South East Asian Trips

Originating in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese people pushed southward over 2 millennia to occupy the entire eastern seacoast of the Indochinese Peninsula. Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups; ethnic Vietnamese or Kinh constitute approximately 85% of Vietnam's population. The next largest groups are ethnic Tay and Thai, which account for 1.97% and 1.79% of Vietnam's population and are concentrated in the country's northern uplands.

With a population of more than 900,000, Vietnam's Chinese community is one of the most significant and wealthiest ethnic groups in Vietnam. Long important in the Vietnamese economy, Vietnamese of Chinese ancestry have been active in rice trading, milling, real estate, and banking in the south and shop keeping, stevedoring, and mining in the north. Restrictions on economic activity following reunification of the north and south in 1975 and a general deterioration in Vietnamese-Chinese relations caused increasing anxiety within the Chinese-Vietnamese community. As tensions between Vietnam and China reached their peak in 1978-79, culminating in a brief but bloody war in February-March 1979, some 450,000 ethnic Chinese left Vietnam by boat as refugees (many officially encouraged and assisted) or were expelled across the land border with China.

Other significant ethnic minority groups include central highland peoples (formerly termed Montagnards) such as the Gia Rai, Bana, Ede, Xo Dang, Gie Trieng, and the Khmer Krom (Cambodians), who are concentrated near the Cambodian border and at the mouth of the Mekong River. Taken collectively, these groups made up a majority of the population in much of Vietnam's central highlands until the 1960s and 1970s. They now compose a significant minority of 25% to 35% of the provinces in that region.

Vietnamese is the official language of the country. It is a tonal language with influences from Thai, Khmer, and Chinese. Since the early 20th century, the Vietnamese have used a Romanized script introduced by the French. Previously, Chinese characters and an indigenous phonetic script were both used.
The Vietnamese, as a race, aren't particularly demanding of those who come visiting- as long as you're polite and try to respect their customs and traditions, you should be able by without stepping on too many toes. Firstly, remember to behave- and dress- with propriety, especially if you're visiting Buddhist temples. Don't wear skimp clothing (no shorts or tank tops!) and respect the religious sentiments of the people- don't do anything which could be construed as sacrilegious, such as climbing onto a Buddha statue to be photographed.

One word of advice: when dealing with the Vietnamese, keep a hold on your temper- tantrums and displays of anger are considered the height of boorishness.

Religion

The Vietnamese mostly profess Buddhism- a religion brought to the country by Indian missionaries centuries ago. Buddhism came to Vietnam in the 4th century B.C, and reached its zenith- as far as popularity and power are concerned- sometime in the 11th century, during the reign of the Ly dynasty. It was at this time that Buddhism was declared the state religion, and the period saw important developments in the fields of art, architecture and literature- all heavily influenced by the religion. Today, many traces of these still remain- especially amongst the temples and pagodas in Vietnam, and the fact that over 70% of the population is Buddhist.

Other than Buddhism, Christianity, introduced to the country in the 1600s is an important religion and has a sizeable following- mainly Catholic. Islam has its adherents too, mainly amongst the Chams of the central coast. Religious minorities include the Caodaists and the Hoahaoists.

Food

What do you get if you combine Chinese food with French? Indian with Malay? And finally added a touch of American to it all? Vietnamese. One of the most interesting and distinctive cuisines of South East Asia, Vietnamese is a style of cooking which seems to combine the best of all worlds. You'll find Chinese noodles and Chinese herbs here, alongside curry powder and ground rice pancakes- typically Indian foods. You can savour French bread, butter, excellent patés and coffee. And now it's all uniquely Vietnamese.

The staple cereal of the country is rice, and with it is eaten a huge amount of seafood, meats and vegetables- all flavoured with a mind-boggling range of ingredients. Limes, tamarind, lemon grass, herbs, ginger, fish sauce (`nuoc mam') and a variety of spices that go into making Vietnamese food a very highly flavoured cuisine. What is perhaps most distinctive is the range of fresh herbs used- basil, mint, coriander, dill, lemon grass...the list is endless. You'll also find some rather unusual fruits in the country- pomelo, mangosteen, green dragon fruit, jujube, and three-seed cherry. May sound strange, but they're worth a try.

Culture and Crafts

Vietnam has one of the richest and most vibrant cultures of South Asia- a culture shaped by centuries of interaction with foreign cultures. One of the earliest links was with India; and from India came one of Vietnam's main religions, Buddhism. Less spiritual, but equally important, came Indian cuisine- with its curries, its spices and its rice pancakes. The Chinese, during their reign, brought noodles, bean curd and soy sauce, and - less mundane- Taoism, Confucianism and the Chinese language, words from which have been incorporated into Vietnamese. In the late 19th century, the French came to Vietnam- and brought with them the berets which you still see worn by men in Vietnam; they brought French bread and coffee.

Yes, many have contributed to making Vietnam's culture what it is today. But there is much that is `home grown'- the lacquer ware and the lovely silks you see being sold in markets; the elegant pagodas and shrines on the hillsides; the lilting music and stylised dances, and the exuberant festivals which are an occasion for much celebration. All are very Vietnamese, and no matter how great foreign influences may be, they can never overshadow what is intrinsic to the people of the country.

Vietnam is, typically of a South East Asian country, a place with a flourishing tradition of ethnic arts and crafts. Using local materials and native skills, a wide range of products are made- most of them excellent pieces of folk art. Some of Vietnam's best-known products include textiles. A wide range of fabrics are produced in Vietnam; amongst the best known are the silks and embroideries of Thai Binh, Hué, Ha Dong, and Nam Ha. The northwestern parts of the country are famous for their beautiful tapestries; Hanoi and Haiphong are known for wool and jute tapestries too.

Vietnam is also famous for its metal ware- particularly copper- and its lovely jewellery. Much of this is expensive but some of the other handicrafts, like porcelain, wood and stone carvings and jute products are beautiful and reasonably priced. Probably the most popular and famous Vietnamese product is lacquer ware- they've been making it for the past twenty centuries so no wonder they're virtually perfect at it. It's made into literally everything- from vases and boxes to jewellery and decorative items.

Education

Education in Vietnam is controlled by the state; all schools, colleges and universities are state-run, and there are a number of training institutes too which are specifically geared towards vocational training. Schooling consists of twelve years of study, the first nine being in a `basic general education school' and the rest in a `general secondary education school'. Inspite of the fact that much of the population lives in rural areas, the literacy track record of the country is pretty good: male literacy is 96.5%, female literacy is 91.2%, and the overall literacy rate is a respectable 93.7%.