Vietnam

             Traditional Vietnamese View of the World
             In Vietnam, the people, political power, wealth, and industry are concentrated in two core areas. One core area consists of the Red River delta and the city of Hanoi in the north; the other core area is the Mekong River delta and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. The mountainous central portion of Vietnam is inhabited by ethnic minorities and tribal peoples. These two core areas are characterized by significant regional differences. In the north, the Red River is subject to a fast and extreme variation in water levels. Floods and droughts occur on a regular basis. Epidemics and pest infestation has always been common in this area. This area is considered one of the least safe areas of the world. Constant threats emerge from hunger and social unrest. The collective concept of family and villages has emerged in this area as a result of the local culture.
             Life in the southern core of Vietnam is more secure and the harsh discipline of the north is moderated here. The southern villages are more open and more tolerant of individualism than the north. The south experience a greater Western influence and more political freedom than the north because the south was the first part of Vietnam to be colonized by the French.
             As Americans, we think of Vietnam as divided into the north and south by the 17th parallel. However, the Vietnamese think of their country in terms of the north, central, and south. Although the country is divided into three sections, all Vietnamese share a core culture, have a common historical heritage, and speak mutually understandable dialects of the same language. "Traditional" Vietnam refers to primarily the Red River delta in the north and the coastal plains.
             The traditional Vietnamese view is based on the concept of yin and yang, which is conceived as two primordial forces from which everything else in the universe was created. Yang is defined...

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Vietnam. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:58, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25806.html