rarely swear, do not raise their voices, maintaining inner calm.
The population of Vietnam takes good care of their health, eats right, and plays various sports. It is almost impossible to find a Vietnamese who is overweight.
Despite democratic relations in the family, the last word always remains with the man, as in many eastern countries.
Due to the fact that the art of Vietnam is popular and in demand, many local residents work in a creative environment - this is wood carving, tableware painting, and silk painting preserved in ancient times. Traditionally, the Vietnamese are very fond of theater, carnival processions and festivals, creating an atmosphere of general celebration and fun.
Modern Vietnamese are not particularly religious, but traditions with ancient origins are still present today in the form of various customs and superstitions. For example, the Vietnamese attach great importance to the name. A name mentioned out loud, even with good intentions in the opinion of believers, can attract evil spirits and evil forces. Therefore, families have two names and one of them is known only to relatives. It is not customary to praise children, and they are often called in order of birth “first”, “second”.
Superstitious Vietnamese people maintain personal space, so they do not come close to their interlocutor, and in order not to disturb the patron spirit and soul of a person, it is not customary to touch the shoulders and especially the head. This is precisely what is associated with the greeting in the form of a slight bow with a prayer gesture at the chest; handshakes are not common.
A manifestation of politeness and good manners here is not to look into the eyes during a conversation, as well as the absence of sharp denials; instead, the Vietnamese select soft and evasive formulations.
To protect against evil spirits, mirrors are hung on the door from the street side.
It is also not customary to touch another person’s cutlery with chopsticks, use relatives’ towels, overturn musical instruments, and much more.
Despite the intertwining with Western ones, the country's traditions preserve the rich heritage of Vietnamese culture.
Travelers coming to another country should, of course, familiarize themselves with local customs and customs and treat them with respect.
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