This blog is intended for an assignment. It is informative reading, but very dull. It is a synopsis of an interview I was able to give to 3 Vietnamese students regarding the government, the culture, the class system, social norms, and other things. If youre interested, it is rather long. Again, the purpose is for an assignment and a synopsis for my doc. Thanks.
My interview was more of an informal type interview that Charles, Dennis, and I had over lunch with 3 of our Vietnamese student counterparts. The kindness of the Vietnamese students allowed us to record and video the interesting interview they gave about Vietnamese culture, education, and food. The students names were; Hieu, Chau (a female), and Binh. My interview questions focused more on the culture and everyday life of Vietnamese students and people, while Charles and Dennis focused more on cuisine and table etiquette. We all asked our own separate questions, but because the information was shared amongst each other, we all gained valuable knowledge from each others questions. Luckily, our interviewees were very open with the questions they answered and they did not hold back.
Culturally, the Vietnamese traditions are vastly different than ours in the States. First, as children (in Central Vietnam) they are taught to serve their parents first. After this, they all sit, and tell there parents, “Mom and dad, please eat.” Traditionally, Asian cultures are leaps and bounds more conservative than we are in the West, but knowing that the children are engraved with respect for their parents makes me realize why Asian families are so close, even in the States. This table etiquette usually transcends the dining table, but also in restaurants. Usually families eat out together about once a month, depending on the income of the family. A dinner can cost anywhere from 40,000 dong to 800,000 dong ($3- $60).
The tremendous sense of family togetherness that the Vietnamese have doesn’t only apply to the respect the children have for the parents, but vice versa. The parents, it seems, have a strong sense of pride and love for their children, especially those in college. The parents pay for primary education for their children, which is equivalent to grades K-6. For one year, the costs run about 700,000 (roughly $65) dong for a year of education. College, on the other hand, is a bit more expensive costing about $45 more per year. Another noteworthy comparison between our culture and Vietnamese culture is that college students almost never move out when they start college. This rarity only happens if the students have to move far for college or have a falling out with their parents. Students, if they decide to attend college, must attend a mandatory 5-week military training period. This training is only required for college girls, and all men.
Information sharing technology in Vietnam is also a blossoming new attraction to locals. The internet, PC cafes, and gaming have grown rampant all over Vietnam within the last 10 years. Prior to this, the internet was monitored by the government, but because of this slow procedure, the bandwidth speed was lackluster at best. This cause many citizens to become turned off from the internet, but as my student interviewee pointed out, the government had a change of heart. Because of this, the internet is minimally monitored, thus the internet speed has become faster. Due to this, many Vietnamese citizens can keep up with news from all over the globe. The influence that the internet has had on the Vietnamese citizens is unparallel. Chau used to live in the United States with her family, before moving back here after her parents visas expired, said that when she left Vietnam to go to the States there was almost no internet, when she returned they were everywhere.
As the interview went on, we began to feel more comfortable with our questions we asked and the questions they answered. Because of this, we moved on to questions about the government and economics. Chau and Hieu informed us that majority of Vietnam were members of the poor class, next being the upper-class. They informed me that the middle class was almost non-existent. This could be due to numerous reasons; no minimum wage, not enough well paying jobs, difficult access to higher education, lack of accountability, etc. Also, they briefly mentioned that it was very difficult for someone that was a member of the lower-class to become a member of the upper-class because of how hard it would be for them to get a job with a high salary. Because of this, I asked her if (in her opinion) would be better to be a smart Vietnamese student with a college education from the poor class or a dumb person with many connections in the upper-class, she immediately told me the latter far outweighed the former.
Unlike the United States, governmental positions in Vietnam are relatively low paying. According to our interviewees, the government has many different fields for positions i.e. Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Department of Trade, etc. Because of the plethora of positions available, it is relatively easy to have a career in the government, but it also causes for lower wages. Police officers are also relatively low-paid, and require a separate collegiate education that can be compared to our police academies in the States.
In Hue, the people are culturally influenced by the East (China) and socially influenced by the West (United States). The students informed me that Western society has influenced their pop music, their dress, and their media. The Eastern society, though, plays a huge role in the cultural and traditional aspect of the Vietnamese people. Also, it is worth noting that the parents are more Eastern while the youth are more Western. The dress, although influenced by the West, is very conservative. Usually, for women, no shorts skirts or shorts are seen as normal, and are often frowned upon. Men get a more lenient social pass, but usually are dressed in pants and button-up shirts. Women who go out in public dressed inappropriately don’t only reflect badly on themselves, but also on their families. This is because the community aspect in Vietnam is huge. Chau gave me a great parable; while she was living in the United States her parent let her dress however she wanted, but as soon as they moved back to Vietnam they made her dress conservatively. This is due to the community aspect, and how the community in Vietnam plays a huge role in social norms. In her own words, “What happens in a small part of Hue, is known throughout the whole city.”
According to Chau, the homosexual culture is non-existent. Usually, students who are gay/lesbian/bisexual keep it to themselves, and don’t release that information to their parents until necessary. Homosexual people are not necessarily frowned upon, but the culture in Vietnamese society is not ready for that sort of thing, according to Chau.
The last thing we talked about was the “American Shock Factor,” or if people are in awe of American tourists when we arrive in Vietnam. I asked this question because when I went to Bangladesh, many people who stare at me in awe. In Vietnam, it was far less a case than in Bangladesh. According to Chau, people were in awe of Americans in the past, but because of the rampant tourism brought in from the States people are not in awe as they once were.
Live from Vietnam, Sonny
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