What makes vietnam special

European, North American architecture and the traditional Oriental one. As a result, Hanoi, Saigon and Hai Phong had chessboard streets which made it convenient for transportation. Catholic churches in Saigon, Hanoi, Hue and local parishes.

Noticeably, temple and pagoda features and traditional Vietnamese architecture could be found in even such European-styled architectural constructions, most notably Phat Diem church.

In the period: In northern Viet Nam, many buildings followed Soviet-styled architecture, i. Like in many other countries, the current architecture in Viet Nam generally consists of four main components: interior design, architectural design, urban planning design, environmental design and area planning. Painting and sculpture. Folk painting: There are two kinds of folk paintings: New-year paintings and Worshipping paintings. Folk paintings are closely connected to religious belief of worshipping for forefathers and deities.

For mass production, folk paintings were executed through woodblock printing. They became quite popular in the 16th century, and developed steadily at a high level in the 18th and 19th centuries. Given their artistic styles, printing and drawing techniques and materials, folk paintings could be classified into some different brands. Today, however, folk paintings are almost obsolete. Amongst the few existing brands of folk paintings under preservation, Dong Ho paintings still develop and can be found in many countries such as Japan, France and the US Dong Ho is the name of a small village lying along the southern bank of Duong River in Bac Ninh province.

Dong Ho paintings are made in an original way, technically and aesthetically, in every aspect from pattern design, carving, paper production dzo poonah paper is hand-made, coated with white powder made from baked shell , color mixture made from natural materials to picture drawing and printing.

Modern painting: The founding of The Fine Arts College of Indochina in marked a milestone in the development of contemporary plastic arts in Viet Nam. The first generation of artists graduating from the Fine Arts College of Indochina and their works are now known in the world.

In succession to the former generations, current artists, on one hand, pay regard to capturing the quintessence of the world art, and on the other hand explore new styles of Vietnamese paintings on oil, lacquer and silk… This generation of artists has become popular with their works particularly those by Luu Cong Nhan, Pham Cong Thanh, Nguyen Thu, Dang Xuan Hoa and Thanh Chuong, etc.

Ancient sculpture: In the traditional artistic heritage, sculpture experienced continuous development and provided typical images of the Vietnamese in various parts of the country and at each period, whether in the form of deities or earthly human beings.

The ancient Vietnamese sculpture was very diverse, but mostly in the following existence: Prehistoric sculpture with sculptured images on stones, in caves, on bronze drums and household utensils; sculpture of Phu Nam and Chan Lap Kingdoms in the Southern part; Cham-pa sculpture in the Southern Central part; Great Vietnamese Sculpture in the Northern part and sepulchre sculpture by aborigines in the Central Highlands.

Traditional fine-art handicraft. Traditional Vietnamese handicraft has a long history and a diverse range of products, which have become well-known at home and abroad. Vietnamese products of ceramics, lacquer, silk, rattan and bamboo… have made their popular presence in many countries. Amongst traditional crafts, the most salient is ceramics which provides a variety of products to meet both civil and industrial demands. As early as the 15th century, Vietnamese silk made its appearance to the world through merchants.

Rattan and bamboo weaving has a thousand-year-long tradition. This craft closely links to the availability of these natural materials in all regions across Viet Nam. Vietnamese craftsmen have skillfully produced a lot of furniture of charming and beautiful designs, like tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, fruit trays and flower baskets etc.

Among the localities renowned for such products are Ha Tay and Thanh Hoa provinces. Consular emergency: What to Eat in Da Lat. What to Eat in the Mekong Delta. Traveling to and within Vietnam. Major Airports in Vietnam. Taking Trains in Vietnam. Bringing your Motorbikes on Trains in Vietnam. Bringing Your Own Vehicles to Vietnam. Bringing Your Pets to Vietnam. How to Take Motorbike Taxis.

Taking a Ferry in Vietnam. Renting a Car in Vietnam. How to Travel from Hanoi to Da Nang. How to Travel from Hanoi to Hue. How to Travel from Hanoi to Sa Pa. How to Travel from Hanoi to Mai Chau. How to Travel from Hanoi to Moc Chau. How to Travel from Hanoi to Cao Bang. How to Travel from Hanoi to Ha Giang. How to Travel from Hue to Phong Nha. Vietnam Travel Itineraries. Vietnam One-month Itinerary.

Vietnam One-week Itinerary. Taking a Gap Year in Vietnam. Backpacking in Vietnam. Expat Tours in Vietnam. Honeymoon in Vietnam. Traveling with Wifi in Vietnam. Vietnam Travel Safety Tips. Travel Insurance. Is it Safe to Drink Tap Water? How to Avoid Mosquitoes. Food Safety in Vietnam.

Getting Vaccinations. Common Diseases and How to Prevent. Wearing Face Masks in Vietnam. Can Tourists Drive in Vietnam. How to Avoid Scams. Travel Safety Tips. Deluxe Hotels in Vietnam. Best Hotels in Ho Chi Minh. Best Hotels in Hanoi. Where to Stay in Ha Long Bay. Where to Stay in Mai Chau. Beautiful article. I did get to go to Vietnam and enjoy it from deep in the Mekong to the norther Halong Bay! It was an experience that left an indelible mark upon my soul.

I went by myself on a Contiki trip and the beauty of the country and the freedom I felt in my soul I will never forget.

Everything was memorable but some of the things that stick out most to me were the days I spent in Hoi An where we rented motorbikes and drove around the back fields. It was exhilarating. Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the post. Your trip sounds wonderful! I agree that Hoi An is truly a special place. My partner and I lived in Vietnam for a year where we taught English and totally agree with this list. Also their passion for food and feeding people is awesome — fair to say we ate our way across the country and loved every minute!

I am moving to Hoi An for a couple of months. Heard so many good things about it and your post just confirms all of them. You definitely should! But then that is just me. My bad experience was the war. I loved South Vietnam, sort of remind me of my country.

Tropical, hot and humid. I spent 18 months and learned a lot about the country side and people. I would love to spend 3 weeks and visit some of the old base camps I lived. I presume they are long gone, but I always have one place in my mind that I fell in love with.

The Vietnamese folk beliefs since the ancient time consist of belief in fertility, worship of nature and worship of man. Human beings need to be reproduced, crops need to be lushly green for the nourishment and development of life, so belief in fertility came into existence.

In Vietnam, this long-standing belief was displayed in the cult of linga and yoni in India, only linga was worshipped and the act of sexual intercouse this is an unpopular practice in Southeast Asia. Many traces of this practice can be found on many stone statues and columns, decorative motifs in the Central Highlands tomb-houses, some customs and dances, especially in the shape and motifs of ancient bronze drums. Wet-rice agriculture that depended much on natural factors ignited the belief of worshipping nature.

In Vietnam, this belief was polytheism and respect for goddess, and worship of animals and plants as well. A research book published in listed 75 goddesses or Holy Mothers, mostly matriarchal goddesses, also called Mau ancient people not only worshipped the Creator but also Mau Cuu Trung which was a female Creator, as well as Goddes of Forest, River Goddess and so on. Regarding botany-worshipping belief, the rice plant was most venerated, the next were the banyan-tree, the areca-tree, the mulberry tree and the gourd.

In respect of animal-worshipping beliefs, unlike nomadic culture that worships fierce wild animals, the Vietnamese tend to worship gentle species of animals like stags, deer, frogs, especially those which are easy to come by in the riverside regions like water-birds, snakes, and crocodiles. The Vietnamese proclaimed themselves as belonging to the Hong Bang family line and the Tien Rong breed Hong Bang is the name of a huge species of water-bird; Tien , or Fairy , is deification of an egg-laying species of bird; Rong , or Dragon, is an abstract image of snake and crocodile.

The ascending dragon that was born in the water is meaningful and special symbol of the Vietnamese nation. Among the human-revering beliefs, the custom of ancestral worship is the most popular, which nearly become one belief of the Vietnamese also called Dao Ong Ba in South Vietnam.

The Vietnamese choose the death-day rather than the birthday to hold a commemorative anniversary for the deceased. Every family worships Tho cong , or the God of Home, who takes care of the home and blesses the family. Every village worships its Thanh hoang , the tutelary god, who protects and guides the whole village the Vietnamese always honour the people who rendered distinguished services for villagers or national heroes who were born or died in the village to be their Thanh hoang.

The whole nation worships the very first kings, sharing the common ancestors' death anniversary the Festival of Hung Kings Temple. Particularly, the worship of Tu Bat Tu, or the Four Immortal Gods, namely, Tan Vien preventing flooding , Saint Giong resisting and defeating foreign invaders , Chu Dong Tu together with his wife growing out of poverty to consistently build his fortune and Lieu Hanh heavenly princess who left Heaven for the earth in the yearning for happiness has been regarded as extremely beautiful national values.

Although turning into superstition in some specific cases, folk beliefs have lasted consistently and mixed with orthodox religions. Therevada Buddhism might have been imported directly into Vietnam from India through sea routes since the 2nd century A.

Vietnamese Buddhism stays on earth rather than ascends up to heaven, attaches to exorcism and prayers for wealth, happiness and longevity rather than heading toward nirvana. Only when Maharayana Buddhism approached the country from China did Vietnamese monks have the chance to carry out in-depth study of Buddhism; however, separate sects were later formed, such as Truc Lam Buddhist Sect which attaches importance to the Buddha inside the human heart.

In the Ly-Tran dynasties, Buddhism, though having reached its peak, still embraced both Taoism and Confucianism to create a cultural face with "the three religions existing at the same time". Over ups and downs throughout the history, Buddhism has become absolutely familiar to the Vietnamese; according to the stastistics, there were up to some 3 million Buddhist followers and some other 10 millions frequently going to the pagoda for worshipping the Buddha. Under the Chinese domination, Confucianism had yet to gain a position in the Vietnamese society.

In the 15th century, due to the need of constructing a unified nation, a centralized administration and a social order, Confucianism took the place of Buddhism to become a national religion under the Le dynasty.

Confucianism, mostly Song Confucianism, that took root deep into the social and political structure, the system of education and examinations and the circle of Confucian scholars gradually dominated social and moral life. However, Confucianism was only accepted to Vietnam in specific factors, particularly on politics and morality, rather than its entire system. Taoism penetrated Vietnam at roughly the end of the 2nd century.

Since the Vo Vi letting things take their own course doctrine bore the thought of resisting the Chinese rulers, it was used as a weapon against the Northern feudalism. This religion also contained factors of magic and mystery, so it fits human subconscience and primitive beliefs. Many Confucianists also admired Taoist tendency of enjoying quietness and joyful leisure. However, Taoism has long been regarded as an extinct religion that only left vestiges in folk beliefs.

Christianity came to Vietnam in the 16th century as an intermediary of the Western culture and colonialism. It made use of the favourable opportunity in which feudalism was in crisis, Buddhism was depraved and Confucianism was in deadlock to become a spiritual relief of a part of the population. However, this religion failed to integrate into the Vietnamese culture for a long time.

Christians had to set up an altar dedicated to Jesus Christ right at their homes. Only when the Gospel was introduced into Vietnam, Christianity was able to gain a position. In , there were 5 million Catholics and nearly half a million Protestants. Foreign religions imported to Vietnam did not exterminate the local folk beliefs, but they mixed with each other to derive specific variants for both sides.

The features of polytheism, democracy, and community are manifested by the worship of groups of ancestors, and pairs of gods. Entering a pagoda, people can easily recognize that not only Buddhas but also gods and even human are worshiped there. Perhaps, only in Vietnam, there were legends that a toad dares to sue Heaven or a human being marries a fairy.

These are the prominent features of Vietnamese beliefs. There have been many theories regarding the origin of the Vietnamese language. The most persuasive one argues that the Vietnamese language previously belonged to the Mon-Khmer group of the Southeast Asian linguistic system, it was later transformed into Viet-Muonglanguage or old Vietnamese language and then separated to form the modern Vietnamese language.

In the present-day Vietnamese language, many words have been proved to contain Mon-Khmerroots and to be phonetically and semantically relevant to the Muong language. Throughout a millennium of Chinese domination and under the Vietnamese feudal dynasties, the official language was Chinese, but the Vietnamese always demonstrated its strength for self-preservation and development.

The Chinese language was pronounced in the Vietnamese way, called the Han-Viet way of pronunciation, and Vietnamized in various ways to create many commonly used Vietnamese words.