Cultural Profile Resource: Vietnamese A resource for aged care professionals Birgit Heaney Dip. 19/06/2016 A resource for aged care professionals Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Location and Demographic ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Everyday Life ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Family ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Personal Hygiene ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Leisure and Recreation ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Religion ........................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Food and Diet ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Health .............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Death and Dying ............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Language ......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Cue Cards ........................................................................................................................................................................ 16 Disclaimer ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 References ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 2 A resource for aged care professionals Vietnamese Culture Profile Introduction This profile of the Vietnam cultural community is just one of the many projects undertaken by Quality Aging. This project aims to provide relevant information for community groups and residential aged care providers to implement “best practice” strategies of care for the older individuals from diverse backgrounds. This project is about ensuring the needs of older persons from a Vietnam cultural background are met. Population trends within Australia are increasingly characterized by a diversity of people, languages and culture. Together with this trend is an aging population, also with a rich diversity of languages and cultures. Not surprisingly then, that residential aged care providers are faced with growing demands for culturally responsive facilities and care. This profile aims to create a tool to provide aged care providers with • An awareness of the cultural and linguistically diverse needs of older persons from a Vietnam background. • It also strives to enable the professional capability and progress of staff in the provision of culturally inclusive care; and • The organisation’s compliance with the Residential Care Standards and National Care Standards as they pertain to the issue of cultural and linguistic needs. The profile provides beneficial information about a variety of subjects and resources. This is a guide only and is not intended to replace one stereotype of this culture with another; it is only intended to provide some insight into the culture. Nor does it reduce the importance of you establishing the individual cultural needs of each person as part of your care planning process. In an effort to continue to provide you with updated information of this profile and improve its contents, we encourage readers to provide feedback by contacting Quality Aging at [email protected] 3 A resource for aged care professionals Location and Demographic Located in the Southeastern Asia, Vietnam is slightly larger than New Mexico. According to the demography of Vietnam this country covers 329,560 sq km area of which 325,360 sq km are land and 4,200 sq km are occupied by water bodies. The land boundaries of this country are 4,639 km and the coastline are 3,444 km. The highest point is 3,144 m Fan Si Pan and the lowest point is 0 m South China Sea. Demography of Vietnam shows that the population of Vietnam is 85,262,356. The population is constituted of many ethnic groups such as Hoa 1.1%, Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Khome 1.4%, Thai 1.7%, Nun 1.1%, Muong 1.5%, Hmong 1%, Tay 1.9% and others 4.1%. The age structure of the population can be divided into three parts such as 0-14 years: 26.3%; 15-64 years: 67.9% and 65 years and over: 5.8%. Vietnam demography reveals that the birth rate of Vietnam is 16.63 births/1,000 population and death rate is 6.19 deaths/1,000 population. The total fertility rate is 1.98 children born/woman. The life expectancy rate of total population is 71.07 years. For male it is 68.27 years and for female it is 74.08 years. The total infant mortality rate is 42.37 deaths/1,000 live births. According to Vietnam Demography the sex ratio of the country is at birth: 1.07 male/female, under 15 years: 1.077 male/female, 15-64 years: 0.983 male/female, 65 years and over: 0.634 male/female and total population: 0.982 male/female. 90.3% of the population are literate. 4 A resource for aged care professionals Everyday Life Someone has remarked that Vietnam is characterized by two odors-that of Nuoc-mam (fish sauce) and that of incense. The Vietnamese reaction is that Nuoc-mam represents the material life whereas incense from the places of worship symbolize the spiritual life of Vietnam. The smoke of joss sticks and incense burners rise from family altars, spirit houses, and temple courtyards and before the figures of Buddha which abound in great numbers. In the old days people used rough toilet paper similar to that found in the Soviet Union. Coconut shells were turned into brushes, used as fuel, ladles or as containers for honey. Popular Vietnamese products included Kiss Me toilet paper and Jiridium brand pens. Vietnamese champagne sold for about $2 a bottle. The label read "Champagne, product of Vietnam, Nitrogen Fertilizer Corporation." Tribespeople often store grain in small houses to protect it from fire or rats. In the 1990s there were only one television per 31 people, one radio per 10 people, and one telephone per 544 people in Vietnam. Now cell phones and electronics are everywhere. The Los Angeles Times described Phan An, a 26-year-old freelance IT consultant who grew up with five siblings in Danang without electricity or running water. They took baths in flooded rice fields and read by oil lamp, sleeping with the rest of the family in a single room and walking three miles to school. Nowadays Phan sits at his computer listening to digital music files in a building on land that was a field a few years back. The two-room apartment he shares with a friend is stuffed with a fan, washing machine. flat-screen television, Sanyo refrigerator and electric guitar. Etiquette Vietnamese society has a fair amount of public etiquette. The following are some of the more common points: Etiquette in Vietnam • Avoid public displays of affection with a member of the opposite sex. • Do not touch someone's head. • Pass items with both hands. • Do not point with your finger - use your hand. • Do not stand with your hands on your hips. • Do not cross your arms on your chest. • Do not pass anything over someone's head. • Do not touch anyone on the shoulder. • Do not touch a member of the opposite sex. • Shorts should only be worn at the beach. Dining Etiquette: If invited to a Vietnamese home: • Bring fruit, sweets, flowers, fruit, or incense. • Gifts should be wrapped in colourful paper. • Do not give handkerchiefs, anything black, yellow flowers or chrysanthemums. 5 A resource for aged care professionals Table Manners: • Wait to be shown where to sit. • The oldest person should sit first. • Pass dishes with both hands. • The most common utensils are chopsticks and a flat spoon. • Chopsticks should be placed on the table or a chopstick rest after every few mouthfuls or when breaking to drink or speak. • People hold bowls close to their faces. • Hold the spoon in your left hand while eating soup. • Meals are typically served family-style. • Try to finish everything on your plate. • When you are finished eating, rest your chopsticks on top of your rice bowl. • Cover your mouth when using a toothpick. Cultural Stereotype Asian males are Chauvinistic Asian males are stereotyped as irrational and disrespectful towards women. The stereotypical view says that east Asian men are chauvinistic and that they despise women empowerment and liberation. They are often believed to be orthodox and biased when it comes