The Vietnamese culture has been greatly influenced by that of China as it was once under the rule of the Chinese monarch. Further, during the different eras through history of colonization and socialism, the culture and traditions of Vietnam have evolved with an essence of each of these eras intact, to become what it is today. This agricultural civilization that has been prevalent from ancient times has a rich and colourful heritage and unique traditions and practices that have passed down from generation to generation.The culture of Vietnam has close affinity to that seen in China but the main religion is a mix of three religions; Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism to form a ‘Triple Religion’. From the time of the French colonizers the national language has been based on the Latin alphabet and Vietnam remains the only Indochina nation to continue using it today. Water puppetry is a popular form of theatre where puppets are controlled by bamboo sticks underwater and perform epic stories from the past. Human chess is also something not seen in many places around the world; it is where people take the station of chess pieces and a small choreographed battle is fought to capture a square.
There are very few rules and regulations and with westernization they have been further made lenient but the essence of the Vietnamese culture revolves around ancestor veneration, respect for one another, family values, manual labour, handicrafts and devotion to study. Ancestor veneration plays a significant role in the lives of the Vietnamese people and respect is demanded of elders not only depending on age but also in terms of relationships. While in the Chinese culture family comes before clan, in Vietnam, clan comes before family. The people of Vietnam like those in Thailand are a peace loving people and avoid conflict and disagreement as far as possible.
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