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Vietnamese culture has changed profoundly over the centuries. Because of their influence by the Chinese, Vietnam has a large Confucian contingency, with the appropriate morals and values dominating the mindset. Family and education are very highly valued. While the country was under French rule, Portuguese missionaries helped alphabetize the Vietnamese language (which was only spoken, not written, up until then) and brought literacy to the entire country. The traditional clothing, which was once worn by both genders but now is primarily worn by women, is called “Ao Dai.” It is worn to weddings, festivals, and other celebrations.

Like many other Asian countries, Vietnamese names are the inverse of most western names, with the last name (surname or family name) coming first, followed by the middle name and then the first name. We see this primarily today when Asian athletes wear their first name on their jerseys, instead of their last names like most western athletes (for example, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets wear “Ichiro” and “Yao” on their jerseys, respectively, instead of “Suzuki” and “Ming,” which is how western born players would wear it).

Vietnamese cuisine is popular in many other parts of the world. It is characterized by soy sauce, rice and fish sauces. Different spices, mints, and coffee beans are used to flavor Vietnamese food, which is sweet and spicy by nature. The food, like other portions of their culture, are divided into three sections, based on the geography of the country: Northern Vietnamese, Central Vietnamese, and Southern Vietnamese. A typical meal would consist of rice, meat, soup, two vegetables, sauces, and a green salad. Atypical meats, like snake or turtle, are sometimes consumed as delicacies.

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