Vietnam

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 Vie

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Yin is defined by a tendency toward greater egalitarianism and flexibility, more female participation, mechanisms to dampen competition and conflict, high entropy, low redundancy, and more emphasis on feeling, empathy, and spontaneity. Yin and yang suffused the entire world with a coherent system of meaning. According to the nature of things, women were subordinate to men. Simply by being alive, you were in debt to your family. Like children and younger brothers, they were supposed to be submissive, supportive, and compliant toward their husband.

In Vietnamese society, family relationships were models for social organization. Children were taught filial piety (hieu), to obey, respect, and honor their parents. Husbands were supposed to teach and control their wives like they did their younger brothers and their children.

The widely shared worldview and system of values made the traditional Vietnamese system workable. Vietnamese children were instilled with a rigid code of conduct and a strong sense of duty.

As Americans, we think of Vietnam as divided into the north and south by the 17th parallel. Younger brothers were supposed to respect, obey, and support their older brothers. Children were taught proper behavior within this framework and home and at school, and this formed the basis of a social system that served Vietnamese society for hundreds of years. “Traditional” Vietnam refers to primarily the Red River delta in the north and the coastal plains. Family socialization, formal education, folklore, and literature all converged to reinforce a shared cosmology.

Common topics in this essay:
Red River, Americans Vietnam, Minh City, World Vietnam, yin yang, Traditional Vietnam, vietnamese society, balance yin yang, proper balance yin, traditional vietnamese, river delta, red river, north south, brothers supposed, proper balance, balance yin, Mekong River, red river delta, traditional vietnamese view, membership village,

Approximate Word count = 927
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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