Language: Their
official language, Vietnamese is spoken throughout the
country, but dialects vary between the north, south, and
center. English is common in larger cities and is taught
in schools, and French is also spoken in various parts
of the country. Vietnam has an 88 percent literacy rate.
Their national script is called Quoc Ngu. It was
introduced by European colonists, and utilizes the Roman
alphabet (the alphabet used for English).
Music: Vietnamese music has a sad eerie quality to it and is
quite mesmerizing. Often it takes the form of poetry
that is sung. It is very interesting because the tones
of music must rise and fall as the Vietnamese language
does. There are three main types of Vietnamese music:
folk, classical, and choral. Folk music includes
children's, work, festival, and funeral songs, and is
sometimes accompanied by instruments. Classical music,
based on the Chinese opera, is played by a large
orchestra. Choral music is sung by a chorus with
instrumental accompaniment. Common Vietnamese
instruments include bamboo flutes, xylophones, the 16
string zither, double trumpets, consisting of two
attached bamboo tubes, skin drums and gongs, and bamboo
flutes. The dan ban, and instrument unique to Vietnam,
consists of a single copper string stretched across a
large gourd, and makes a sound that easily fits in with
the Vietnamese tongue. Parts of Vietnamese music, such
as the use of the pentatonic scale, have been adapted
from the Chinese. In large cities, the American and
European influence is strong in the culture, and the
music. Music such as rock and roll is popular among
teens.
Architecture in
Vietnam today is a mixture of French colonial manors,
and Chinese pagodas and temples. Many traditional
Vietnamese buildings were destroyed by nature or war.
Many big buildings and cathedrals resemble French Gothic
architecture. Other buildings have pointed roofs and
curving eaves, like Chinese buildings. There are remains
of ancient stone buildings built by previous inhabitants
of Vietnam. In cities, many buildings contain stores on
the bottom floors and homes on top. Homes are small. In
rural and mountain areas, houses are larger, one or two
room wooden dwellings.
National Costumes: Throughout the lowlands of the
country, people dress in loose pants or skirts with long
sleeve shirts that can easily be rolled up. In cities
jeans and T-shirts are common as well. Most people wear
sandals or go barefoot. The ao dai is a traditional
garment worn for special occasions. The women's ao dai
consists of a long, decorated tunic extending down below
the knees, and a black or white skirt or pair of loose
pants underneath. The men's ao dai, not often worn, has
a decorated tunic that only extends to a little below
the waist. The mountain people wear traditional dress
made on looms. The material often has a repeated pattern
and is decorated with beads. Each mountain tribe has a
different style of clothing, and wears different colors.
Conical hats, made out of tightly woven straw or bamboo
are worn by people all over Vietnam to protect them from
the scalding sun, and heavy rains.
