Country Profile of VIETNAM in English

8/20/2019 Country Profile of VIETNAM in English

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Info4Migrants

VIETNAMCountry prole

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615


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332,210 km2

92,477 mlnPOPULATION

GDP per capita

CURRENCY

$1,910

Language VIETNAMESE

Dong (VND)

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VIETNAM FACTS

Language

Vietnamese is a tonal language that can be compared to

Cambodia’s ocial language, Khmer. With each syllable,

there are six dierent tones that can be used, which changethe meaning. This oen makes it dicult for foreigners topick up the language.

There are other languages spoken as well, for exampleChinese, Khmer, Cham and tribal languages spoken bytribes inhabing the mountainous regions. There are somesimilaries between Vietnamese and Southeast Asian lan-guages, such as Chinese, but Vietnamese is thought to be aseparate language group, even though it is a member of theAustro-Asiac language family.

In wrien form, Vietnamese uses the Roman alphabet andaccent marks to show tones. This system of wring, calledquoc ngu, was created by Catholic missionaries in the 17thcentury to translate the scriptures. Eventually this system,parcularly aer World War I, replaced a system using Chi-

nese characters (chu nom), which had been the unocialwrien form used for centuries.

CapitalHanoi is Vietnam’s capital and second largest city (af -ter Ho Chi Minh City). Hanoi has been a major policalcity in Vietnam since it was established in 1010, andserved as the capital of French Indochina and North

Vietnam.

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New Year

Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, is the most importantcelebraon in Vietnamese culture. The word is a short-ended form of Tết Nguyên Đán, which is Sino-Vietnam-ese for “Feast of the First Morning of the First Day”. Tếtcelebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamesevariaon of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, where thedate usually falls between the months of January andFebruary. Vietnamese New Year, the rst day of spring,carries with it all the rebirth connotaons that Easter

has in the West.

There are a lot of customs pracced during Tết, such asvising a person’s house on the rst day of the New Year(xông nhà), ancestral worshipping, wishing New Year’sgreengs, giving lucky money to children and elderlypeople, and opening a shop.

Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions.

During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relaves and temples,forgeng about the troubles of the past year and hop-ing for a beer upcoming year.

VIETNAM FACTS

Nguyen surnameAs of 2012, about 36 million people, constung ap-proximately 40% of all Vietnamese around the world,share the same family name Nguyễn.

Nguyễn ranks 4th on the list of the world’s most com-mon surnames, only aer Li or Lee (with more than 120

million people), Zhang (100 million), and Wang (92.88million). The Vietnamese surname is also becoming themost popular one in Australia.

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Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochi-na War, and also known in Vietnam as Resistance WarAgainst America, was a Cold War era proxy war that oc-

curred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 Novem-ber 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975.

ReligionMost Vietnamese consider themselves non-religious,though many sll aend religious services. Vietnam’sgovernment does not require an ocial religion, thoughit only recognizes Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestansm,Islam, Cao Dai, and Hoa Hao.

The main religion pracced in Vietnam is also the oldestone, Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism, along with Confu-cianism and Taoism, are considered the “Triple Religion”that all work with one another. Vietnamese culture alsopracces ancestor-worship, like much of Asia.

Hoa Hao (a form of Buddhism) and Cao Dai are tworeligions of Vietnamese origin. Cao Dai is not generallyaccepted as a form of Buddhism.

VIETNAM FACTS

FoodVietnamese food is a blend of Chinese and Thai styles andit is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world,with its combinaon of fresh ingredients like fresh herbs,seafood, fruits and vegetables along with sh sauce, shrimppaste, soy sauce and rice.

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1 January: New Year’s Day

Vietnam takes part in the in-ternaonal celebraon of therst day of the rst month ofthe Gregorian calendar.

Moveable date in January -

February: Lunar New Year

The “Feast of the First Morn-ing”, or simply “Tet”, is themost important occasion ofall Vietnam public holidays.The week leading to Tet isvery busy as families cleantheir homes, sele theirdebts, buy new clothes,personal eects and otherneeds for the coming year,cook food to last through thefesvies, and reconcile withthemselves and others toleave behind any ill will.

Moveable date in April:

Hung King Fesval

On this day, people pay trib-ute to the Hung kings whowere instrumental in found-ing Vietnam. Ceremonial

incense burning in temples

is performed in their mem-ory and honor. The holidayfeatures bronze drum per-formances, parades on slts,folk song contests, and drag-on parades.

30 April: Independence DayOn this day in 1975, Saigonwas captured by the Commu-nist-backed Viet Cong, endingthe Vietnam War with theUnited States on the losingside. The “Fall of Saigon” ledto the reunicaon of Northand South, which for yearshave been divided ideologi-cally.

On this day, there are militaryparades, cultural performanc-es that highlight the triumph

of Vietnamese revoluon-aries, and reworks that sig-nal the hour when the SouthVietnamese governmentnally surrendered.

1 May: Internaonal Labour

Day

True to its working classideology, Vietnam honors thelaborers on this day and theireconomic and social contri-

buons to the country.

2 September: Naonal DayCommemorates the daywhen President Ho Chi Minhdeclared Vietnam’s indepen-

dence from colonial forces.On this day in 1945, Ho ChiMinh read a declaraon ofindependence from France.However, sovereignty wouldonly come aer the VietnamWar, when Northern Viet-nam, backed by communistChina, nally won. To markthis turning point in the coun-

try’s history, the yellow-star-red-background Vietnameseags are own everywhere,and the streets and billboards

are ooded with pictures of“Uncle Ho.”

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS



• Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews in the world,and the second largest exporter of rice.

• Although Vietnam is a devel-oping country, it has a literacyrate of 94%.

• Among all developing countries, Viet-nam has one of the lowest unemploy-ment rates.

• An esmated ten million motor bikes travel

on the roads of Vietnam every day.

• Ruou ran (snake wine), a Vietnamese specialtyof rice wine with a pickled snake inside, allegedlycan cure any sickness.

• The Vietnamese language has six dierent tones.A change in tone changes the meaning of the

word.

• Vietnam is world-famous for its animal wildlife.This wildlife – which includes elephants, bua-loes, gers, monkeys, rhinoceroses, snakes andturtles – aracts thousands of tourists to Viet-nam each year.

• Local people prefer Saigon to Ho Chi MinhCity, which was imposed by the government inHanoi.

AMAZING FACTS

ABOUT VIETNAM



SOCIAL CULTURE

Respect for parents and ancestors is animportant virtue in Vietnam. The oldestmale in the family is the head of the familyand the most important family member. Hisoldest son is the second leader of the fami-ly. Somemes, related families live togetherin a big house and help each other.

Vietnam Culture vs Western ValuesThe French introduced Western values ofindividual freedom and sexual equality,which undermined the tradional Vietnam-ese social system.

In urban areas, Western paerns of socialbehaviour became increasingly common,

especially among educated and wealthyVietnamese who aended French schools,read French books, replaced tradional at-re with Western-style clothing, and drankFrench wines instead of the tradional winedislled from rice. Adolescents began toresist the tradion of arranged marriages,

and women chafed under social mores thatdemanded obedience to their fathers andhusbands. In the countryside, however, tra-dional Vietnamese family values remainedstrong.

The trend toward adopng Western valuesconnues in South Vietnam aer the divi-sion of the country in 1954. Many youngpeople embraced sexual freedom and themovies, clothing styles, and rock musicfrom Western cultures became popular. Butin the North, social ethnics were dened byVietnam Communist Party’s principles.

The government ocially recognized equal-ity of the sexes, and women began to ob-tain employment in professions previouslydominated by men.

At the same me, the government beganenforcing a more puritanical lifestyle as ameans to counter the so-called decadent

pracces of Western society. Tradionalvalues connued to hold sway in rural areas

and countryside, where the concept ofmale superiority remained common.

In the 1980s, the Vietnamese governmentadopted an economic reform program thatencouraged foreign investment and tourismdevelopment.

As a result, the Vietnamese people have

become increasingly acquainted with andinuenced by the lifestyles in developedcountries of Southeast South East Asia andthe West.



VALUE SYSTEM

Allegiance to the family

The most important factor in the valuesystem of the Vietnamese is, no doubt, thefamily. The family is the center of the Viet-namese common man’s preoccupaon andthe backbone of Vietnamese society. By vir-tue of the principle of collecve and mutualresponsibility, each individual strives to bethe pride of his family.

Misconduct of an individual is blamed notonly on himself, but also on his parents,siblings, relaves, and ancestors. Likewise,any success or fame achieved by an individ-ual brings honor and pride to all members

of his family. The Vietnamese child is taughtfrom early childhood to readily forget him-self for the sake of his family’s welfare andharmony. Central to the concept of family

is the obligaon of lial piety which is con-sidered the most essenal of all virtues inVietnamese society.

The profound love for and aachmentto the family is extended to the physicalset- ng in which the family is located: thenave village. The nave village is not onlythe place where he the child was born and

brought up and where his parents andfamily live, but also a place where his theirancestors are buried. Many Vietnamese,especially people in the rural areas, never

move out of their nave villages or prov-inces. This deep aachment to the navevillage explains the lack of horizontal mobil-ity in Vietnamese society.

The concept of “good name”

The value that the Vietnamese place on theconcept of “good name” cannot be under-esmated. To the Vietnamese, agood name is beer than anymaterial possession in this

world. By securing agood name for him-self, a man can com-mand respect and

admiraon fromhis fellow country-men.

A rich and pow-erful person witha bad reputaon islooked down upon,while a poor manwith a good name is

respected.

There are three ways to ac-quire a good name: either by he-roic deeds, by intellectual achievements,or by moral virtues. Leading a virtuous lifeis the easiest and surest path to a good

name for there are few opportunies in oureveryday life to be heroic and few people

are endowed with exceponal intellectualqualies.

The virtues most culvated are the sense

The Vietnamese value system is based on

four basic tenets: allegiance to the family,

yearning for a good name, love of learn-

ing, and respect for other people. These

tenets are closely interrelated.



of honor, honesty, righteousness, modesty,generosity, and disdain for material gains,virtues most extolled by the Confuciandoctrine. In view of the strong solidarity ofthe Vietnamese family, it is not surprising toknow that the Vietnamese strives for a goodname not only for himself, but also for hisparents and children.

Love of learning

The Vietnamese people in general seem to

have a great love for knowledge and learn-ing. They seem He seems to have parcularrespect and admiraon for learned people.Like the virtuous man, the learned manenjoys great presge in Vietnamese society.Oen, they are the one and the same man.The Vietnamese conceives that knowledgeand virtues are but the two complementaryaspects of the ideal man.

People associated with knowledge andlearning (scholars, writers and teachers)have always been highly respected, not onlyby the students but also by parents and

people from all walks of life.

Learning is considered more valuable thanwealth and material success. Rich peoplewho are not educated are oen lookeddown upon by other people, and theythem- selves feel inferior to learned peo-ple who are poor. In the tradional socialsystem the scholar ranked rst, before the

farmer, arsan, and tradesman.

Even nowadays, the learned man is heldin high esteem and respect. The love of

learning does not spring from purely disin-terested moves. The lure of presge andthe prospect of improved social status areamong the strongest incenves to the pur-suit of knowledge. Educaon represents theessenal stepping stones to the social lad-der and to good job opportunies. It is theprime force of vercal mobility in Vietnam-ese society.

Concept of respect

The Vietnamese common man is expected

to show respect to people who are senior tohim in age, status, or posion. At home, aperson should show respect to his parents,older siblings, and older relaves. This isexpressed by obedience in words and ac-on. Respect is a part of the concept of lialpiety.

Outside the family, respect should be paidto elderly people, teachers, clergymen,supervisors and employers, and people inhigh posions. Learned and virtuous peopleenjoy special respect and admiraon. But

respect is not a one-way behavior. The Viet-namese also expect other people to showrespect, by virtue of theirthe age, status, orposion. Special respect is gained by lead-ing a virtuous life, by accomplishing certainheroic deeds or by achieving a high degreeof intellectuality.

Respect is expressed by specic behaviors

and linguisc devices inherent in the Viet-namese language. It is one of the essenalfactors in the value system of the Vietnam-ese people.

VALUE SYSTEM

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Table Manners

• Wait to be shown where to sit.• The oldest person should sit rst.• Pass dishes with both hands.• The most common utensils are chopscks and a at spoon.• Chopscks should be placed on the table or a chopsck rest aer every few mouthfuls

or when pausing to drink or speak.• People hold bowls close to their faces.• Hold the spoon in your le hand while eang soup.• Meals are typically served family-style.• Try to nish everything on your plate.• When you are nished eang, rest your chopscks on top of your rice bowl.• Dierent dishes are served at the same me or one aer another. Dishes are not normally served in separate plates as in Western style.

IMPORTANT TIPS

Dining and Entertainment

• The Vietnamese style of dining is chopscksand rice bowls. Hold your rice bowl in yourhand; it is considered lazy to eat from a ricebowl that is on the table.

• The host may serve guests, but will usually

just invite everyone to begin helping them-selves. Food is placed on dishes at the centerof the table from which each person helpshim/herself.

• An oer of tea at a recepon or meeng isa ritual form of hospitality and should not berefused.

• Alcohol drinks are oen oered to theguests, the choice depends on their age andstatus.



Gis

Flowers are normally given only by men to

women.

Always wrap a gi in colorful paper.

When vising a Vietnamese home, bring a

gi for the hostess. A gi for children or an

elderly parent is also appreciated.

Give items useful for daily acvity, like de-

signer soaps, cosmecs, lamps or framedpictures for the home.

Don’t give handkerchiefs (symbols of a sad

farewell). Most Asians consider the Western

habit of using a cloth handkerchief and then

returning it to your pocket to be barbaric.

In business, give whiskey. Business gis are

quite common nowadays and have become

a must especially during special occasions

like Lunar New Year. Only giing people withmoney might be interpreted as a bride. Try

to save your business gi giving unl you

are invited to your colleague’s home.

If invited to a Vietnamese home:

• Bring fruit, sweets, owers, or incense.

• Gis should be wrapped in colourful pa-

per.

Especially for Women

In the major cies, lile sexual discrimina-

on exists, and Vietnamese women receive

equal pay for equal work. In the country-

side, men are sll bossthe leaders. Western

women should dress conservavely in Viet-

nam. When dining with a Vietnamese man,

a western businesswoman should arrange

to eat in a public place and should insist

upon hosng.

Collecvism

Vietnam is a collecvist society in which the

needs of the group are oen placed over

the individual. Family and community con-

cerns will almost always come before busi-

ness or individual needs. Family in parcular

plays an important role in Vietnamese soci-

ety.

Nursing homes are only for elderly who

have no children to care for them. It is al-

ways the responsibility and honor of the son

to move his parents in with his family when

they can no longer care for themselves.

IMPORTANT TIPS



A long struggle for independence has given the Vietnamese a deep sense of na-

onal pride. Vietnamese value their independence and get oended by people who

ignore or violate it. Families are very strong and help each other in all needs.

PEOPLE IN VIETNAM

Body LanguageSummoning someone with a curled index

nger, as is done in the West, is only done

by the boss. To beckon someone, extend

your arm, palm down, and move your n-

gers in a scratching moon. Only beckon

someone who has a “lower” status than

you.

Men and women do not show aecon in

public.

Always use both hands when passing an

object to another person.

Touching children on the head is only done

by parents, grandparents, etc.

Meeng and GreengThe Vietnamese generally shake both hands

when greeng and when saying good-bye.

Bow your head slightly to show respect.

Bow to the elderly who do not extendtheir hand. Vietnamese women are more

inclined to bow their head slightly than to

shake hands.

When greeng someone, say “xin chao”

(seen chow) + given name + tle. The Viet-

namese are delighted if a Westerner can

properly say “xin chao” (because Vietnam-

ese is a tonal language, “xin chao” can havesix dierent meanings, only one of which is

“Hello”).



DOS AND DON’TS

General Don’ts

• Avoid public displays of aecon with a

member of the opposite sex.

• Do not touch someone’s head.

• Pass items with both hands.

• Do not point with your nger – use your

hand.

• Do not stand with your hands on your

hips.

• Do not cross your arms on your chest.

• Do not pass anything over someone’s

head.

• Do not touch anyone on the shoulder.

• Do not touch a member of the opposite

sex.

• Shorts should only be worn at the beach.

• The foot is considered unclean; do not

show the soles of your feet and don’t touch

anything else with your feet but the ground.

Don’t cause Vietnamese to “lose face”

The concept of “saving face” is extremely

important in East Asian social relaonships.

Avoid behavior that causes embarrassment

to another party, and hold back behavior

that can be misconstrued as overly aggres-

sive. Don’t wheedle or insist. Most impor-

tantly, don’t lose your temper in public; tryto be cool and collected whenever possible.

Dos and Don’ts in Business

• Seniority is highly respected; the oldest

person should be greeted rst

• Vietnamese negoate always and about

everything; manage the game and don’t

give in too soon•Make sure you are being personally in-

troduced to new business contacts on the

right level

• Invest adequate me in developing new

business relaons and geng to get to

know each other

• Try to listen to what your business partner

is really telling you; Vietnamese don’t say

‘no’ in a direct waydirectly

• Never loose your paence or temper;

don’t show any negave emoons

• Take the supersous beliefs of your

business partner seriously; don’t make any

jokes about it

• Address your business partner with his

third or last name and add professional or

government tles if possible (e.g. NgyenVan Tran would be Mr. Ngyen or Professor

Ngyen)

Greeng

You should greet people in their na-

ve language which is “Xin Chao!”

for “Hello!” and always use “Thank

you” which is “Cam on!” with bent

head when you get something from

them. It shows how much you re-

spect them and how grateful you

feel.

When it comes to greengs, there

are no dierences to the way West -

ern people greet each other.

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CORPORATE CULTURE

Corporate CultureBusiness cards are usually exchanged when

meeng for the rst me. Give and receivea business card with both hands.

The Vietnamese are generally quite punctu-al and expect foreigners to be the same.

Individual connecons are not as importantas in many other Asian countries, becauseno one holds absolute power to make a

decision. You cannot rely on one person ina parcular organizaon to safeguard yourinterests.

The Vietnamese willingness to avoid un-pleasantness can somemes lead to greatmisunderstandings. “Yes” may not mean“yes.” When the Vietnamese say “No prob-lem,” you can take it to mean “Yes, there is

a problem.”

Double and even triple-check all commit-

ments, and then monitor them closely.

DressFor business, men should wear conservavebut casual suits and es. Women shouldwear a conservave dress or a business-likeblouse and pants.

Business Equee and ProtocolAlways wait for a woman to extend her

hand. If she does not, bow your head slight-

ly.Appointments are required and should be

made several weeks in advance.

Silence is also common in meengs wheresomeone disagrees with another but re-mains quiet so as to not cause a loss offace.

The spoken word is very important. Nevermake promises that you cannot keep, to asthis will lead to losinga loss of face.

The Vietnamese can be very

exible and accommodang

when situaons occur that

are beyond the control of one

of the pares involved.



With an esmated 90.5 million inhabitants as of 2011, Vietnam is the world’s13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country. In 1986, thegovernment instuted economic and polical reforms and began a path towards inter-

naonal reintegraon. By 2000, it had established diplomac relaons with most naons.Its economic growth has been among the highest in the world since 2000, with such highgrowth set to connue. Vietnam has the highest Global Growth Generators Index among11 major economies, and its successful economic reforms resulted in it joining the WorldTrade Organizaon in 2007.

Vietnam Economy

The Vietnamese economy is a developing planned economy and market economy.

Manufacturing, informaon technology and high-tech industries now form a large andfast-growing part of the naonal economy. Though Vietnam is a relave newcomer to theoil industry, it is currently the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, with an outputof 400,000 barrels per day. Deep poverty, dened as the percentage of the populaon liv-ing on less than $1 per day, has declined signicantly in Vietnam, and the relave povertyrate is now less than that of China, India, and the Philippines, giving rise to a middle class,according to the CIA World Factbook.

Global Trade in Vietnam

Since the early 2000s, Vietnam has applied sequenced trade liberalisaon, and in July2006, Vietnam updated its intellectual property legislaon to comply with TRIPS, and itbecame a member of the WTO on 11 January 2007. Vietnam is now one of Asia’s mostopen economies: two-way trade was valued at around 160% of GDP in 2006. As a resultof several land reform measures, Vietnam has become a major exporter of agriculturalproducts. It is now the world’s largest producer of cashew nuts, with a one-third glob-al share; the largest producer of black pepper, accounng for one-third of the world’s

market; and the second-largest rice exporter in the world, aer Thailand. Other primaryexports include coee, tea, rubber, and shery products.

ECONOMY OF VIETNAM

With its large populaon and great geographic locaon, Vietnam is

likely to be one of the biggest markets of the future.

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Country Profile of VIETNAM in English