Strange mentality of Vietnamese people. Part 2
We have already told you about some Vietnamese customs and traditions, unusual from the European point of view. And today we want to continue this topic.
Table of Contents
The Vietnamese eat dogs
It may seem crazy to us, but the Vietnamese do eat dogs. This custom has a long history and is especially common in the Northern part of the country. In Vietnam and some other Asian countries it is believed that dog meat increases male potency, warms in the cold, protects against many diseases.
At the same time, a dog for food and a dog as a companion are always different dogs. Many Vietnamese have dogs as companions, including purebred and expensive ones. Of course, they treat such dogs as members of their family.
Named benches
Traveling around Vietnam, you will for sure notice benches with engraved names and surnames, located near the Buddhist pagodas, Catholic churches and some other attractions. These are the names of people who donated a large sum of money for construction and development of this place. Also, the country and city of the donor are usually indicated on the bench. There are some foreign names among those engravings.
Narrow houses
Walking by the Vietnamese streets, you can see that the facades of the houses are quite narrow and the building goes deep. This is due to the fact that if the house is located on a more or less busy street, there is usually a family business n the first floor of the house: a shop, workshop, hairdresser or a small cafe. That’s why it is beneficial for the residents to take over as much space facing the road, as possible. And so the width of the facade has long been taxed. Therefore, the Vietnamese build narrow houses to save money.
Pioneer organization
While for many countries pioneers are echoes of the Communist past, in Vietnam they are a modern reality. To this day, Vietnamese students wear red ties and are members of the Ho Chi Minh Pioneer organization. This organization is engaged in carrying out various cultural and sports activities in schools. The pioneers should be brave, clean, tolerant, modest, disciplined and hardworking. And they should love their country! Overall, the pioneers are like scouts, only with a political bias.
The Vietnamese don’t think bad about the Americans
The Vietnamese are a friendly nation in general, and they treat all tourists (except Chinese) well. Tourists bring income to the Vietnamese working in tourist industry. They shop in stores, go on excursions. But even if you get to a hinterland away from tourist routes, you can be sure that you will be greeted warmly.
Interestingly, the Vietnamese do not express any hatred towards the Americans. Sometimes you can even find clothes with a fashionable American flag in stores. Most likely, the Vietnamese are forgiving, or maybe they simply understand that they have become a victim of politics, and ordinary Americans did not want to fight with them.
Names in order of birth
Not so long, just a few decades ago, the name of a Vietnamese could indicate his order of birth: senior, second, third and so on. But nowadays less children are born (usually, just two), and it’s no longer a popular option. Vietnamese names often have a beautiful translation. For a women it can be, for example, various virtues or names of flowers. As a name for a man, such words as “Victory”, “Ruler”, “Glory”, etc. can be chosen.
