Vietnamese Heritage, Essay Example

As any country in the world Vietnam has its own history, unique traditions, and people with their peculiar mentality. Vietnamese formation occurred under the influence of different countries in different historical periods. It was influenced greatly by China and France, two countries which during almost nine centuries one after another encroach upon today’s Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Vietnamese heritage consists of a large number of myths and legends, customs, ethnical music with its own unique instruments, dishes, clothes and art.

Main themes in Vietnamese myths and legends are love, family, nature and morale. A special place is given to the symbolism of a sword. These legends are often connected with the name of Le Loi, who was the leader of the rebellious army against Chinese domination of the territory. According to the legend, Le Loi armed with a magic sword, abolished chaos (domination of China) and restored the states independence. As we know, Le Loi established the Le dynasty, which ruled the state known as Dai Viet for more than 300 years.

National folk music is represented by a large number of styles. Cheo Opera, Tuong (Hat Boi), Hat van, and Hat Xam are the most popular. Cheo Opera came from ancient village festivals and consists of folk songs with pantomime, instrumental music and dances. Tuong (Hat Boi) is a kind of drama of the national theatre. Hat van is a religious form of art which combines trance singing and dancing. The main instrument used in hat van performance is the dan nguyet or moon-shaped lute, accompanied by other traditional instruments (phach (a piece of wood or bamboo) marking the rhythm, xeng (clappers), trong chau (drum) and chieng (gong)). Hat Xam is the song of the blind artists.

Vietnamese have a lot of customs, which can be conditionally divided into customs related to people (wedding, funeral, and birth customs) and to those which are more ascribed to nature. Festivals are another interesting tradition of the Vietnamese nation. There are eighteen different festivals which are held according to customs and are celebrated usually vividly.

Vietnamese cuisine includes a large number of herbs, including lemongrass, mint (Vietnamese mint), long coriander, and Thai basil leaves. The main meats are chicken and pork. The distinguishing feature of Vietnamese food is the usage of rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, fruits and vegetables. The traditions of Vietnamese cuisine were influenced by the cuisines of southern Chinese immigrants and French colonists. Outside of Vietnam, the Vietnamese cuisine is widely available in countries with strong Vietnamese immigrant communities. The most famous Vietnamese dishes are Bun thit nuong (cold rice with pork), Mi xao don (egg noodles with seafood and vegetables), Banh Tam Cari (rice with spicy chicken curry), etc.

The four main pillars of the Vietnamese value systems are allegiance to the family, yearning for a good name, love of learning, and respect for other people. Allegiance to the family is vital, because family is a foundation of every nation. A good name is better than any material possession in the Vietnamese world, because having a good name in Vietnam, means having a high position in society, even with the lack of money. Who has knowledge, has admiration and respect from surrounding people, making love for knowledge an important tenet in the Vietnamese society. Concepts of respect mean that elder people or those who have higher social-status are more respected.

Of special interest is the fact that the building of dykes, which were essential for Vietnamese life, influenced their mentality. Since ancient times, the mobilization of people for dyke construction, helped build the nation’s common identity.

Summing up the information above, we can say that Vietnamese traditions, food, music, styles of life are overall a cultural phenomenon and interesting material for research.