Variances in Culture

From Hanoi to Halong Bay and back, from Hanoi to Hoi An, and from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Elon University’s Business and Culture in Vietnam study abroad program has now traveled from the north (Hanoi) to the south (Ho Chi Minh City) of the country in less than three weeks. After capturing several ‘seizing’ moments from our time in Hanoi, I will now reflect upon our stay in Hoi An. Hoi An Ancient Town is located in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam and is home to approximately 120,000 inhabitants. Having traveled down the coast of the country from the north to the south, it is safe to say that there are vast differences (and similarities) between the cultures that exist from city to city and from province to province. With the opportunity to spend four days in Hoi An, there was plenty of time for observation and for insight as to why things are the way they are in this part of the country. During my stay, there were several of these observations that stuck out to me: First, the prominence of foreign influence throughout the city; second, the number of English-speaking indigenous people; and third, the role of women in the workforce within particular industries.

In Hanoi, one will observe certain aspects of French culture which still remain in the city in terms of architecture and cuisine. For example, some of the older buildings appear to have been constructed by the French during their occupation of Vietnam years ago, while baguettes (French bread) are very prominent in Vietnamese dishes. However, Hanoi is not comparable to Hoi An in terms of foreign influence. While walking the streets of Ancient Town, French culture is everywhere; one can eat dinner along the riverside and it feels as if he or she is sitting down looking out over the Seine. It is quite striking to see just how prominent French culture is within the architecture of Hoi An. Second, Hanoi had many Vietnamese locals who were capable of speaking broken English. Now when I say broken English, I mean that these folks understood words and phrases such as “water, how much, yes, and no”. Once again, this is extremely different from Hoi An. In Ancient Town, it was difficult to come across a street vendor or a shop owner who didn’t speak English. Although it wasn’t perfect, their English was profound when compared to those indigenous of the north. It does make sense as to why there are so many English-speaking Vietnamese in Hoi An because of the fact that tourism is the number one grossing industry in the area. Shopkeepers and street vendors alike are forced to understand and be able to communicate in English in order to sustain their livelihoods. Lastly, one of the observations that struck me the most was the role of women in the workforce in Hoi An. Women are typically seen sewing silk clothing, constructing Vietnamese lanterns made of bamboo with a silk covering, cooking in restaurants and on the streets, and etcetera. However, when it came to shop keepers and owners, many of them were women, but the interesting part about it is when a patron would begin bargaining with a woman shopkeeper, it was not out of the ordinary for her to go find a male employee or owner to confirm that she could make the sale at the bargained price. It was as if she had to “check-in” before making the sale at a discount. Along with the role of women in the workforce, these people are working extremely long hours for extreme minimal wages, but the interesting fact of the matter is that they always, and I mean always, had a smile on their face. These women would be performing such monotonous tasks but yet still took the time to look up from their work and greet us Americans with a smile. It was amazing to me how happy these people are working and performing, what appears to be, quite tedious tasks. One thing is certain, I will never complain about the manual labor I partake in back in America because it is nothing compared to what these people go through day in and day out. With a smile that is.

Now we are in the south, Ho Chi Minh City; we will be traveling as a group to the Mekong Delta to spend several days in a homestay before returning to Ho Chi Minh City for the final few days of our stay in Vietnam. It is safe to say that this experience has been a journey, but that journey is still to be continued. More to come.

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