More Bout Vietnam..

Modern Vietnamese are a combination of many races, though over 90% of the Vietnamese population is Viet or Kinh people which are the descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of the provinces of Southern China.  There are more than 50 minority groups called Montagnards or mountain people; these tribes prefer to live in the mountainous region of Vietnam.  Among them are the Hoa people, encompassing the largest minority group in Vietnam with over 2 million inhabitants who are descendants from the Han Chinese.  Montagnards are best recognized for their colorful clothing and jewelry.


HISTORY:
Vietnamese history expands centuries of forced occupation by foreigners.  Throughout its history, Vietnamese people have endured China’s heavy hand, invasion by the Japanese, colonialism by France; wars with the Cham (descendants of the Champa Kingdom) and Khmer Rouge (Cambodians indigenous to the Mekong Delta) civil war, war with the United States and the fall to a communistic regime that is present to this day.  Yet, Vietnam’s cultural traditions have transcended the ages and are vividly embedded in present day Vietnam.  Inevitably, history happens as we live it; and society, western technology, access to the internet and a recent influx of foreign investments are rapidly changing the landscape.


CULTURES:
Vietnamese heritage dates back to their earliest kingdom, the Van Lang, but it was during the bronze age when the community flourished with the cultivation of wet rice. A technique so embedded in their culture that thousands of years later it is still practiced today.  Nowhere is it more evident then at the Mekong Delta, a place not to be missed.  This region was occupied by the Cambodian Khmer people until the late 18th century when it was reclaimed by Vietnam and became the largest producer of rice in the nation.  During the Hung dynasty the Vietnamese people began to raise cattle and perfected their skills in weaving, building and pottery.  In modern Vietnam, skillful artisans create sophisticated lacquer paintings, crafts, woodcarvings and pottery.  Theater, opera, dance and water puppetry are a staple of the Vietnamese culture and widely practiced across Vietnam.


RELIGIONS:
The Vietnamese population follows a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, Hao Hao Buddhism, Daoism and Protestantism.  A smaller percentage of the population is Catholic; Roman Christianity was introduced in the late16th century by French, Spanish and Portuguese missionaries. There is also a sectarian faith unique to Vietnam called Cao Dai (High Palace) which embraces all philosophies and sanctifies famous men of science. There are an even smaller percentage of Muslim worshipers who practice the tenets of Islam; these are known at the Cham people.  Other minor religions are Hinduism, Baha’l and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka LDS).  In addition, Vietnamese people believe in superstitions and spirits and the practice of Astrology.


NATIONAL LANGUAGE:
The ancient Vietnamese language was based on the Chinese pictographic writing called Chu Nom and used in Vietnam until the late 16th century when a French Jesuit missionary using the Latin alphabet devised what it is know today as Quoc Ngu (National Language).