For several decades now, especially since the invasion of Western life-ways in the wake of the adoption of the market economy, cultural workers, scholars in the human sciences in particular, are preoccupied by two major problems: how to preserve our cultural identity, the motive force behind two wars of resistance lasting thirty years? How to [...]

When having most Vietnamese food, “nuoc mam” or Fish Sauce is the indispensable spice of much deliciousness. Whoever coming to Vietnam and most Southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia) is much fond of a special condiment – Fish sauce (or nuoc mam in Vietnamese). It is a staple ingredient of numerous food like [...]

Usually served as a snack with raw garlic, Nem chua is eaten all year round as an appetizer or a side. It is eaten especially for the Lunar New Year by many Vietnamese families. Nem chua is a meat roll with a sweet, sour, salty and spicy taste which makes the mouth salivate with each [...]

“Banh xeo” is Vietnamese style crepe with whole shrimp, thinly sliced pork and bean sprouts. Like the salad roll, the “banh xeo” is a do-it-yourself dish that involves the messy but delicious process of wrapping the crepe in lettuce with cilantro and basil. Though the filling might fall out on your table, you will be [...]

Vietnam is a culturally diversified nation with 54 ethnic groups with multiple customs and traditions. Each group has its own unique costume character, that adds more colour to Vietnamese culture… Being the second largest ethnic group in Vietnam, the Thai’s brocade is very well-known for its unique, colourful and durable motifs. In recent decades, Thai [...]

Along with the “ao tu than”, traditional girls and women in Northern Vietnam are often charming with a “khan dong” and a “khan mo qua”. The “khan dong” is a black piece of fabric wrapped around a girl’s long hair so that it forms a tube around the hair. The fabric-entubed hair is wrapped around [...]

Spiritual life is a belief or practice irrationally maintained by ignorance or by faith in magic or chance. It is totally unscientific; however, there is a lot superstitious culture on over the world. Different spiritual life will be found in different countries. Asia which is a cradle of the world’s culture has a lot of [...]

It is not easy for a particular vehicle to exist, to be honored and loved for generations. However, a rudimentary and simple cyclo in Vietnam has done it! It is just simple and ordinary as its appearance. No noisy sound from engines, no obscure smoke and no spending too much for commuting. From a long [...]

In comparison with other developing countries, Việt Nam’s population enjoys a relatively high standard of education. In the past, Vietnam’s educational system was affected by many cultures, of which the Chinese and French had most significant influence. Vietnam’s education under Chinese domination The earliest students in Vietnam received most of their education from the Buddhist [...]

The Vietnamese people value modesty and humility as well as harmonious relations with others. Seeking to avoid conflict in relationships, they often prefer to speak about sensitive subjects indirectly. Traditionally, Vietnamese people list their family name first, then their middle name, with their first (given) name listed as last. Family members use different given names [...]