Culture of Vietnam

While visiting Vietnam we discovered the richness of their beautiful culture. It is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. Because of the 1000 year Chinese rule, the Vietnamese culture is very influenced by China. During the French colonial period this culture was also influenced by some traditions from Europe, like Catholicism and the Latin alphabet.

Some important symbols that you find in the Vietnamese culture are dragons, turtles, lotuses and bamboo. The dragon is definitely the most impressive creature in Asian myths. It is a vivid symbol of the clouds, rain, thunder and lighting. And is represented by an S shape. We could still see this symbol on different houses in Vietnam.

 

 

This Eastern culture values the roles of family and clanship, in Vietnam they will choose clan over family. While in China it’s the other way round.

We were able to see some of a traditional Vietnamese wedding. To them it is one of the most traditional occasions in Vietnam. They still have a lot of old customs which they use during the ceremony. The wedding consists of two ceremonies: Lễ Đám Hỏi and Lễ Cưới. Lễ Đám Hỏi takes place some time before the actual wedding. The groom and his family then visit the bride and her family with betrothal presents. These presents are often areca nuts, betel leaves, tea, cake, money. The presents must be covered in red paper and are carries by some unmarried children. Then both families pick a date for the wedding. Lễ Cưới is the wedding ceremony. On this day the groom’s family goes to the bride’s house to ask permission for the groom to marry the bride and take her to his house. Guests are then invited to come celebrate the marriage. The couple prays before the altar and asks permission to their ancestors for their marriage. As you can see it is very different from our western traditions.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Vietnam
http://www.vietnam-culture.com/
http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Vietnam.html