Vietnam

Similarities and Differences Between Vietnam and the US

Anonymous

I came to the US in the summer after fifteen years of waiting for US approval. Traffic in the US surprised me. It has five or more lanes on the freeway with high speeds. The next day, when I went to Safeway, I was surprised too, because you can check out your stuff by yourself. After one year in the US, I know a lot of things that are absolutely different from Vietnam. In the US, every job with income must pay a tax, but in Vietnam we don’t pay taxes if we are low income. Parents will not pay school fees if you are not high income in the US, but in Vietnam you must pay for every class for your kid, etc. Especially, the US has good weather, and there is less dust than in Vietnam. My hometown in Vietnam is 120°F every day so we feel very hot. In short, every country is unique, but I love both.

Things I Miss About My Country

By Hanh Nguyen

My name is Hanh, and I’m from Vietnam.  I miss a lot of things in my country.  The thing I miss the most is my family.  I miss my mom, dad, 2 sisters, and 2 brothers.  Another thing I miss the most is my food.  I miss pho, banh mi (bread).  I made this food at home before.  I miss my friend.  I want to go to restaurants in my city and go travel in my country.  Nature is very beautiful and famous (Ha Long Bay).  Ha Long Bay is where the movie King Kong 3 was filmed.  I miss my city.  It’s hot all year long and it rains a lot in summer, and there are many motorcycles that run on the street so traffic is busy.

Comparing Behaviors in Public

By Ly Nguyen

If I hadn’t moved to the US, I wouldn’t have noticed cultural differences. After 3 years living in America, I have formed some behaviors which have gradually become my habits. Cultural differences in the US that I rarely experience in Vietnam are three aspects of behavior in public such as greeting strangers, holding doors for others, and queueing in line.

For one thing, greeting strangers is a normal thing in the US, but this action is actually very strange in Vietnam. When I just moved to the US, I changed from surprise to reacting like people did. It occurred to me that I’m welcomed to live and work here, which made me so happy. My neighbor is an American, but he always smiles and says “Hi, how are you today?” and leaves with saying “Have a good day!” This greeting action accidentally brings two smiles from strangers, so I think this culture benefits people. In Viet Nam, certainly people can’t do that between strangers except asking directly for something you need help with. When you act with strangers by the way like in America, people can ask you “Do you look at the wrong person?’ or “Do I look like your friend?” or “Sorry, do we know each other?” Apparently, this action will receive a surprising reaction in Vietnam. Therefore, we should act appropriately at where we are.

Another thing is that holding doors for people who come after is also a culture of Americans, while Vietnamese only do this for people they love or respect. The situation I knew about this culture was embarrassing because I seemed impolite in others’ eyes. The first time I went to a restaurant in America with my family, I misread it because I thought the man who held the door for me was a waiter. I said “Thank you!”, and I didn’t hold the door for the next person. My son reminded me that I should hold the door for that person because everyone does that. And when I have experienced myself with this, I feel a warm sense between strangers, and it benefits me as well. Different from America, it will be redundant to do that in Vietnam. I only see this action from some boys or men when they want to show their love with their partners, or people who are high class in society are always welcomed by others or who are lower class or who would gain benefits from bosses, employers. Also, luxury places often have a person whose duty it is to open the doors to show their class of service when welcoming their customers. Generally, to avoid embarrassing situations, before you come to live in what country, you should get to know the culture there well.

The final thing is that if queuing in lines to wait for your turn is normal in America, it’s supposed to be the civilized behavior in Vietnam and increasingly popular. Americans not only queue in line, but also keep quiet to not influence others. Everybody respects public space, and everything has taken place in order. I like it. Whereas this culture in my country is practiced in big cities where the economy grows stronger than other places, and have economic exchange with foreign countries. In my town, I see this culture somewhere in the supermarkets. Some other places where people are served outside, they don’t need to wait for their turn. For example, when you come to a restaurant or a coffee shop, you can go in and choose the table you want without waiting to ask the servers. Certainly, the service isn’t as good as in order, especially with crowds of people. That’s why the owners feel under pressure to run their business. In summary, you need to observe the surrounding environment before acting because cultural differences between two countries are of course; and another thing is culture is also different between regions in the same country.

In conclusion, an action can be normal in a country doesn’t mean it’s okay in others, so it makes a difference. This reminds us that we should pay attention to where we are coming to avoid embarrassing situations, and keep nice thoughts in others’ view. I like the culture in America which makes me feel not alone with the new environment. In other words, it gives me a sense that I’m welcomed to live and work here. About my country, the culture has a specific feature itself. Vietnam is a developing country, I think the economic developments will lead the changes of culture naturally to suit the integrated trend. After all, familiarizing yourself with the culture where you are coming is a life skill that you should have.

Ha Long Bay

By Winnie Pham

To everyone who doesn’t know about Viet Nam, today I would like to introduce you to one of the most beautiful scenic spots in Viet Nam, called Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is also the best site for adventure, culture, and cuisine.

A long time ago, I had a chance to visit Ha Long Bay. For the first time, I saw many small islands and caves in Quang Ninh Province. An interesting thing is the islands are named after things around us. In the Bay, I could play so many water spots like swimming, sailing and windsurfing. Once I visited Bo Hon Island – the home of a variety of flora and fauna, Yen Tu Mountain, Surprise Cave and Kissing Rocks. Moreover, the thing that I was most impressed by is the residents there were very amiable, hospitable, and ready to help anyone if they were in a fix. Finally, I loved the seafood in Ha Long Bay, especially grilled squid. I was so grateful and it was so enjoyable to be there to have a wonderful vacation.

To sum up, the mystical, dreamy and elegant Ha Long Bay has become the pride of Vietnamese people. Ha Long Bay is the best choice to relax after hard-working days.

Weddings in Viet Nam

By Huu Nam Phan

Today I am writing about weddings in Viet Nam. Everyone usually has at least one wedding party in their whole life. So that’s why I like to talk about this. The families of the groom and bride choose a good day to stage the party. They prepare lots of thing for big party. We usually have many people join this party. It depends how big the family is. The wedding party occurs with many ceremonies, like the bride and groom proving their love before the ancestors and everybody else. We always have two parties for a wedding: once for the groom and once for the bride. The bride’s party we call “VU QUY,” and the groom’s party we call “THANH HON.” The bride and the groom are each party’s main character. They get lots of good words and many presents from everyone. Everyone comes to join the party with make-up, dressing up and feeling happy. I love wedding parties because after the ceremony, we play music, dance, and have lots of food on the table. Everyone enjoys much alcohol, beer, wine… and gets drunk. Most of the party is very happy and fun, but some parties are not happy because some people drink lots of alcohol and beat up each other. I don’t like when this happens with any party. At the end of the party, everyone goes home, but some people stay to help clean up. The bride and groom belong together after that day.

The Legend of Ba Om Pond

By Ngoc Tran

I come from Vietnam – a country in Southeast Asia. And today, I’ll tell you a legend story about Ba Om Pond – a beautiful and famous landscape in my home city – Tra Vinh province. And I think that you have never heard about this city because it is small and not flashy like Saigon or Hanoi.

According to legend, when the dry season came, to have freshwater to use, Khmer villagers often organized a pond digging contest between two groups of men and women and also to decide whoever loses will have to marry the other.

In the men’s group, they both worked and played because they thought that they have strength. Unlike the women’s group, under the leadership of a man named Om, who worked very hard, digging holes day and night, and at the end they used many tricks to delay the men’s group. When the digging was almost done, they also released lanterns in the east, making the male group think that the morning star had risen, so they left early. But the women’s group stayed and continued to dig the lake until the morning star rose and the allotted time of the contest was over.

After the competition, the men’s group lost and their pond was still visible despite having dried up. The women group’s pond is named after Mrs. Om. And nowadays, everyone calls it Ba Om Pond.

And next to Ba Om Pond, there is the oldest Khmer temple in Tra Vinh – Ang Pagoda (Angkorajaborey Temple). It was built in 990 according to the legend.

In 1994, both Ang Pagoda and Ba Om Pond were recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a national historical and cultural relic.

My Life in the US

By Mindy Vinh

I like my school and enjoy my class. I want to talk to many people. I like the weather here. It’s more comfortable. The weather in my country is too hot.

Every day I cook breakfast for my daughter. I want to speak English.