Trang Phung
ENG191 27
Dr.
Roland Specht-Jarvis
Final essay
Dec 12th, 2012
The
Changes in Vietnam From Past to Present
Everything changes
with time. A person, a market place, a country, etc, can change in years, in
days, or even in minutes. A person changes his or her personalities and his or
her hobbies. A market place always has new employments and new products. A
country changes its system and develops daily. My home country, Vietnam, is a
developing country. It has changed a lot in the past ten years. Vietnamese
people, Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese society are now totally different
than they used to be years and years ago. The five most rapid changes are the
food, the fashion trend, the relationship between parents and children, the education,
and the communication between people and people.
As an
international student in the United States of America, I go back to my home
country every summer to visit my friends and family. Summer 2012 was the third
time that I went home. I can clearly see the changes in Vietnamese people,
culture, and society. I am always surprised about the changes and also happy
about it at the same time. Each summer when I go back home, there are new kinds
of food, new delicious restaurants, new trends of fashion, new buildings, new
shopping malls, new laws made by the government, and so on.
The first, and
also the best, change in Vietnam is the food. Vietnamese used to eat
traditional food all the time. People eat noodles such as Pho or rice with meat,
for breakfast. Lunch and dinner are served with white rice and some main dishes
such as tofu with tomatoes, stir-fry, vegetables and meat. Vietnam –A Global Study Handbook written by L. Shelton Woods states,
Breakfast might
consist of sticky rice served with some type of fish or other meat. Lunch is
served around 11:00 a.m. and is much more substantial than the lighter
breakfast. Supper, which occurs later in the evening when the entire family is
together, usually begins with a light soup followed by some type of meat or
fish dish and then rice. Desserts are not normally a part of a meal, although
sweet fruits might occasionally be served after the main course has been served.
There are only a few restaurants
and street-side stores open at that time since there are not many kinds of food
available. Nowadays, there are foreign foods and foreign restaurants
everywhere, especially in my city, Hanoi. There are varieties of food from many
different countries such as Italian food, Chinese food, Korean food, Japanese
food, Thailand food, and American food. Fast food such as Pizza Hut, cheese
sticks, hamburgers, French fries, cheesecakes, milk shakes, smoothies, and brownies
are famous and preferred by a lot of teenagers or young generations. However,
some famous fast food brands in the world have not existed in Vietnam yet.
According to Vietnam Online Channel, “Although the two biggest names in the
world of fast food –McDonald’s and Burger King –are currently absent in
Vietnam, one still has the choices of KFC, Pizza Hut, Lotteria, Carl’s Junior…
among others. There is also one brand new Subway in Ho Chi Minh City which
already excited diners” (“Fast food”, 2011). Life becomes busier and rusher,
people then prefer to eat fast food than to cook or eat Vietnamese traditional
food. This is a reason why you hardly see any old generations in a fast food
store. Old generations like to stick with the traditional healthy food. Beside
American food, Sushi (Japanese food), Kimchi, Bibimbap, and Bulgogi (Korean
food) are also well known.
Secondly,
fashion is another main change in Vietnam, comparing between the past and
present. Ten years ago, Vietnam remained as a poor country; it was not
developed as nowadays. People did not make good money; they used their money
for food, for their children’s education so no one really cared about fashion.
In the last three years, Vietnamese economy has developed rapidly. People are
making a lot more money than they used to in the past. Everyone now cares about
fashion, especially the females. Young generations wear mini dresses, leggings
with jumpers, shorts, skinny jeans, and boots instead of just a T-shirt, jeans
and sneakers. About fashion in school, Vietnamese students, from primary school
to high school, have to wear uniforms. They could not wear what they wanted
like American students. Vietnamese teachers had to wear traditional dress to
school ten years ago; but not anymore. Nowadays, they can wear normal and
appropriate clothes to school. Anyway, in any traditional or special events,
all Vietnamese females still wear Ao dai, which is the Vietnamese traditional
dress. A lot of people all over the world know and love our traditional dress.
According to Viet Nam Online,
Unlike many other
traditional costumes, Ao dai still remained popular and influential in the
modern day Vietnamese culture. Although Ao dai is no longer worn by men, nor do
women on a daily basis, in special occasions, they are still used widely. Ao
dai are still women favorite dress in traditional festivities or occasions such
as Tet, wedding or graduation. In some high school and universities in Vietnam,
the white Ao Dai is considered school uniform for female students.
However, fashion trend is changing
everyday and it has a lot of impact on students and teachers.
Thirdly,
the relationship between parents and their children have changed a lot. Traditionally,
Vietnamese children have to listen to whatever their parents tell them to do.
They cannot make their own decisions. Their parents would tell them what they should
do and what they have to do for their futures. Parents even decided whom their
child would get married to. Most boys and girls could not marry the one that
they loved, “marriage was considered to be a duty, and was generally arranged
in a non-emotional manner by the elders in the family. Sometimes, mere children
have been committed to each other for later marriage” (Nguyen, 2007). Back then,
marriage also based on the partner’s horoscope and family standards. Parents
would not let a couple get marriages if their horoscopes not match to each
other, “the couple’s horoscope should be in accord and not conflict”, or their
family standards are not the same, “certain standards should be maintained in
the choice of mate under the traditional system. For instance, social rank,
education, moral history, etc. should be similar in background and on as equal
a level as possible” (Nguyen, 2007). Today, everything is getting better now.
Most family let their sons and daughters decide to marry whom they want to
marry to. Parents start to respect their children decisions. They understand
that it is their child’s life, not their lives; it is the one that their child
lives with for the rest of their life, not the one that they live with.
Unfortunately, there are children who live in the countryside that still cannot
make their own decisions. “Couples readily submitted to the parents choosing
their mates and still do to a great extent in the countryside. In the cities,
they have begun to "fight for their rights." Youngsters have more
opportunities to meet each other these days, so often the role of the parents
has been cut down to merely advising and counseling” (Nguyen, 2007). About
parents, rarely anyone get divorced ten years ago. Whoever gets divorced will
be considered bad parents. At that time, most parents who got in fights a lot
still try to stay in the relationship until the end, because of their children.
They do not want their child to be effected by their divorce; they do not want
their child to live a life without a mom or a dad; they care about their child
a lot. As society is changing everyday, more and more people are getting
divorced. Parents nowadays also care about themselves, not only about their
child like they used to be. They enjoy their rights, their lives, and do what
they want. Couples get divorced with their partners to marry the one that is better,
at least in their opinion. Many children are living in the sadness because their
mom or their dad left them.
Fourthly,
education has changed a lot since 2002. There have been many improvements in
both general education and higher education. Vietnam used to have only
Vietnamese schools, which have Vietnamese teachers only. In the past ten years,
more and more international schools have opened in Vietnam, especially in the
two main largest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Students who attend these
international schools will learn everything in foreign languages; most of them
are English. Of course, international schools have much higher tuition rates
compared to Vietnamese schools. In other words, international schools are
opened mostly for high-income families. Attending these schools, students will
live and study in a totally different environment. There are scholarships for
students whose families cannot afford the tuition fees, but not a lot of students
are qualified. In addition, high-income family also send their children to
study abroad in other countries such as United States of America, England,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and so on. According to DanTri
International, “Over 100,000 Vietnamese students studied abroad in 49 countries
and territories in 2011, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).
Of the total, around 90% of students pursued overseas training programmes based
on their own funding, a 10-fold increase compared to a decade ago” (“Rising
numbers of Vietnamese studying abroad”, 2012). In Vietnam Today, written by Mark A. Ashwill, he states,
Vietnamese young
people –full of energy, ambition, and a desire to be challenged that is not
being fulfilled in their country’s institution of higher education –are
intrigued by Western cultures. In the words of one Vietnamese student, they want
to “do something” in a system that does not give them sufficient knowledge,
skills, or freedom of action to realize their potential or, in many cases, even
to find gainful employment. For them, overseas study is a means to that end.
Anyway, parents nowadays are easier
on their children’s future decision. At present, boys and girls are getting
more freedom in education than they used to get. In the olden, teenagers will
follow the major that their parents tell them to study, just as marriage. At
that time, parents made money and paid everything for their child, including
education; so somehow, that is understandable for them to do that. Now, most
teenagers work part-time. They are no longer totally dependent on their
parents. The money they earned from the job can be used to pay the school tuition.
Instead of forcing children to do what they do not want, Vietnamese parents
nowadays take time to talk to their sons and daughters, help them make their
decisions, and encourage them to do what they want.
Finally,
communication between people and people in society is another important change.
In the past, men and women always have to keep space between each other in
public. Men rarely can talk to women except in the working place, and there is
absolutely no touching between men and women in crowded areas. In Vietnam at
that time, one could never see any couple holding hands or kissing each other. Culture Shock, written by Claire Ellis
states, “It is impolite to touch anyone of the opposite sex. The Vietnamese are
largely a conservative people and in traditional society, even a husband and
wife will not hold hands while walking down a street”(Ellis, 2001). According
to Huynh Te, “shaking hands is a friendly greeting between men (but not the
elderly), not customary between a man and a woman” (Te, 2002). Moreover,
Vietnamese people prefer to speak about sensitive subjects indirectly, and
making eye contact when talking to someone is considered impolite. As Vietnam
is becoming so Westernized and Americanized, people can freely communicate with
others, no matter if they are male or female. Men can talk to women anytime
they want and so do women; couples can show their love, holding hands and
kissing in public; more people now talk about sensitive subjects directly; and
making eye contact is absolutely part of the conversation. Because of this
change, Vietnamese are much better at communication, especially the young
generation.
In conclusion,
Vietnamese people, Vietnamese culture, and Vietnamese society have all changed
a lot in the last ten years. The food, the fashion trends, the relationship
between parents and children, the education system, and the communication
between people and people now are so different compared to the past. The foods
are very delicious and diverse; foreign foods are getting popular. The fashion
trends are influencing people a lot; young generations love to wear trendy
clothes. Parents nowadays respect their children’s decisions, especially in
marriage, instead of forcing their child to do what they want. Education in
Vietnam is improved a lot; international schools are open mainly in the two
biggest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, creating an English-speaking environment
for students. Communication among people is freely and openly, especially
between men and women. All the changes and improvements are making Vietnam
become a better country, a country of good food, trendy fashion, close
relationship between parents and children, better education, and open
communication.
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