1. Vietnam
Breanna Podmore

2. Background Land & Climate History Located in South East Asia.
A little larger than New Mexico.
Tropical climate in south and four seasons in north.
History
Before 1980’s Vietnam was a one-party government
Doi moi (renovation) took place in the 80’s which attempted change.

3. Society Socialist state led by a president. Voting age is 18
Agriculture is their primary source of income.
Currency: dong

4. People Population Language As of 2011 90 million populate Vietnam
Grows at about 1% annually
Many have fled over the years. *
Language
Vietnamese
Minority.

5. Religion Constitution states freedom of religion. 55% Buddhism
12% Taoist.*
8% Roman Catholic
All respect ancestors.

6. General Attitudes Children must respect teachers and parents
Vietnamese believe in hard work, generosity, and loyalty
Punctuality is important to all.
They have an intense sense of nationalism.
Inequalities still exist especially in rural areas.

7. Personal Dress Everyday dress is casual.
Formal occasions women wear the ao dai
Men don’t wear shorts in public.

8. Greetings Formal greetings shake hands
Informal greet verbally and bow head
Peers greeted with given name
Name structure.*

9. Gestures Importance in gestures to teachers.
Never touch someone's head.
Rude to call someone over with index finger.
No affection in public between opposite sexes.
Crossing index finger and middle finger is impolite

10. Food Rice served with every meal
No food should be left in one’s plate.
It is considered lazy to eat from your bowl on the table

11. Family Youngest son inherits the house.
Extended family provide support for each other as needed
Men and women share most responsibilities in the home.

12. Lifesyles Dating & Marriage Recreation
Youth begin dating in their late teens
They are free to choose their own mates
Encouraged to marry after man is at least 25 and woman 23
Recreation
Men enjoy soccer, volleyball, tennis and swimming
Karaoke is a popular form of entertainment in groups of young people

13. Holidays 11 major holidays Most important is the Lunar New Year
Held in late January or February
Everyone is considered one year older.
Families visit and feast
Debts are settled before this holiday

14. Education in Vietnam
Education begins at age 5 and is free for the first 6 years
Some areas are very populated.
School week is Monday through Saturday.
High school graduates are encouraged.
College is free to qualified students.
Paying students who do not meet government standards can attend

15. Education Continued Saturday is review day
All students take shifts helping clean the school in groups
Students must stand when called on
Most schools don’t have playgrounds or extracurricular activities
Most days start with a test.

16. Teacher Reminders
Important to remember topics in our history can be sensitive to students in your class due to cultural background
Stereotypes need to be avoided and addressed
Most Vietnamese stereotypes are general Asian stereotypes.* Examples:

17. Tips for Teachers Learn a few words of Vietnamese
Hi!- chao
Goodbye- Tam biet
Be aware of offensive gestures
Address bullying
Have mini lessons on different cultures

18. Teaching Tool
By using mini culture lessons students will feel closer to students of other cultures and diverse students themselves will feel a sense of pride
One neat way to do this is by using a book like “Teaching the Short Story: A Guide to Using Stories from Around the World”
This book includes short stories about different countries and discusses the moral behind the story.