ORIGIN/ HISTORY:
Most of the Vietnamese researchers have asserted that the Vietnamese people existed since at least the fifth or sixth millennium B.C. The most important event in the solidification of Vietnamese identity took place in 42 B.C.E. when China declared Vietnam to be its Southern most province and started direct rule over it. Vietnamese were able to seek independence from China in 938. After that the Vietnamese dynasties such as Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen succeeded. These dynasties although greatly infl
uenced by China in terms of political philosophy and organizational structure, participated for the uniqueness of Vietnamese society, culture and history. The “Movement South” resulted in the Vietnamese movement towards Southern and Central Vietnam. In this process, they displaced the two dominant groups of Cham and Khmer.
The present Vietnamese nation was established by French colonialism. French got strong hold over Vietnam however the formation of several nationalist movements became more sophisticated in terms of organization and ability, with the passage of time. During the World War II Vietnamese nationalist forces grew stronger and overthrew the Japanese administration ruling Vietnam. After the outbreak of American War in Vietnam in the early 1960s, the divided Southern and Northern Vietnam was reunified and on 1 January 1976 declared the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
LANGUAGE:
The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. It is the language spoken by 77 million people inside and outside the Vietnam. The origin of the Vietnamese language is the sub
ject of debate among linguists. Although Vietnamese is not originated from Chinese, Chinese influence is always evident on Vietnamese language due to thousands of Chinese words being incorporated in the language. This is mainly due to the early period of Chinese domination over Vietnam. Chinese influence over Vietnam in terms of politics, philosophy, literary, religious, government and military has always remained persistent.
There are three systems of writing in Vietnamese. Vietnamese was first written in a system called Chu Nho. This writing system started in around 9th century following the period of Chinese domination. Due to the Chinese influence, this writing system used Chinese characters. At present, Vietnamese people still request skilled scholars in Chu Nho for lettering the banners and placards used at weddings, funerals and important festivals.
With the passage of time, Vietnamese writers desired for a more national language which they could use to promote national history and literature. Therefore a new writing system called Chu Nom was introduced. In this writing system, most of the words were borrowed from Chinese and then altered. The Chu Nom system however was extremely difficult to handle and was mostly used in literature and non- official documents and never got accorded recognition as the official language. The third writing system, Quoc Ngu or National language was developed around 17th century by the Catholic missionaries in order to translate prayer books and catechisms.
FESTIVALS:
Living in Vietnam is a succession of major and minor festivals, mostly based on the lunar calendar. The minor festivals are usually based on religion, temples or village festive occasions which include the significant events of local heroes and ancestors. Village festival celebration may include a variety of ancient and modern cultural activities such as bo
at racing, tug-of-war, and mock battles to banquets, dancing and drinking competitions.
One of the national festivals celebrated in Vietnam is Trung Nguyen (The day of Wandering Souls) in August. People believe that on this day, lost souls return to visit their living relatives and they should treat them with respect offering food and presents.
One of the major festivals in Vietnam is Tet, the New Year. It is celebrated from the 1st to 17th day of the first lunar month. Most of the Vietnamese, living abroad come to their relatives to visit them. Special trains and flights are arranged and tickets for travelling are sold out in advance.
Another important festival in Vietnam is DO SON BUFFALO FIGHTING VIETNAM FESTIVAL. Although this event is celebrated on 9th of the 8th month lunar calendar preparations are started several months in advance. The festival begins with a procession to the communal house where offerings are made to the Gods in the form of buffaloes, pigs and rice. During this the buffaloes are covered with red cloth and then taken to fighting circle.
ARTS AND MUSIC:
In Vietnam the most popular arts have historically been a variety of musical theater traditions. These are mainly performed by Government-organized companies. The main forms of theater included the formal tradition of classical opera locally called hat tuong and hat cheo, a rural folk tradition. Theatrical performances are more common in urbanized areas. During the French reign, Western drama was introduced in Vietnam. Traditional music and modern pop music is also very popular. People usually watch these programmes and performances on Radio and Television.
The socialist government of Vietnam always emphasized on the development of Arts in the country as it is the prime vehicle for the promotion of Vietnamese socialist values. All the main artistic forms such as theaters, literature, cinema and painting are controlled by the state organization which encourages the young artists to join. However, recently many artists face financial problems due to reduction in subsidies for arts by the government. This problem also arises due to the absence of proper copyright protection and modernized people who prefer Western films and music.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE:
The Vietnamese government recognizes six official religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and two indigenous religious traditions that emerged during the colonial period, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao. However, a large majority of Vietnamese population is Buddhist. The Vietnamese religious practices mostly consist of worship of spirits. Vietnamese believe that spirits have the ability to bring good fortune and misfortune to human life. The perception of supernatural casualty is common among most of the Vietnamese.
One of the most important religious rituals celebrated in Vietnam is The New Year. On this occasion, families gather and pay their respect to their ancestors’ souls. The 1st and 15th of every month of every lunar year are important occasions for rites to ancestors, spirits, and Buddhist deities. The country also has many shrines and temples that hold annual festivals that pilgrims and interested visitors attend, often from great distances.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Vietnamese Culture.Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL of this page.If you are Vietnamese, your feedback is much appreciated.
Every Culture
2007 Culture of Vietnam. Electronic Document, http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Vietnam.html, accessed July 27, 2009.
Adopt Vietnam
2000 Vietnam and Vietnamese Culture. Electronic Document, http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/index.htm, accessed July 27, 2009.
Vietventures
2000 Vietnam Country. Electronic Document, http://www.vietventures.com/Side/country.asp, accessed July 27, 2009.
Vietventures
2000 Vietnam Festivals. Electronic Documents, http://www.vietventures.com/Vietnam/vietnam_festivals.asp, accessed July 27, 2009.
Images Reference:
http://image04.webshots.com/4/8/98/86/54189886jFjOwC_fs.jpg
http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/images/about-vietnam/festivals01.jpg
http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/images/about-vietnam/festivals02.jpg
http://www.vietventures.com/Images/Photos/VFest2.jpg
Written By
Salman Hakim, 2009.
