Customs

Greetings Vietnamese shake

hands, but tend to bow their
heads slightly or have a verbal
greeting from about 3 feet away
from each other.

Names Vietnamese names are

structured with the family name
first, the middle name and then
the given name. Professionals
and officials are identified by
more formal titles.

Gestures It is unacceptable to
touch another persons head, as
the head is considered the most
spiritual part of the body. The
crossing of the middle and
index finger, which Americans
view as crossing their fingers
to excuse themselves from
telling a white lie, is seen as
rude in Vietnam.
Affection Men and women
do not show any public
displays of affection, but
members of the same sex are
seen holding hands in public.

History

The first historical recording in

Vietnam was in the first century
BC. In 439 AD, the Ngo Dynasty
defeated Chinese troops, which
ended Chinese rule in Vietnam.

The Socialist
Republic of
Vietnam

Between the 5th Century and the

20th Century, Vietnam was under
the control of the Chinese, French,
and the communist Viet Cong
troops who were from Northern
Vietnam.
In 1976 the north and south
reunited and Hanoi became the
capital. Vietnam is still attempting
to improve the government,
economy, and living standards as
of today.

References:
https://www.sandiego.edu/esl/cultures/
vietnamese/teachingvietnamese.htm
http://search.proquest.com/nur
sing/docview/1328316025/F43
3E701F88D40EDPQ/1?
accountid=28076
Gaiha, R., Imai, K., & Kang, W. (May
2011). Poverty, inequality and ethnic
minorities in Vietnam International

Grace Healey
EDU365
Dr. Ingrid Spatt

Culture

Religion Buddhism is the

most common religion.
Taoism, Christianity, and
Islam are also practiced.

Language Vietnamese is the

official language and English,
French, Chinese and Khmer
are spoken in some areas.

Demographics Vietnamese
and Chinese make up the two
majority groups along with 52
other ethnic minority groups.

Taboos Do not use direct

eye contact when speaking to
an elder. It is imperative that
you do not embarrass your
Vietnamese colleague in
public. Discretion and
sensitivity are the most ideal
ways to manage
uncomfortable situations.

Teaching Strategies

The Vietnamese place emphasis

on academic competence as well
as character development.
Teachers should include social
responsibility and respect in their
classrooms.

There is an obvious language

barrier for foreign students in
American schools. Using
pictures, Google translator, or
having the school can provide a
translator can be helpful since
Vietnamese lacks prefixes,
suffixes, grammatical changes
and conjugations.

Having a Culture Day can

allow a Vietnamese student to
inform the other students about
their culture and make them feel
more comfortable in the
classroom.

Education

The Vietnamese have great

respect for teachers and
administrators, so they tend to not
be involved in academics.
Therefore, the teacher must
involve the parents in the schools
program.

Informing the parents on the

activities, goals and the
importance of their involvement,
can aid in the success of the child
and the acclimation to a new
country.

Many Vietnamese refugees want

to immerse themselves into the
American culture, but also feel it
necessary to keep their values,
traditions, and customs from the
homeland. It is crucial that the
teacher find ways to include the
Vietnamese culture into their
lessons or find extracurricular
activities that pertain to the
culture.