Vietnam Culture & History Tours

Which countries' cultures have influenced Vietnam the most?

Vietnamese culture has been deeply influenced by Chinese culture for 2,000 years, its traditional culture, costumes, language and history. In the last two centuries, some Western cultures have also been quite influential, especially French and American cultures. That's why you can see many foreign and familiar style buildings in Vietnam.

What is the ethnicity of Vietnam?

Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 ethnic groups, among which the Kinh (also known as the Vietnamese) as the main ethnic group, accounting for more than 80% of the total population.

What is the language of Vietnam?

Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam, and about 87% of Vietnamese people speak Vietnamese. English penetration is generally low in Vietnam, with tourist cities better than other cities. Service staff at attractions, hotels and restaurants can provide assistance in English. When traveling to Vietnam, it is a good idea to download a translate App.

What is the food in Vietnam like?

Vietnamese people's diet is light, mainly boiled in water, fried and grilled. They eat with chopsticks and like to eat cold, sour and spicy food. Rice is the main food. Meat includes pork, beef and fish, and they especially like to use fresh fish to make "fish sauce". "Fish sauce" is an indispensable seasoning in the daily life of the Jing people.

What is the religion of Vietnam?

There are many religions in Vietnam, with Catholicism and Buddhism being the most influential, followed by Christianity and Confucianism.

What are the taboos of Vietnamese customs?

1. Do not use your feet to point at things even when sitting on the ground; do not cross over from sitting to lying people, otherwise it is considered disrespectful to people.

2. Take off shoes when enter the house, otherwise it is considered to look down on the host.

3. Do not touch the head of others, including children.

What are the traditional Vietnamese festivals?

The traditional folk festivals in Vietnam are mainly the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Pangea day Festival. Due to the influence of Chinese traditions and culture, Vietnamese folk traditional festivals, dates and contents, are basically the same as those in China.

Spring Festival, which falls in the first month of the lunar calendar, is the most solemn festival in Vietnam. The Qingming Festival is dedicated to ancestors and tomb sweeping. The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by eating zongzi and racing dragon boats. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time to enjoy the bright moon and eat moon cakes.

What are the traditional Vietnamese arts?

When it comes to Vietnamese culture and art, water puppet show is not to be left out. Water puppet is a kind of traditional folk stage performance in Vietnam. It is a folklore product of the evolution of rice culture, reflecting the creativity of Vietnamese labor, which Vietnamese people call the national art and are deeply proud of.

The water puppets use the water surface as a stage and the artists operate the cute little puppets with bamboo poles, together with the traditional ethnic musical instruments playing and the embellishment of the characters' voices, all of which bring a new feeling to the people. Nowadays, with the significant increase of tourists, Vietnam Water Puppet Show has become the preferred program for tourist viewing in Vietnam.