VIETNAMESE Vietnam, one of the largest rice-growing regions of the world Flickr / ttjabeljan DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Vietnamese Profile Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 Geographic Divisions .................................................................................................. 7 Northern Highlands .............................................................................................8 Red River Valley ..................................................................................................8 Central Coast Lowlands .....................................................................................9 Central Highlands ................................................................................................9 Mekong Delta .....................................................................................................10 Climate ..........................................................................................................................12 Bodies of Water ...........................................................................................................12 Mekong River ..................................................................................................... 12 Red River ............................................................................................................ 13 Huong River ........................................................................................................ 13 Major Cities ..................................................................................................................14 Ho Chi Minh City ................................................................................................ 14 Hanoi....................................................................................................................15 Haiphong .............................................................................................................16 Da Nang ..............................................................................................................16 Hue ....................................................................................................................... 17 History ...........................................................................................................................18 Introduction .........................................................................................................18 Early History .......................................................................................................18 Imperial Governance .........................................................................................19 French Colonial Rule ........................................................................................20 Japanese Occupation .......................................................................................20 Vietnam Divided .................................................................................................21 Counterinsurgency and Buddhist Challenge to Diem ..................................22 The Republic of Vietnam under Siege ...........................................................22 Vietnam War .......................................................................................................23 Reunification—The Socialist Republic of Vietnam .......................................24 Doi Moi ................................................................................................................24 The 21st Century ...............................................................................................25 Government ................................................................................................................ 25 Media ........................................................................................................................... 26 Economy ..................................................................................................................... 27 Ethnic Groups and Language .................................................................................. 28 Kinh (Vietnamese) .............................................................................................29 Hoa .......................................................................................................................29 Khmer Krom ......................................................................................................30 Montagnards .......................................................................................................31 2 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Vietnamese Hmong .................................................................................................................32 Other Northern Tribal Groups ..........................................................................33 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 45 Religion Introduction ................................................................................................................. 46 Overview of Major Religions .....................................................................................47 Buddhism ............................................................................................................47 Catholicism .........................................................................................................48 Cao Dai................................................................................................................49 Hoa Hao ..............................................................................................................50 Taoism .................................................................................................................50 Folk Religion ....................................................................................................... 51 Religion and the Modern State ................................................................................ 52 Religion in Daily Life .................................................................................................. 53 Religious Holidays and Festivals ............................................................................ 54 The Birth of Buddha .........................................................................................54 Ghost Festival ....................................................................................................55 Christmas ............................................................................................................56 Buildings of Worship .................................................................................................. 56 Pagodas ..............................................................................................................56 Temples ...............................................................................................................58 Catholic Churches .............................................................................................59 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 64 Traditions Introduction ................................................................................................................. 65 Honor and Values ...................................................................................................... 66 Communication .................................................................................................67 Greetings ..................................................................................................................... 67 Dress Codes ............................................................................................................... 69 Traditional Dress ................................................................................................70 Hospitality ...................................................................................................................71 Gift Giving ................................................................................................................... 73 Gender Roles and Relationships ............................................................................ 73 Cuisine ..........................................................................................................................74 French Influence ................................................................................................76 The Arts ....................................................................................................................... 76 Literature .............................................................................................................76 Music....................................................................................................................77 Water Puppets ....................................................................................................78 3 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | Vietnamese Sports .......................................................................................................................... 78 Vovinam ...............................................................................................................78