If you ever think about Vietnam, a symbol that comes to mind is the Lotus flower. This flower represents the virgin, the pure beauty of Vietnamese women. This time of the year is Lotus season. People can be seen selling pink and white lotuses on the street or you might catch them growing in a pond in the countryside. Most people who sell them are from the country side. The lotus is just an amazing flower with heaps of meaning which even the Vietnamese don't really fully understand .

You might spend 15,000 Vnd for 10 lotuses at the beginning of the season but almost half that 15 days later. They make your house look special.

“Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you”…by Richard Marx…. That’s the kind of music that most Vietnamese people like. I am sure most foreigners would think all of these songs are **** and middle of the road but …….
You’d be surprised that, whoever you talk to, all of them know this music. They all love Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, even ZZ TOP. And, of course, I like these singers too. Maybe we are very sentimental or maybe these songs are easy to listen to and can be remembered after a few times.

Do not be surprised when Vietnamese ask you who are Fleet wood Mac, Dire Straits or Moby. But they know lots about Elton John, Phil Collins and many more….. You might wonder about their musical taste and I have wondered myself many times about that too. I realized that listening to such songs is the easiest way for us in general to study English. Another reason is that all the words are very simple and can be written down.

Maybe you think we are very romantic in our musical taste but that’s just the way it is.
Nowadays, there are lots of young people who like rock, rap and hip hop, but that’s not a high percentage of the whole population.

Hope this short message can help you avoid rolling your eyes whenever you asked a Vietnamese person who their favourite singer is. Just smile and say that’s NICE.

Religion has exerted a deep influence on Vietnamese culture and the Vietnamese concept of life. The attitude towards life, death, and the world beyond bears a deep imprint of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.
The predominant religion in Vietnam is Buddhism, which is also on of the world's great religions. Buddhism was introduced into Vietnam under the Chinese domination, in the second century B.C., by Chinese immigrants and by Indian preachers coming by sea. Buddhism became the state religion of Vietnam under Ly Dynasty (1010-1214). Several kings took the cassock or retired into a pagoda after their abdication. Buddhist monks served as counselors to the king at court. Since the Tran Dynasty (1225-1440), Buddhism has lost the status of a state religion but nevertheless remained the dominant religion in Vietnam and a major cultural force.
Buddhism was originated in India by Shiddharta (563-483 B.C.) or Gautama Buddha, which means the Enlightened One." According to Buddha, man was born into this world to suffer. The cause of suffering is the craving for wealth, fame, and power that necessarily brings about frustration and disappointrnent. In order to be free from suffering, man must suppress its ultimate cause: craving. He must not be attached to anything in this "world appearance" and live a life full of virtue, according to the Eightfold Path. This core of Buddhist teaching holds that there are eight "right" ways to live virtuously: right views, right thought, right conduct, right speech, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation. An individual's fate in this existence is determined by what he has done in his previous existence. This is the law of Karma, or cause and effect.

The soul does not perish at death, but reincarnates in another existence and this goes on and on. The Buddhist's goal is to be freed from the circle of reincarnation and reach Nirvana, which is a state of complete redemption and supreme happiness. Theoretically, any person may become a Buddha by suppressing craving and following the Eightfold Path, but those who actually attain Buddhahood are rare.
There are two branches of Buddhism: Hinayana (Little Vehicle) also called Theravada Buddhism, which nourishes in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, and Mahayana (Great Vehicle) Buddhism which is found in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Most Vietnamese Buddhists belong to the Mahayana branch. The Theravada branch exists in communities of ethnic Cambodians and Vietnamese living in the Mekong Delta.
The great majority of Vietnamese people regard themselves as Buddhists but not all of them actively participate in Buddhist rituals at the pagoda. For centuries, the Buddhist clergy has not been organized into a hierarchical system. Each pagoda was completely autonomous of others and was entirely administered by local individuals or communities. The first attempt to organize Buddhism on a national scale was achieved by the General Buddhist Association in 1955. Further efforts culminated in the establishment of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam in 1964.

Confucianism is more of a religious and social philosophy than a religion in the accepted meaning of the word. It has no church, no clergy, and no Bible. It advocates a code of social behavior that man ought to observe so as to live in harmony with society and attain happiness in his individual life. There is little concern about death, the world beyond, and spiritual feelings in this religion.
Confucius, or Kung Fu-tzo (551-479 B.C.), the founder of this religion, stressed the improvement of the moral self as the basic duty of the individual as well as the statesman. In order to rule the world, one must rule one's country; in order to rule the country, one must rule one's family; and in order to rule the family, one must have control of oneself. Consequently, the improvement of the moral self is the cornerstone of Confucianism. Confucius believed that man is born with an essentially good nature which becomes corrupted in his contact with society. In order to improve his moral self and regain that original good nature with which he was born, man must practice the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, propriety, loyalty, intellect, and trustworthiness. In order to keep harmony in the nation and happiness in the family, man must observe the three basic relationships between sovereign and subject, father and son, and husband and wife. On the national level the basic virtue is loyalty to the sovereign, and on the family level, the basic virtue is filial piety. The ritual expression of filial piety is ancestor worship.
Confucianism was introduced into Vietnam as early as the first century, during the Chinese domination. Two Chinese governors at that time, Hsi Kwang and Jen Yen, were most instrumental in its introduction. It was after Vietnam achieved independence that Chinese influence and Confucianism became important in Vietnam. Because of a political philosophy that was favorable for the monarchy, Confucianism was promoted and supported by the government. In 1253 the Institute for National Studies (QuÓc-H†c ViŒn) was founded by the king to teach the classical books of Confucius. Under the Le dynasty, studies of the Confucian doctrine attained their apogee. With the French conquest and the influence of Western philosophies, Confucianism began to decline. However, Confucianism still pervades the thinking and behavior of Vietnamese people from all walks of life. It should be noted that the Vietnamese people do not follow many of the Confucian tenets. As an illustration, the pronouncement that "when the father dies, the mother should obey the children" has in reality never been practiced. The widowed mother is till respected and obeyed by all her children.

for a series of most informative and highly interesting posts.
Please continue, I look forward to reading them.

Excellent posts- thanks very much for the info. keep them coming if you have more to share.