People & Culture of Vietnam

The people of Vietnam have a unique and fascinating culture that has been shaped by thousands of years of history. Their culture has been influenced by many other civilizations: the ancient peoples that once inhabited the land, the Chinese, the French, and most recently, the Americans and Russians. From all these outside influences, and centuries of war, oppression, and hardship, they have formed, and maintained their culture. The people of Vietnam are hard working and feel strong ties to their families. They are well versed in the arts, and have made several contributions to the world of literature. Aside from their painful history, the Vietnamese people have a culture and many customs, all their own.

Vietnamese is the official language although other languages such as French, Chinese, English, Khmer and tribal languages are also spoken. English is common in larger cities and is taught in schools. French is also spoken in various parts of the country. With an 88% literacy rate, the national script in Vietnam is Quoc Ngu. The script was introduced by European colonists, and utilizes the Roman alphabet.

Vietnam has a very rich culture that has been shaped by many different civilizations throughout history. Through many long struggles, the Vietnamese have created their unique culture. Only half of the people of Vietnam belong to organized religions, religion, and the beliefs arising from religions play large parts in the lives of most Vietnamese. The Vietnamese are often superstitious and believe things must be done in a certain way or the family would suffer. Ancestor worship is also a common practice. There is a small alter in many homes, where people burn incense, have food offerings, and pictures of their deceased family members. Religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, animism and Catholicism are part and parcel of the people's lives.

Vietnam is an extremely food conscious culture. The ingredients and styles of preparation are distinct from both China and other Southeast Asian countries. This defines Vietnam and Vietnamese. Vietnamese food is comparatively low fat and high in carbohydrate. Cooking was traditionally done over a fire, so common modes of preparations are boiling, steaming, barbequing and frying. A popular Vietnamese meal is the 'pho' noodles, which is basically noodle soup, topped with beef, chicken or fried fish occasionally.