Vietnam culture
Geography | Climate | Economy | Transportation | Language | Population | Religion | Education | Culture | Tourism | Cuisine | Art
Vietnam extends approximately 331,688 km² in area. The area of the country running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km. The topography consists of hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains account for 40% of the area, with smaller hills accounting for 49% and tropical 42%. The Delta of the Red River (also knows as Song Hong), a flat, triangular region of 3,000 square kilometres, is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in by the enormous alluvial deposits of the rivers over a period of millennia, and it advances one hundred meters into the Gulf annually. The Mekong Delta, covering about 40,000 square meters, is a low-level plain not more than three meters above the sea level at any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers. So much sediment is carried by the Mekong’s various branches and tributaries that the delta advances sixty to eighty meters into the sea every year.
Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, with humidity averaging 84% throughout the year. However, because of differences in latitude and the marked variety of topographical relief, the climate tends to vary considerably from place to place. During the winter or dry season, extending roughly from November to April, the monsoon winds usually blow from the northeast along the China coast and across the Gulf of Tonkin, picking up considerable moisture; consequently the winter season in most parts of the country is dry only by comparison with the rainy or summer season. The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the mountains and plateaus.
The Vietnam War destroyed much of the economy of Vietnam. Upon taking power, the Government created a planned economy in the nation. Collectivization of farms, factories and economic capital was implemented, and millions of peopleMarket were put to work in government programs. For many decades, Vietnam’s economy was trade embargo from the United Stats and most of Europe after the Vietnam War. Subsequently, the trade partners of the Communist blocs began to erode. In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress introduced signigicant economic reforms with market economy elements as part of a broad economic reform package called “doi moi” (Renovation). Private ownership was encouraged in industries, commerce and agriculture. Vietnam achieved around 8% annual GDP growth from 1990 to 1997 and continued at around 7% from 2000 to 2005, making it the world’s second-fastest growing economy. Simultaneously, foreign investment grew threefold and domestic savings quintupled. Manufacturing, information technology and high-tech industries form a large and fast-growing part of the national economy. Vietnam is a relative new-comer to the oil business, but today it is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia with output of 400,000 barrels per day. Vietnam is one of Asia’s most open economies: two-way trade is around 160% of GDP, more than twice the ration for China and over four times Indias.
Vietnam is still a relatively poor country with GDP of US$280.2 billion (est. 2006, source: Economist Intelligence Unit). Inflation rate was estimated at 7.5% per year in 2006. The spending power of the public has noticeably increased. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines. As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer of cashew nuts with one-third global share and third largest rice exporter in the world. Vietnam has the highest percent of land use for permanent crops, 6.93%, of any nation in the Greater Mekong Sub region. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea, rubber and fishery products. However, agriculture’s share of economic output has declined, falling as a share of GDP from 42% in 1989 to 20% in 2006, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the unemployment rate in Vietnam is one of the lowest in the world at 2%, trailing behind only Azerbaijan, Cuba, Iceland, Andorra and Liechtenstein. Among other steps taken in process of transitioning to a market economy, Vietnam in July 2006 updated its intellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS. Vietnam was accepted into WTO on November 7, 2006. Vietnam’s chief trading partners include Japan, Australia, ASEAN countries, the US and Western European countries.
The modern transport network of Vietnam was originally developed under French rule for the purpose of raw materials harvesting, and reconstructed and extensively modernized following the Vietnam War. The road system is the most popular form of transportation in the country. Vietnam’s road managed by the provincial level; district roads managed by district level; urban roads managed by cities and towns; and commune roads managed by the commune level.
Bicycles and motorcycles remain the most popular forms of the road transport in Vietnam’s cities, towns and villages. Public bus operated by private companies is the main long distance travel means by many people. Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the city’s roads struggle to cope with the booming numbers of automobiles. There are also more than 17,000 km of navigable waterways, which play a significant role in rural life owing to the extensive network of rivers in Vietnam.
The nation has seven developed ports and harbors at Cam Ranh, Da Nanh, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhon and Nha Trang.
According to official figures, 86.2% of the population speak Vietnamese as a native language. In its early history, Vietnamese writing used Chinese characters. In the 13th century, the Vietnamese developed their own set of characters called Chu Nom. The celebrated epic Doan Truong Tan Thanh ( Truyen Kieu or The Tale of Kieu) by Nguyen Du was written in Chu Nom. During the French colonial period, Quoc Ngu, the romanized Vietnamese alphabet used for spoken Vietnamese, which was developed in 17th century by Jesuit Alexandre De Rhodes and several other catholic missionaries, became popular and brought literacy to the masses.
Various other languages are spoken by several minority groups in Vietnam. The most common of these are Tay, Muong, Khmer, Chinese, Nung and H’Mong. The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is still widely spoken by thousands of Vietnamese as a second language. Russian – and to a much lesser extent German, Czech or Polish – is sometimes known among those whose families had ties with the Soviet bloc. In recent yeas, English is becoming more popular as a second language. English study is obligatory in most schools. Chinese and Japanese have also become more popular.
Recent census estimates the population of Vietnam at beyond 84 million. Vietnamese people, also called “Viet” or “Kinh”, account for 86.2 percent of population. Their population is concentrated in the alluvial deltas and coastal plains of the country. A homogeneous social and ethnic majority group, the Kinh exert political and economic control. There are more than 54 ethnic minorities throughout the country, but the Kinh are purveyors of the dominant culture. Mist ethnic minorities, such as the Muong, a closely related ethnic of the Kinh, are found mostly in the highlands covering two-third of the territory. The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Khmer Krom are mainly lowlanders. The largest ethnic minority groups include the H’Mong, Dao, Tay, Thai, Nung.
For much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have strongly influenced the religious and cultural life of the people. About 86% of Vietnamese practice Buddhism even though they do not practice on a regular basis. About 7% of the population are Roman Catholic. Christianity was Protestantism amongst the Cai Dai, and Hoa Hao communities. The largest Protestant churches are the Evangelical Church of Vietnam and the Montagnard Evangelical Church.
Toa Thanh Tay NinhVietnam has great reservation towards Roman Catholicism. This mistrust originated during the French colonial time when several members of the Catholic Church had collaborated with the French colonists as espionage agents to suppress the Vietnamese independence movement. The Vietnamese government has been criticized for its religious violations. However, due to recent improvements in freedom of religion, the United States government no longer considers Vietnam a Country of Particular concern.
Practically all Vietnamese people, regardless of their religious background (including Catholic or Buddhist) practice Ancestor Worship, although this may not be strictly considered a religion.
Vietnam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, colleges and universities. General education in Vietnam is imparted in 5 categories: Kindergarten, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and college / university. Courses are taught mainly in Vietnamese. A large number of public schools have been organized across cities, towns and villages with the purpose if raising the national literacy rate. There are a large number of specialist colleges, established to develop a diverse and skilled national workforce. A large number of Vietnam’s most acclaimed universities are based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Facing serious crises, Vietnam’s education system is under a holistic reform launched by the government. In Vietnam, education from age 6 to 11 is free and mandatory. Education above these ages is costly; therefore many families cannot afford to send their children to school.
Over thousands of years, the culture of Vietnam has been strongly influenced by neighbouring China. Due to Vietnam’s long association with China, Vietnamese culture remains strongly Confucian with its emphasis on filial duty. Education and self-betterment are highly valued. Historically, passing the imperial Mandarin exams was the only means for Vietnamese people to socially advance themselves.Tet Fest in Hue
In the socialist era, the cultural life of Vietnam has been deeply influenced by government-controlled media and the cultural influences of socialist programs. For many decades, foreign cultural influences were shunned and emphasis placed on appreciating and sharing the culture of communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and others. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has seen a greater exposure to Southeast Asian, European and American culture and media.
One of the most popular Vietnamese traditional garments is the Ao Dai, worn often for special occasions such as weddings or festivals. White Ao Dai is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Ao Dai was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional culture-related occasions where some men do wear it.
Vietnamese cuisine uses very little oil and many vegetables. The main dishes ore often based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet (sugar), spicy (serrano pepers), sour (lime), umami (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil.
Vietnamese music, is slightly different according to three regions: North, Central and South. Northern classical music is Vietnam’s oldest and is traditionally more formal. Vietnamese classical music can be traced to Mongol invasions, when the Vietnamese captured a Chinese opera troupe. Central classical music shows the influences of Champa culture with its melancholic melodies. Southern music exudes a lively laissez-faire attitude.
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Vietnam. Sports and games such as badminton, tennis, ping pong and chess are also popular with large segments of the population. Volleyball, especially women volleyball, is watched by a fairly large number of Vietnamese. The (expatriate Vietnamese) community forms a prominent part of Vietnamese cultural life, introducing Western sports, films, music and other cultural activities in the nation.
Vietnam is home to a small film industry, but the works from its counterparts in South Korea, Hong Kong, France, the US enjoy greater popularity and circulation.
Among countless other traditional Vietnamese occasions, the traditional Vietnamese occasions, the traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important. Regardless of westernization, many of the age-old customs in a Vietnamese wedding continue to be celebrated by both Vietnamese in Vietnam and overseas, often combining both western and eastern elements.
Vietnam’s number of visitors for tourism and vacation has increased steadily over the past ten years. About 3.56 million international guests visited Vietnam in 2006, an increase of 3.7% from 2005. The country is investing capital into the coastal regions that are already popular for their beaches and boat tours. Hotel staff and tourism guides in these regions speak a good amount of English.
Vietnam’s really first impression to tourists is its various and traditional dishes. Vietnamese cuisine can be basically divided into three categories, each pertaining to a specific region. With North Vietnam being the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, many of Vietnam’s most famous dishes (such as Pho) have their birthplace in the North. The North’s cuisine is more traditional and stricter in choosing spiciness and ingredients. The South’s cuisine has been influenced by the cuisine of southern Chinese immigrants, and thus Southerners prefer sweet flavour in many dishes. As a new land the South’s cuisine is more exotic and liberal, using many herbs. Central Vietnamese cooking, is quite different from the cuisine of both the Northern and Southern regions, in its use of many small side dishes, and also its distinct spiciness when compared to its counterparts.
Cocktail delicacies
Meats such as snake, soft-shell turtle, and goat are enjoyed almost exclusively as “cocktail delicacies” with alcohol, and are not considered typical everyday fare. However, dog meat consumption is mote widespread in the North, where it is considered a borderline mainstream meat, although not eaten nearly as often as pork or fish. While it can be found, dog meat is harder to find in the larger cities, and tourists may not always see it. Hot vit lon is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It’s typically served with fresh herbs (rau ram or Vietnamese basil), salt and pepper; lemon juice is another popular additive, when available.
The typical Vietnamese family meal
A typical meal for the average Vietnamese family would include:
-Individual bowls of rice
-a roasted meat or fish dish
-A stir-fried vegetable dish
-Canh (a clear broth with vegetables and often meat) or other Vietnamese-style soup
-Prepared fish sauce and / or soy sauce for dipping
All dishes are communal and to be shared apart from the individual bowls of rice.
Popularity of Vietnamese cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine is widely available in Vietnam, Australia, United States, Canada, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Russia, and is also popular in areas with dense Asian populations.
In recent years it has become popular in other Asian countries such as South Korea, Laos, Thailand, etc.
Certain dishes which have become trademarks of Vietnamese cuisine include Pho, Bun, Banh Mi and Goi Cuon.
Noodle soups
Vietnamese Cuisine boasts a huge variety of noodle soups, each with influences and origins from every corner of the country and each with a distinct and special taste. A common characteristic of many of these soups is a rich very clear broth.
Popular Vietnamese dishes
Bun rieu - noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato based broth and garnished with bean sprout, prawn paste, herb leaves, water spinach, and tomato chunks.
Com hen is a popular dish for the low-budgeted customers in the city of Hue and the vicinity.
Banh canh, a thick rice noodle soup with a more basic broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and freshly sautéed onions sprinkled on top.
Mam: fermented fish in various styles.
Bo Kho: Vietnamese beef and vegetables stew, often cooked with warm, spicy herbs and served very hot with French baguettes for dipping.
Prawn paste cake (Cha Tom): (a variant of Chao Tom, eaten often with Com Tam)
Canh Chua: Vietnamese sour soup – typically with fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, bean sprouts, when made in style of a hotpot, it is called Lau Canh Chua.
Bun Mang Vit: Bamboo and duck noodle soup.
Nem Nguoi: A Hue dish and a variation of the Nam nuong meatballs, these also come from Central Vietnam. They are chilled, small and rectangular in shape, and stuffed with vermicelli. The reddish meat is covered with peppers and typically a chilli. Very spicy, eaten almost exclusively as a cocktail snack.
Bun Oc: Vermicelli with snails (sea snails similar to the snails in French cuisine).
Banh Bot Chien: a Chinese influenced pastry with many versions all over Asia, the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side.
Paté Chaud: A French inspired meat-filled pastry. Characterized by flaky crust and either pork or chicken as the filling.
Cha lua: sausage made with port, potato starch and fish sauce.
Cao Lau: a Hoi An dish, make of specially burnt flavoured egg noodles topped with meats.
Banh Trang: These are large round flat rice crackers which when heated enlarge into round, easily shattered pieces. They can be eaten separately, although it is most commonly added into the vermicelli, noodle dishes e.g. in cao lau, mi quang... Many “banh trang” that exists include the clear sesame seed ones, prawn-like cracker with dried spring onions, sweet milk etc....
Banh Mi Thit: Vietnamese baguettes, French bread containing paté, Vietnamese mayo, different selections of Vietnamese cold cuts and deli (a large variety, most commonly with ham, head cheese, and a Vietnamese bologna), pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber slices. Often garnished with coriander, black pepper. This food is common everywhere in Vietnam as a favourite of factory workers and school kids and eaten for any meal of the day, commonly breakfast and lunch. There are a wide variety of banh mi (with different meats) and many shops have popped up across North America serving primarily Banh Mi.
Breakfast banh mi: stuffed with scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs and canned sardines, or the more popular version eaten widely for breakfast in Vietnam: Eggs fried sunny-side-up with onions, sprinkled with Soy sauce and eaten with a fresh (and sometimes buttered) baguette.
Bo 7 mon: Vietnamese seven courses of Beef. A less popular version is the Ca 7 mon – or seven courses of fish.
Banh Bao: steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, vegetables, etc. Banh bao is an adaptation from the Chinese baozi to fit Vietnamese taste. Exclusively vegetable banh bao are also available. Vegetarian banh bao are popular food in Buddhist temples. Typically stuffing for banh bao include slices of marinated “xa xiu” (from Chinese cooking) meat, tiny boiled duck eggs pr quail eggs, and pork.
Banh Chung: sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans, fatty pork and black sesame seeds, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet)
Banh Tet: Crepe made out of rice flour with tumeric, shrimps with shelves on, slivers of fatty pork, sliced onions and sometimes button mushrooms, fried in one or two teaspoons of oil, usually coconut oil, which is the most popular oil used in Vietnam. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in Nuoc Cham or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. Rice papers are sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh xeo and the acconpanying vegetables.
Bun Bo Hue – Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the Royal Hue city of Central Vietnam. Beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, lots of dried chillies give its broth the distinctive flavours. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms and shredded rau muong.
Com tam: grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus a Vietnamese dish called bì (thinly shredded pork with cooked and thinly shred pork skin) over broken rice (what the words “com tam” actually mean in Vietnamese) and sweet and sour fish sauce... the rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trung hap and grilled prawns.
Spring rolls or Egg rolls (Nem ran or Cha gio) – deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat, yam, crab, shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms(“wood ear” variety) and other ingredients. The spring roll goes by many names – as many people actually use (falsely) the word Spring rolls while referring to the fresh transparent paper rolls (discussed below as “Summer rolls”) that are dipped in water to soften and then rolled up with various ingredients. Traditionally these rolls are made with a rice paper wrapper but in recent years Vietnamese chefs have changed the recipe to use a flour based wrapper rolls.Spring rolls
Summer rolls or Spring rolls (Goi Cuon) also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls. They are rice paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in Nuoc Cham or peanut sauce. Spring rolls almost constitute an entire category of Vietnamese foods, as there are numerous different kinds of spring rolls with different ingredients in them. They include:
Bi Cuon: (Rice paper rolls with the bì misture of thinly shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped with vermicelli noodle in a rice paper roll. Dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (with freshly roasted and ground peanuts).
Bo bia: Stir fried jimica and carrots, Chinese sausage, shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped with vermicelli noodle in a rice paper roll. Dipped into a spicy peanut sauce (with freshly roasted and ground peanuts).
Ca cuon: A roll with fish and spring onions.
Bo la lot: not strictly a spring roll, but rather spiced beef rolled in pepper leaf (la lot) and grilled.
Bun thit nuong: One of the most popular (and simple) Vietnamese dishes, basically a combination vermicelli plate, a kind of vermicelli counterpart to Com Tam. Grilled pork (often shredded) and vermicelli noodles over a bed of greens (salad ad sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Also often include a few chopped up egg rolls, spring onions and shrimp. Served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of Nuoc Cham.
Bun Cha Gio: Slightly similar to Bun Thit Nuong, except this very simple vermicelli Vietnamese cuisine boasts a couple of spring rolls served with chilli fish sauce and greens.
Nem Nuong: grilled meatballs usually made of seasoned pork. Often reddish in color due to food coloring additive and with a distinct taste, grilled on skewers like kabobs. Ingredients in the marinade include fish sauce-
Chao Tom: Prawn paste (cake on sugarcane).
Goi: Salad. Many varieties with the most popular including:
Goi du du: Vietnamese papaya salad typically with shredded papaya, shrimp, slices of pork, herbs, and with a more vinegar-based rendition of Nuoc Cham.
Goi Hue rau muong: a salad dish originating from Hue (central Vietnam), including water spinach (rau muong)
Mi Xao Don: Crispy deep-fried egg noodles, topped with a wide array of seafood, vegetables and shrimp in a delicious gravy sauce.
Ga xa: Lemongrass chicken. Lemongrass beef and other meats are also popular variations.
Bo luc lac: Beef cut into cubes and marinated, served over greens (usually watercress), and sautéed onions and tomatoes. Eaten with rice.
Sup mang cua: A creamy bamboo-crab soup. Served typically as a first dish at banquets.
Banh Cuon: Rice flour rolls and / or pancakes sometimes stuffed with ground pork and onion. They are eaten in a variety of ways with many side dishes, including one out of a million kinds of Cha, which are Vietnamese meats spiced and flavored in a multitude of ways – often ground to a paste and cooked.
Chao: Rice congee. There are also a variety of sour soups, with many vegetables, meats and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs. Also called lau.
Banh Beo: a central Vietnamese dish consisting of tiny and round rice flour pancakes, each served in a tiny round dish. They are topped with minced shrimp and other smaller ingredients. Dipped in Nuoc Cham.
Com Chien Duong Chau: a Chinese fried rice dish, name after a region in China. It’s a well-known dish in Vietnam.
Mi bo vien: Chinese influenced egg noodle soup with beef balls, shrimp and sometimes won tons.
Bun Cha Ha Noi: Similar to Bun Thit Nuong, Bun Cha Hanoi comes from the Northern capital of Hanoi. The difference being that the pork meat is ground and marinated, then rolled into balls, grilled and left in a bowl of Nuoc Cham along with pickled vegetables, daikon and carrot. –the meat balls are expecially savoury, having truly soaked in the sauce. It is eaten with vermicelli and greens.
Banh Hoi: A special Vietnamese noodle that is extremely thin and woven into intricate bundles. Often topped with spring onion ad a complementary meat dish.
Thit Heo Quay: BBQ pork, often eaten at weddings (and with Banh Hoi)
Thit Vit Quay: roast duck, eaten over rice.
Mi Quang: a very popular yet extremely complicated noodle dish. Also originating from Quang Nam. Mi Quang varies in its preparation and features very sharply contrasting flavors and textures in (if prepared properly) a shallowly filled bowl of broth, noodles, herbs, vegetables, and roasted rice chip (banh trang)
Pho: beef noodle soup – it is a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth achieved from hours upon hours of boiling meat and different herbs. There are many varieties of Pho, with different selections of meats (most commonly beef and chicken) along with beef balls. Pho is typically served in bowls with spring onion, slices of semi cooked beef (to be cooked by the boiling hot broth), and then of course the broth itself. The use of vegetables and various herbs is common in the southern region.
Dessert
Chè is a sweet desert usually made from beans or beans and sticky rice. Many varieties of chè are available, each with different fruits,Desserts beans (for example, mung beans or kidney beans), and other ingredients. Chè can be served cold, cool or hot.
Fruit smoothies are also popular. They are simple to make and require just a few teaspoons of sugar, crushed ice and fresh locally available fruits. The smoothies come in many varieties, including apple custard, avocado, jack fruit, strawberry, passionfruit, dragon fruit, lychee and banana.
Vietnamese art has a long and rich history, the earliest examples of which date back as far as the Stone Age around 8,000 BCE.
With the millennium of Chinese domination starting in the 2nd century BC, Vietnamese art undoubtedly absorbed many Chinese influences, which would continue even following independence from China in the 10th century AD. However, Vietnamese art has always retained many distinctively Vietnamese characteristics.
By the 19th century, the influence of French art took hold of Vietnam, having a large hand in the birth of modern Vietnamese art.
Bronze Age art
The highly developed Dong Son culture that flourished in North Vietnam (from about 1,000 BC to the 4th century BC) was the civilization responsible for the world-famous Dong Son drums, a product of their advanced bronze-casting skills.
These drums give us an important peak into early Vietnamese life. They were elaborately decorated with geometric patterns, and most importantly depicted scenes of everyday life such as farming, warriors donning feather headdresses, construction of ships, musicians, etc.
Archaeological evidence from this period also shows that people in the area had long been weaving cloth. Many of the people depicted on the drums are shown as wearing elaborate clothing.
Modern art
Beginning in the 19th century, French artistic influences spread into Vietnam. Be the early 20th century, many French art institutions such as the Fine Arts College of Indochina (FACI) were erected in Vietnam which taught European methods, and French-influenced modern art most thrived in the big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Modern Vietnamese Artists began to utilize French techniques with many traditional mediums such as silk, lacquer, etc., thus creating a unique blend of eastern and western elements.
Architecture
It is believed that in prehistoric times, Vietnamese people lived in stilt-houses, as depicted on the bronze Dong Son drums. Similar kinds of houses can still be found in Vietnam today.
When Chinese influence permeated Vietnam, Chinese architecture had a large influence on the basic structure of many types of Vietnamese buildings, mostly pagodas and temples, communal houses, houses of scholar-bureaucrats, aristocracy, and imperial palaces and quarters. Nevertheless, these structures combined both Chinese influences and native style; Vietnamese architecture is generally much more sombre and muted than Chinese architecture, using different colors and materials.
With French colonization of Vietnam in the 19th century, many French-styled buildings were constructed, including villas, government buildings, opera houses, etc. Many of these buildings still stand in Vietnam and are one of the clearest remnants of the French colonial legacy.
Some of Vietnam’s most notable architectural structures include:
- The Temple of Literature or (Van Mieu): located in Hanoi, North Vietnam. It was constructed during the Ly Dynasty and dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. It is a fine example of the elegance of Ly Dynasty architecture, although much of it is in need of repair. The Temple of Literature is a series of courtyards, buildings and pavilions, the center of which houses the famed stone steels. These steels are placed on top of stone turtles, and are inscribed with the names of doctorate candidates successful at the Imperial examination. Also within the temple lies the “Quoc Tu Giam” or National University, which functioned for approximately 700 years, from 1076 to 1779.
- Imperial City, Hue: During the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty, a new citadel in Hue was build, largely based off the Chinese Forbidden City in Beijing, and also called the Purple Forbidden City. However, it still employed many obvious Vietnamese characteristics in its design. The portions of the complex that were built much later, such as the tomb of Khai Dinh, used French architectural elements as well. The tomb of Minh Mang is often considered one of the most beautiful structures in the entire citadel, situated near a vast lotus pond, its construction was not completed until after Minh Mang’s death.
The citadel formerly sprawled a vas estate, but during subsequent wars and conflicts, much of it has been destroyed and later turned into rice paddies. The remaining areas are currently being restored by UNESCO.
- One pillar pagoda: The one pillar pagoda is one of the most ancient structures of Hanoi, its design credited to Emperor Ly Thai To. The story goes that the emperor had longed for a son, and one day dreamed that the Goddess of Mercy was sitting on a lotus flower offering him a son. In gratitude and reverence of his dream he ordered construction of a small pagoda in a form of a lotus, overlooking a pond.
- Perfume pagoda and the surrounding area: The Perfume pagoda is an ancient structure in Ha Tay province, located specifically in Perfume Mountain, and is the site for a yearly festival attended by hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. Most people reach the pagoda by taking an hour boat ride across the scenic river (passing the countryside scattered with smaller pagodas) before reaching the Perfume Pagoda itself. Inside are a series of temples and structures, and a grotto with stairs leading to two paths: “Heaven’s gate” and “Hell’s gate”. Descending deep into the grotty one finds the Inner temple.
The beauty of the Perfume Pagoda and surrounding area have served as the subject in many Vietnamese poems.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy has had a long history in Vietnam, previously using Chinese characters along with Chu Nom. However, most modern Vietnamese calligraphy instead uses the roman-character based Quoc Ngu, which has proven to be very popular.
In the past, with literacy in the old character-based writing systems of Vietnam being restricted to scholars and elites, calligraphy nevertheless still played an important part in Vietnamese life. On special occasions such as the Lunar New Year, people would go to the village teacher or scholar to make them a calligraphy hanging (often poetry, folk sayings or even single words). People who could not read or write also often commissioned scholars to write prayers which they would burn at temple shrines.
Performing arts
Traditional Music
Traditional Vietnamese music is extremely diverse, consisting of many different styles varying from region to region. Some of the most widely known genres include:
Quan Ho: A type of improvisational music, it is sung acappella and has a longstanding tradition in Vietnam, used in courtship rituals.
Imperial Court Music: Music performed in the Vietnamese court during feudalistic times. When referring specifically to the “Nha nhac” form it includes court music from the Tran dynasty on to the Nguyen Dynasty. It features an array of instruments, featuring musicians and dancers adorned in elaborate garb.
Ca Trù: An ancient form of chamber music which originated in the imperial court. It gradually came to be associated with a geisha-type of entertainment where talented female musicians entertained rich and powerful men, often scholars and bureaucrats who most enjoyed the genre. It was condemned in the 20th century completed documents to have Ca Trù recognized by UNESCO as a potential Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Traditional Dance
Vietnam has 54 different ethnics, each with their own traditional dance. Among the ethnic Vietnamese majority, there are several traditional dances performed widely at festivals and other special occasions, such as lion dance.
In the imperial court there also developed throughout the centuries a series of complex court dances which require great skill. Some of the more widely known are the imperial lantern dance, fan dance, and platter dance, among others.
Water puppetry
Water puppetry is a distinct Vietnamese art which had its origins in the 12th century. In water puppetry, a split-bamboo screen obscures puppets which stand in water and are manipulated using long poles hidden beneath the water. Epic storylines are played out with different characters, often depicting traditional scenes of Vietnamese life. Despite nearly dying out in the 20th century, it has been saved by efforts of preservation and is now largely seen by tourists to Vietnam. 
Literature
Vietnamese literature is literature, both oral and written, created largely by Vietnamese-speaking people, although Francophone Vietnamese and English-speaking Vietnamese authors in Australia and the United Stated are counted by many critics as part of the national tradition. For much of its history, Vietnam was dominated by China and as a result much of the written work during this period was in Classical Chinese. Chu Nom, created around the 10th century, allowed writers to compose in Vietnamese using modified Chinese characters. Although regarded as inferior to Chinese, it gradually grew in prestige. It flourished in the 18th century when many notable Vietnamese writers and poets composed their works in chu nom and then it briefly became the official written script. While the quoc ngu script was created in the 17th century, it did not become popular outside of missionary groups until the early 20th century, when the French colonial administration mandated its use in French Indochina. By the mid-20th century, virtually all Vietnamese works of literature were composed in quoc ngu.
Some defining works of literature include The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du and Luc Van Tien by Nguyen Dinh Chieu.
