A Brief Look at

Vietnamese Culture
Lycia L. Harris
Jacksonville State University

Introduction

The Vietnamese culture is a very interesting one. Many think of

nail shop personnel and recall negative images of the Vietnam
War when asked to give a reference to Vietnamese people. Often
the Vietnamese are incorrectly called Chinese which is often
offensive. This presentation is a brief cultural look at the
Vietnamese people which will address communication, family
structure, work-related issues, bio-cultural ecology, high-risk
behaviors, eating habits, childbearing practices, death rituals,
spirituality and health-seeking practices. This is a small window
into a group of individuals who are often misunderstood and
stereotyped in hopes of creating insight and cultural education.

General Overview
There are over a million Vietnamese living in the United
States
Many are involuntary immigrants
Vietnamese Americans face a unique set of problems:
Dissimilarity of culture
Lack of family or relatives to provide support
Negative identification with the Vietnam War
(Purnell, 2013)

Communication
Direct or delicate questions are not answered with no
because it may create disharmony
Self-Control, which is a traditional value, encourages the
Vietnamese to keep to themselves, so they may seem
abnormally quiet
Expressing disagreement that may irritate or offend
another person is avoided
(Purnell, 2013)

 Emotional expressions are considered

weakness and contradicts self-control

 During times of distress or loss however, Vietnamese

people may complain of physical discomfort such as:
headaches
back aches
insomnia

Family Roles
At birth, Vietnamese children are already
considered to be a year old
Age is calculated from conception and a year is
added at each Tet which is the Asian Lunar New
Year

 Many immigrants have trouble when determining

age and birthday because of the differences in
Vietnamese and American traditions

 A traditional family is strictly patriarchal. There is almost always

extended family where the man has the duty of carrying on the family
name

 The Young are expected to respect the elders

Behavior that might dishonor the family is
avoided

 Western culture exposure has made it difficult for

younger Vietnamese people to adapt to tradition
because there is a disproportionate number of
young compared to the young
Conflicts develop between tradition, obedience,
and pressures to adapt to American life
(Purnell, 2013)

Work Force Issues

Respect is given to authority figures with
impressive titles, achievements, education

 The Vietnamese also strive to have

harmonious work environments

 The Vietnamese may also be chronically late due to

decreased concern in punctuality, adherence to deadlines,
and competition

 Traditional Vietnamese values related to

work include:
A willingness to work hard
Sacrificing comforts
Saving for the future to assure
assimilation into the workforce
(Purnell, 2013)

 Vietnamese workers may be taken advantage of by

co-workers because of fear of loosing their jobs if
they speak up about unfairness

High Risk Behavior

Home remedies are often tried before seeking
health care
Many may not seek care until their conditions are
very bad

Nutrition
A tradition that is predominant with Vietnamese is the
balancing of natural forces, known as am and duong.
Am and duong is represented by foods considered hot
(duong) or cold (am).
Illness or trauma may require therapeutic balance of hotand-cold to restore equilibrium.
Ice water and cold drinks are not liked
Most raw vegetables, fruits, and sour items are taken in
small amounts
(Purnell, 2013)

Pregnancy and
Childbearing Practices
Am and duong balance of force is
recognized during pregnancy
Body heat is lost during delivery,thus,
Vietnamese women avoid cold foods and
drink
The intake of hot foods is increased to
strengthen their blood

Death Rituals
Most Vietnamese dont like hospitals and
prefer to die at home

 Some Vietnamese believe a person who dies

outside the home becomes a wandering soul who
does not have a place to rest

 Vietnamese family members feel they can provide

more comfort to the dying at their home
Vietnamese families may gather around the body
of the newly deceased relative and express a lot of
emotion

 Traditional mourning practices include:

Wearing of white clothes for 14 days
Vietnamese men wearing black armbands
and white headbands by women
The anniversary of a loved ones death is
celebrated yearly
(Purnell, 2013)

Spirituality
Religious practices are influenced by the
Eastern philosophies:
Buddhism
Confucianism
Taoism
(Purnell, 2013)

 Confucianism stresses harmony through

maintenance of the proper order of social
hierarchies, ethics, worship of ancestors, and
virtues of chastity and faithfulness

 Taoism teaches harmony, allows events to follow

the natural course that no one should try to change
These beliefs contribute to an attitude
characterized by maintenance of self-control,
acceptance of ones destiny and fatalism about
death that Westerners think as passive
(Purnell, 2013)

 Good health happens through harmony and

balance between two basic opposing forces,
am (cold, dark, female) and duong (hot,
light, male)
Excess of either may lead to discomfort or
illness
(Purnell, 2013)

 The Vietnamese belief that life is predetermined is

a deterrent to seeking health care
Many Vietnamese do not understand diagnostic
tests, feel they are inconvenient, and unnecessary

Vietnamese Treatments
Practiced in the United
States
Cao

Gio
Giac
Be bao
Xong
Moxibustion
Acupuncture

(Purnell, 2013)

 Vietnamese people hold fatalistic attutudes

and believe that problems are punishment
This belief reduces complaining and
expression of pain because they think
endurance indicates strong character
Self-control is viewed as a means of relief;
Pain is just part of life
(Purnell, 2013)

Health-Care Providers
Traditional Asian male practioners do not
usually touch the bodies of females
Male practioners may use a doll to point out
sources of illness
Young and unmarried Vietnamese women
prefer female health care providers
(Purnell, 2013)

 Young and unmarried Vietnamese women

prefer female health care providers

Conclusion
The Vietnamese people have many cultural practices
that are similar to other ethnic groups. As advanced
healthcare providers, it is important to recognize behavior
that may have cultural significance. This brief lesson on
the Vietnamese people was aimed at strengthening the
understanding of Vietnamese culture and decreasing
stereotypes and generalizations related to Vietnamese
people.

References
Clip Art. Google Images. Retrieved June
7, 2015 from: http://www.google.com
Purnell, L.D. (2013). Transcultural Health
Care: A Culturally Competent Approach.
(4th E.d). Philadelphia: PA: F.A. Davis