Vietnam - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

201 Pages·2021·3.648 MB·English

by  Geoffrey Murray, Culture Smart!

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CULTURE SMART
VIETNAM
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
CUSTOMS & CULTURE
GEOFFREY MURRAY
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in
seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Adapted from Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past.
ISBN 978 1 78702 852 4
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available
from the British Library
First published in Great Britain
by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd
59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS
Tel: [phone]
www.culturesmart.co.uk
Inquiries: [email protected]
Design Bobby Birchall
Printed in Turkey
The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand.
All Culture Smart! guides are available as e-books, and many
as audio books. For further information and latest titles visit
www.culturesmart.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GEOFFREY MURRAY has worked in Asia for more
than forty years as a journalist, author, and teacher,
including long stays in China, India, Japan, and
Singapore. So far, he has published fifteen books on
a wide range of business and socioeconomic issues,
mostly about China, but also including Vietnam:
Dawn of a New Market and Simple Guide to the
Customs and Etiquette of Vietnam, both in 1997.
He has closely followed developments in Vietnam
ever since he served as a news agency war
correspondent with the Australian army in the
mid-1960s, winning the Australian government’s
“Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal.” He is
officially listed as a Vietnam War veteran by
the Australian government.
COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 affected millions of people
around the world, causing unprecedented social and economic
disruption. As the impact of this global crisis continues to
unfold, in many countries social norms are being challenged,
and enduring changes will be reflected in future editions of
Culture Smart! titles.
CONTENTS
Map of Vietnam 7
Introduction 8
Key Facts 10
1 LAND AND PEOPLE 13
• Geography 13
• A Brief History 20
• The Political System 34
• Free Speech and Other Issues 37
• The Ethnic Mix 39
• The Role of Returnees 40
• Vietnam in the World 42
2 VALUES AND ATTITUDES 45
• The Role of Confucianism 45
• Western Influences 46
• National Identity 47
• The Changing Family Role 50
• The Changing Role of Women 54
• Regional Differences 56
• Attitudes Toward Foreigners 58
• Maintaining Harmony 58
• Attitudes Toward Education 60
3 RELIGION, FESTIVALS, AND RITUALS 63
• A Religious Kaleidoscope 63
• Traditional Festivals and National Holidays 73
• Birthdays, Weddings, and Funerals 80
4 THE VIETNAMESE AT HOME 87
• Daily Life 89
• Who Spends What 91
• Housing 92
• The Education System 96
• Military Service 98
• Visiting a Vietnamese Home 100
5 FOOD AND DRINK 105
• Foreign Influences 105
• Eating Out 106
• Traditional Habits 114
• Banquets and Entertaining 116
• Dining Etiquette 119
• Chopstick Skills and Etiquette 120
6 TIME OUT 123
• Vietnamese Culture 124
• Shopping 130
• Places to Visit 132
7 TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY 145
• Getting Around 145
• Where to Stay 150
• Health 151
• Safety and Security 155
8 BUSINESS BRIEFING 161
• Vietnam’s New-Look Economy 161
• Making Investment Easier 163
• Doing Business 165
• Setting Up the Meeting 166
• At the Meeting 170
• The Decision-Making Process 172
• Contracts and Fulfillment 174
• Trade Unions 176
9 COMMUNICATING 179
• Language 179
• Face-to-Face Communication 183
• Body Language 187
• The Media 190
• Mail and Telecommunications 193
• Conclusion 194
Useful Apps 196
Further Reading 196
Picture Credits 197
Index 198
MAP OF VIETNAM
•Ha Giang CHINA
FANXDS•IPioeAnnN LBGai •esRTEnD RPOIVhERu N(SONGG HONKGN)HgTIu•h•aNyanei onHion••• GLaaingH Sao Lnong Bay
Hoa Binh• Haiphong
LAOS •Nam Dinh
• GULF OF
Thanh Hoa
TONGKIN
HAINAN
•Vinh
A Dong Hoi
N•
N
A •Quang Tri PARACEL
M •Hue ISLANDS
THAILAND Da• Nang (disputed)
SOUTH
Quang Ngai• CHINA
Kontum SEA
•
Pleiku•
Qui Nhon
•
Buon Me Thuot
CAMBODIA •
A
N
TGHUALILFA ONFD PhnoRLmoa ncPhge nGXhui•ay•HeCn•oit CTCyMEha Kh•(OonSTNiG aBa• MRyIiiVegE iRNnoni nMhnH•)•h o•yIaVERR T SANIGOh•oVuCnDOgaC T LaH•PaIuhtN•a nC HTI•hPi•ehCtaanm R Raanngh
SPRATLY
ISLANDS
(disputed)
7
INTRODUCTION
In the second half of the twentieth century, Vietnam
was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. War
raged. It was hard to know if it would ever end,
and harder still to understand fully the rights and
wrongs of the various protagonists. First, the French
tried to stem the tide of Vietnamese nationalism;
then the United States pitted itself against what it
thought was a puny enemy, but which turned out to
be tough, resilient, and ultimately victorious. The
Americans might have pondered the fact that the
Vietnamese had struggled, eventually successfully,
for more than a thousand years to escape the
clutches of their powerful neighbor, China. Patience
in adversity sums up the Vietnamese character.
Since the country was reunified in 1975, the
Vietnamese have undergone many hardships. The
immediate postwar years were extremely harsh for
many people in South Vietnam. Some fled into exile;
others underwent “rehabilitation” to make them fit
to live in a Communist state. To this were added
economic hardships and even starvation.
Today, however, life has improved significantly.
The decision to abandon one of the main tenets of
Marxism, the centrally planned economy, in favor
of a “socialist market economy” was a bold step, as
was the decision to throw open the doors and invite
the world, including former foes, to invest in the
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new Vietnam. As a result, the economy is one of the
world’s fastest growing.
Visitors will find a confident, independent
people, nursing few if any grudges about the
sufferings caused by the war. The Vietnamese people
are open and friendly, with a sense of humor and
irony, and frankly curious about the outside world.
Kind and generally helpful toward strangers, they
are industrious, determined to improve their living
standards, relatively honest, but always ready to
seize any advantage that might come their way.
Culture Smart! Vietnam is aimed at the visitor
who would like to learn a little more about the
history, culture, traditions, sensibilities, and
modern way of life of the Vietnamese. It explains
deep-seated attitudes and describes some of the
social, economic, and cultural changes now under
way. It dispels common Western misconceptions
and gives practical advice on what to expect and
how to behave in unfamiliar situations. Whether
you are visiting on business or for pleasure, we
hope it will enable you to discover for yourself the
warmth and vast potential of this fascinating
country and its people.
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