Vietnam - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
168
Vietnam - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781857338355 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Kuperard |
| Publication date: | 02/01/2016 |
| Series: | Culture Smart! |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 168 |
| File size: | 6 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Vietnam
By Geoffrey Murray
Bravo Ltd
Copyright © 2016 KuperardAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-85733-835-5
CHAPTER 1
LAND & PEOPLE
GEOGRAPHY
Vietnam is located in the heart of Southeast Asia on the eastern side of the Indochina peninsula, bordering China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and the South China Sea to the east and south.
It has a coastline 2,037 miles (3,278 km) long and an inland border 2,331 miles (3,751 km) long. A glance at the map will show its elongated "S" shape, measuring 1,031 miles (1,659 km) from the northernmost point to the southernmost, but with a maximum east–west width of 375 miles (600 km) in the north narrowing to only 31 miles (50 km) at the narrowest part in the Quang Binh province on the central coast, earning the country the nickname of "balcony of the Pacific."
There are four distinct geographical sectors, ranging from rugged mountains to marshy, fertile flatlands. Three-quarters of Vietnam's territory is made up of mountainous and hilly regions towering over the deltas and narrow plains. In the northwest, there are mountains that rise up to 10,312 feet (3,143 m) at Fanxipang, the highest point in Vietnam; it contains the famous battle site of Dien Bien Phu, where France's hopes of holding on to its Indochinese colony foundered in defeat in 1954. In the northeast is the "Viet Bac" — a former revolutionary base between 1945 and 1954. The mountains then make way for the Red River Delta, an alluvial plain and the most heavily populated region in the north.
Further south are the Truong Son (Annam Highlands), regarded as the backbone of Vietnam. A plateau (the Central Highlands) also occupies this area, separating Cambodia from the South China Sea. To the south of the Central Highlands is the Mekong Delta, fertile, marshy low country that eventually becomes the mangrove swamps of the Ca Mau Peninsula, the southernmost tip of Vietnam.
Vietnam is crisscrossed by numerous large and small rivers, with a river mouth on average for every 12.5 miles (20 km) of coastline. Most rivers are small and short and are dwarfed by the Red and Mekong Rivers, both of which start out far away in China, but are navigable throughout their length in Vietnam. To help prevent flooding in their deltas, a system of dikes and canals has been erected. This has helped improve farming in the Mekong Delta by preventing the salt-water flooding from the South China Sea that used to occur especially during the long, wet monsoon season. The Mekong Delta covers a vast area of 22,500 square miles (58,000 sq. km); with fertile soil and favorable climatic conditions, it is the biggest rice-growing area in Vietnam. The Red River Delta, known locally as the "northern delta," covers 9,375 square miles (24,000 sq. km). It has been created from the alluvial deposits carried down by two major rivers: the Red River and the Thai Binh River.
The particular geographical features of Vietnam's coast provide ideal conditions for the creation of a series of major deep-sea ports. As you travel from north to south, they are Hon Gai, Haiphong (serving Hanoi), Cua Lo, Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh, Vung Tau, and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). All the names from Da Nang southward will be familiar to Vietnam War veterans, as the ports were built up by the United States as key logistics bases. Cam Ranh Bay in particular remains famous worldwide as one of the world's most ideal seaports.
Offshore on Vietnam's continental shelf are thousands of islands and islets lying scattered from the northern to the southern end of the country. Among them are the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos in the South China Sea, which are subject to territorial disputes.
The coastline also offers a series of stunning swimming beaches with pure white sand, such as Tra Co, Do Son, Sam Son, Cua Lo, Ly Hoa, Thuan An, Non Nuoc, My Khe, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Ha Tien, Hoi An, and Mui Ne. In the north, Ha Long Bay, with its numerous picturesque rocky outcrops scattered over the sea, is recognized as a World Heritage site by Unesco.
Climate
Because its elongated shape crosses several degrees of latitude, Vietnam's climate is very varied. The average temperature in the north is 81°F (27°C) and in the south 70°F (21°C) and the climate is generally humid. There are clear differences in temperature throughout the year in the north, with four seasons, but very little in the south.
Two monsoons control the weather. One, which occurs mainly in the north from about October/November to March, is considered to be a dry monsoon. The other brings wet, warm weather to the entire country, with the exception of the mountainous areas, from April/May to October. July and August are considered the hottest and most humid months.
Repairing Environmental Damage
Apart from the appalling human carnage during the Vietnam War, saturation bombing, napalm, and chemical deforestation had a devastating effect on the country's forests, mangrove areas, wetlands, and wildlife. It is estimated that around two million hectares of forest and half of all the mangroves were destroyed. Large areas of the country were reduced to dioxin-soaked wasteland.
Until recently, pollution has been less of a problem than in many other countries, but as Vietnam industrializes and intensifies its agriculture to meet the needs of a growing population, levels of pesticides, chemicals, and waste products are climbing. On the positive side, the government long ago committed itself to restoring the forestry coverage to the prewar level and an extensive program of reforestation and mangrove planting has taken place to halt the serious loss of species of plants and wildlife. As a result, Vietnam remains high on the list of countries with extensive biodiversity: 12,000 plant species and 7,000 species of animals are already recorded, including many rare and endangered species.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Situated between India and China, the Indochina peninsula has always played an important role in international trade relations and in the movement of peoples in Southeast Asia. The term "Indochina" was coined in the nineteenth century by the Danish geographer Conrad Malte-Brun, in his Précis de la Géographie Universelle (1810–29).
Vietnam's strategic position on the eastern flank of the peninsula attracted the attention of a succession of great powers. China dominated the scene for over a thousand years, from just before the start of the modern era until the eleventh century. Whenever China was strong it sought to continue its hegemony; when it was weak, the Vietnamese took the chance to assert their independence. It was a constant struggle that produced many heroes. By the nineteenth century, China was too weak to oppose the growing depredations of French colonialists eager to carve out a Far Eastern empire. With the collapse of French domination in 1954, it was the turn of the United States to try briefly to influence Vietnamese affairs — an attempt that ended in 1975 with the reunification of the country under a Communist government.
But how was Vietnam founded? Legend tells of a marriage between King Lac Long Quan, the "Dragon Lord of the Mighty Seas," and the beautiful Princess Au Co, descendant of the "Immortals of the High Mountains" and the daughter of King De Lai. The symbolism is important, for the Dragon symbolizes yang and the Immortal is the symbol for yin, the opposing but complementary elements of Chinese cosmology. The union of the Dragon Lord and the Princess gave rise to one hundred sons and the "Kingdom of Each Viet," whose principalities extended from the lower Yangtze River in what is now central China to the north of Indochina. The kingdom prospered, but the Dragon Lord and the Princess of the Mountains, convinced that the difference in their origins would always deny them earthly happiness, decided to separate. Half the children returned with their mother to the mountains (that is, to China), while the others followed their father and established themselves beside the Eastern Sea (that is, Vietnam). In the third millennium BCE, the eldest son of the original union was crowned King of Lac Viet. He named himself King Hung Vuong and Lac Viet was renamed Van Lang. This kingdom comprised most of present-day North Vietnam and the northern part of Central Vietnam.
Ignoring legends, what is the reality? The first national name, Van Lang, was given to Vietnam by the Hung or Lac ethnic group, inventors of the wet rice cultivation technique and bronze drums still used today by the Muong minority. The Lac were followed by the Au or Tay Au, who arrived from the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. The two peoples integrated and formed the new kingdom of Au Lac. Following them came the Viet or Yue, an ethnic group who emigrated from the coastal provinces of ancient China around the fifth century BCE.
Etymologists and anthropologists have defined the origins of the Viet people by separating the components of the calligraphy for the word Viet, or Yue, as it is known in Mandarin. On the left side of this ideogram is a character pronounced ITLτITL in Vietnamese, meaning "to run," while the components on the right side signify a lance or javelin. Hence, the Viets were a race known since antiquity as a migratory, hunting people, perpetually moving and spreading beyond their frontiers of origin, carrying bow and arrow, axe and javelin. The word Viet is the Vietnamese pronunciation of a Chinese character meaning "beyond" or "far." Nam (south) probably served to differentiate between those Viets who remained in China and those who had left and headed south.
The kingdom of Van Lang prospered during the first millennium BCE under the rule of eighteen successive Hung kings descended from Hung Vuong, with a capital in the present Vinh Phu Province. At this time, King Thuc Phan governed the neighboring kingdom of Au Viet to the north of Van Lang. His desire to bring about a marriage between his daughter and Hung Vuong's son, however, was scornfully rejected, leading to protracted conflict that ultimately led to the destruction of Van Lang in 258 BCE.
Chinese Domination
Fifty years later, the kingdom fell into the hands of northern hordes led by an ambitious Chinese general, Trieu Da, founder of the independent kingdom of Nam Viet, which included much of present-day southern China. He proclaimed himself king in 208 BCE and founded the Trieu Dynasty, establishing his capital near present-day Guangzhou in southern China.
Under the Trieu Dynasty Nam Viet progressively entered the Chinese sphere of influence. In exchange for periodic tributes to the court of the Han Emperor, Nam Viet received protection against foreign invasion. This period was marked by continual intrigues, including a plot aimed at seizing Nam Viet; less than a century later, in the year 3 BCE, the Han Emperor Wudi sent his mighty armies to do just that. The country became a Chinese protectorate under the new name of Giao Chi. Highly qualified administrators were appointed as governors to rule the country, but their endeavors to introduce Chinese literature, arts, and agricultural techniques met with resistance as the Vietnamese not only guarded their national identity but fought fiercely to preserve it.
In 39 CE, a victorious armed revolt was led by two sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, but three years later, the superior generalship and weaponry of the Chinese Han armies led to the reassertion of Chinese control, which lasted until 543. During this time Nam Viet was administered as a Chinese province and a campaign was launched against the kingdom of Champa immediately to its south (see opposite).
In the second half of the sixth century, there was a series of rebellions that ended with the establishment of the third period of Chinese occupation (603–938). The Chinese made concerted efforts to establish their culture and civilization in Nam Viet, which they renamed Annam. When the Vietnamese eventually threw off the Chinese yoke, peace was cemented by the payment of tribute to the Chinese emperor every three years.
The dynasty that emerged, the Le Dynasty, decided the time was ripe to pacify the south. In 982, Le Dai Hanh launched a military expedition against the Cham kingdom, entered Indrapura (present-day Quang Nam), and burned the citadel of Champa. The conquest and integration of this northern part of the Cham kingdom brought about a marked Cham influence on Vietnamese culture, particularly in the fields of music and dance, that is still evident.
The Great Dynasties
More glorious still was the period of the Ly Dynasty (1009–1225), which became the first of the great national dynasties under whose rule the country became Dai (Great) Viet. Buddhism flourished as the national religion and, under the aegis of Confucian administrators, a centralized government, tax system, judiciary, and professional army were all established. In 1070, a National College was founded to educate future mandarins. Knowledge of the Confucian classics and mastery of literary composition and poetry were the main requirements of the College's rigorous three-year course, culminating in a very competitive diploma examination.
The greatest achievements of the Tran Dynasty (1225–1400) were the brilliant military victories in defense of Vietnamese independence, especially those of the king's brother, Tran Hung Dao, against Kublai Khan's much larger Mongol armies. The king's sister, Princess Huyen Tran, meanwhile, married the king of Champa in 1307, helping extend the national territory southward to Hue.
Chinese control was reasserted early in the fifteenth century by the Ming Dynasty, which strove to destroy Vietnamese national identity. Vietnamese literary, artistic, and historical works were either burned or taken to China and were replaced by the Chinese classics in all schools. Chinese dress and hairstyles were imposed on the Vietnamese women; local religious rites and costumes were replaced or banished; private fortunes were confiscated and taken to China. However, a new national champion, Le Loi, soon emerged to organize a resistance movement from his village and wage a guerrilla war against the Chinese. By employing a strategy of surprise attacks targeting his adversary's weakest points — tactics horribly familiar to American troops in Vietnam in the 1960s — Le Loi managed to weaken his enemy while avoiding direct combat with the superior Chinese forces. In 1428, he founded the Le Dynasty, which lasted until the early eighteenth century, although in later years it was frequently threatened by civil war and insurrection aimed at getting rid of the corruption rife in court.
In 1788, China made its last attempt at reconquest, only to be defeated by an army led by Nguyen Hue, founder of the Nguyen Dynasty, which lasted until 1883. This event also gave the country its modern name, Vietnam. Emperor Gia Long had wanted to rename it Nam Viet and sent his ambassador Le Quan Dinh to China in 1802 to seek approval. Le told the Qing Emperor in Beijing: "The new king of the Nguyen has succeeded in realizing what the former reigns of the Tran and Le could not — the reunification of the old land of An Nam and the new land of Viet Thuong. Consequently, we would like to ask your permission to change the ancient name of An Nam to Nam Viet." But the Chinese emperor decided the name recalled Trieu Da's ancient kingdom of Nam Viet Dong, which had included the two Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, and felt that this could lead to misunderstandings or might even conceal territorial ambitions. The problem was solved by simply reversing the order of the two words to Viet Nam.
This state now extended from the Chinese frontier to the Ca Mau Peninsula in the south, incorporating neighboring Laos and Cambodia as vassal states and with its capital at Hue.
French Colonization
French Catholic missionaries began to penetrate Indochina in the sixteenth century, but it was in the nineteenth century, during the race by various European powers for colonies around the world, that France staked its claim to Indochina. In the 1860s, the French made Cochin China a colony and gained protectorates over Cambodia, followed by Annam and Tonkin in 1884. Three years later, these four states were formed into a union of Indochina, with a governor-general based in Hanoi; Laos was added in 1893.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Vietnam by Geoffrey Murray. Copyright © 2016 Kuperard. Excerpted by permission of Bravo Ltd.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Cover,Title Page,
Copyright,
About the Author,
Map of Vietnam,
Introduction,
Key Facts,
Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE,
Chapter 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES,
Chapter 3: RELIGION, FESTIVALS, AND RITUALS,
Chapter 4: THE VIETNAMESE AT HOME,
Chapter 5: FOOD AND DRINK,
Chapter 6: TIME OUT,
Chapter 7: TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY,
Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING,
Chapter 9: COMMUNICATING,
Further Reading,
Acknowledgments,