Impacts of Geography and History on Vietnamese Culture.

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Impacts of Geography and History on Vietnamese
Culture.

• UIUC Oct. 26, 2005

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Questions we will answer

• Why Vietnamese alphabet is in Latin?

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Questions we will answer

• How come southerners are dynamic and northerners
  have stronger traditions?

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Questions we will answer

• Why Vietnam is small geographically, but so
  diverse in religions, traditions, ethnics

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A satellite view of Vietnam
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Geography

• China in the North
• India not-too-far West
• Impact both Buddhism and Confucius flourish.
• Buddhism popular in 10th, 11th.
• Confucius from 12th, still very strong now.

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A natural map of Vietnam
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Geography

• A very long coast, so commercial interactions
  with Westerners started very early.
• Impact western missionaries came to Vietnam to
  propagate Catholic, Protestant, Muslim
• Current Vietnamese alphabet was invented by
  missionaries to teach the Bible.

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Geography

• North
• Delta of the Red River small and having regular
  floods almost every year.
• Hilly regions, surrounded by mountains.
• Impact
• Hard to make a living, need a lot of past
  experiences.
• Hard to interact with outsiders keep going with
  traditions.

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Geography

• South
• Delta of the Mekong River much better farms than
  the delta of the Red River.
• Surrounded by people from the North, Cambodia,
  Indonesia
• Impact
• Easy to make a living, can take risk.
• Immigrants open-minded, dynamic

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Geography

• Hilly in the South,
• Coast and plateau in the Central,
• (Mekong) Delta in the South
• Impact diversity in geography results in
  diversity in religions, traditions, ethnics

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History of Vietnam
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Vietnamese History in Brief

• Kinh Duong Vuong, Lac Long Quan, Au Co, Vua Hung
  (?),
• Chinese control (111 BC 938 AD),
• Ngo Quyen earned independence (938),
• Ly Dynasty chose Hanoi as capital (1010),
• Tran Dynasty fought against the Mongols 3 times,
• Quang Trung unified Vietnam (1789),
• French control (1858-1945),
• Socialist Republic of Vietnam

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History

• Hanoi
• Capital since 1010,
• Through almost all dynasties.
• Impact strong Confucius culture
• Order in the family, school,
• Strong traditions.

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History

• Hue
• Capital of the last Dynasty (Nguyen, since 1802)
• Impact
• Preserve many material or immaterial cultural
  heritages of Vietnam and the World.

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Thanh Noi - Hue
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History

• Ho Chi Minh City
• Established about 300 years ago.
• Mostly immigrants from other parts of the country
• Much interactions with foreigners.
• Impact
• Open-minded, dynamic,

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Ho Chi Minh City
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Thank you!