Week 1: Country Background

• Self-introduction


• An overview of the course


• Official name, National flag, National emblem


• Location, Capital, Area, Population, GDP, Currency


• Geography


• History of the "Viet Nam" name


• Climate


• Ethnolinguistic groups


• Languages


• Forms of address

Week 2: History and Institutions

• Origins and early history


• The era of Chinese domination


• Independent monarchies


• Division and Western penetration under the later Le dynasty


• Reunification under the Nguyen dynasty


• Pre-colonial Institutions:
  
  
  
  • Social classes
  
  
  • The villages
  
  
  • The Imperial State
  
  
  • Cities
  
  
  
  


• The French conquest


• Vietnam under the French domination


• The rise of nationalism


• The first Indochina war


• The second Indochina war


• The Socialist Republic


• Discussion

Week 3: Thought, Folk Belief, and Religion

• Introduction


• Folk beliefs


• Animism


• Hinduism


• Taoism


• Buddhism


• Confucianism


• Catholicism


• The new sects:
  
  
  
  • Cao Dai
  
  
  • Hoa Hao
  
  
  
  


• Discussion

Week 4: Vietnamese Literature

• In Chinese


• The folk tradition


• In vernacular characters


• In romanized Vietnamese


• Under colonialism


• Popular or Realist Literature


• Resistance Literature


• "Marking Time" Literature


• Renovation Literature


• Discussion

Week 5: Art and Architecture

• Introduction


• Pre-colonial Viet art


• Ceramics


• Lacquerwares


• Painting


• Modern painting


• Architecture:
  
  
  
  • Vietnamese
  
  
  • Buddhism
  
  
  • Hinduism
  
  
  • French Colonial
  
  
  
  


• Discussion

Week 6: Vietnamese Cuisine

• Introduction


• Utensils and manners


• Cereals, Fruits, and Vegetables


• Meat and Meat products


• Fish and Crustaceans


• Drinks and Desserts


• Areca nuts, Vietnamese Tobacco


• Daily fare


• Discussion

Week 7: Vietnamese Cultural Values and Communication Style

Background concepts:

• 
  
  
  
  • Collectivism
  
  
  • Confucianism
  
  
  • Face
  
  
  • High-context culture
  
  
  
  


• Traditional cultural values
  
  
  
  • Harmony
  
  
  • Allegiance to the family
  
  
  • Concept of “good reputation”
  
  
  • Love of learning
  
  
  • Concept of ‘respect’
  
  
  
  


• Communication Style
  
  
  
  • Language
  
  
  • Verbal communication
  
  
  • Non-verbal communication
  
  
  
  


• Discussion

Week 8: Family, Gender, and Youth Culture

The Vietnamese family in pre-colonial times

• The family in times of war


• Modern family life


• Generation Z


• Youth Lifestyle


• Discussion

Week 9: Vietnamese Tết and Festivals

Introduction

• The Lunar calendar


• Tết festivals of Kinh people
  
  
  
  • The New Year's Day Festival: Tet
  
  
  • Household Gods' Ritual
  
  
  • Cold Foods Festival
  
  
  • Pure Brightness Festival
  
  
  • Double-Five Festival
  
  
  • Mid-Autumn Festival
  
  
  
  


• Some Tết festivals of ethnic minorities


• Overview of traditional festivals


• Some typical festivals
  
  
  
  • GIÓNG festival
  
  
  • Worship of Hùng Kings
  
  
  
  


• The Gregorian calendar


• The anniversary of the founding of the VCP


• National Day, Ho Chi Minh's birthday, Liberation Day,


• Discussion

Week 10: Leisure Activities of Vietnamese

• Traditional Toys
  
  
  
  
  • Tò He (Toy Figurine)
  
  
  • Diều Giấy (Paper Kites)
  
  
  • Paper Lanterns
  
  
  
  


• Folk Games
  
  
  
  • Rồng Rắn Lên Mây (The Game of Dragon - Snake)
  
  
  • Mèo Đuổi Chuột (Cat and Mouse)
  
  
  • Nhảy Dây (Jump Rope)
  
  
  • Chơi Chuyền (Bamboo Jacks)
  
  
  • Đá Cầu (Shuttlecocks Kicking)
  
  
  • Chơi Quay (Spinning Tops)
  
  
  • Ô Ăn Quan (Square Capturing)
  
  
  • Pháo Đất (Mud Banger)
  
  
  • Nhảy Sạp (Bamboo Dancing)
  
  
  
  


• Sports and Leisure of Contemporary Viet


• Discussion

Week 11: Performing Arts and Music

• Ca Trù singing


• Trống Quân singing


• Chèo (Vietnamese Popular Theatre)


• Tuồng (Vietnamese Classical Opera)


• Đờn Ca Tài Tử


• Múa Rối Nước (Water Puppetry)


• Discussion

Week 12: Culture of Vietnamese Ethnic Minorities

• Introduction


• 8 cultural regions


• Custom
  
  
  
  • Economy
  
  
  • Social relationships
  
  
  • Rite of passage: marriage, funeral
  
  
  
  


• Cuisine


• Typical cuisine


• Discussion

Week 13 and 14: Vietnamese Business Etiquette

• Misperceptions


• Business Protocols
  
  
  
  • Meeting preparations
  
  
  • Dress code
  
  
  • Greetings
  
  
  • Names
  
  
  • Business cards
  
  
  • Seating
  
  
  • Meeting discussions
  
  
  • During the meeting
  
  
  • After the meeting
  
  
  • Use of Interpreters
  
  
  • Body language
  
  
  • Face value
  
  
  
  


• Your practices and local rules
  
  
  
  • Business entertainment
  
  
  • Gifts
  
  
  • Personal network and Social relations
  
  
  • Verbal communication
  
  
  • Negotiations
  
  
  • Contract enforcement
  
  
  • Local rules and International rules
  
  
  • Your business operations in Vietnam
  
  
  • How to avoid corruption
  
  
  • Ethical behaviors
  
  
  
  


• Discussion

Week 15: Oral Presentation

Week 16: Written exam

Students are expected to review all assigned materials before class to maximize in-class time for practice and discussion. All assignments must be submitted to the instructor via email by the specified deadlines. Final grades will be calculated based on the following components:

• Attendance: 40%


• Oral Presentation: 30%


• Written Exam: 30%

Notes:

• Each group (3–5 students) is required to deliver a presentation on a case study that reflects the socio-cultural aspects of Vietnam, based on lecture content.


• Active participation in in-class Q&A sessions/ Kahoot/ multiple choices will earn additional points toward the final grade.

[1] George E. Dutton, Jayne S. Werner, and John K. Whitmore (ed.) (2012) Sources of Vietnamese Tradition, New York, USA: Columbia University Press.

[2] Keith Weller Taylor (1983) The birth of Vietnam, USA: University of California Press.

[3] Nhung Tuyet Tran (2018) Familial Properties: Gender, State, and Society in Early Modern Vietnam, 1463–1778, Honolulu, USA: University of Hawai‘i Press.

[4] Christopher Goscha (2016) The Penguin History of Modern Vietnam, London: Allen Lane.

[5] PwC (2020) NextGen Survey 2019 - Vietnam in focus. https://www.pwc.com/vn/en/publications/vietnam-publications/nextgen-survey19.html

[6] Kerry Nguyen-Long (2013) Arts of Viet Nam: 1009-1945, 1st edition, Hanoi, Vietnam: The Gioi Publishers.

[7] Sylvie Fanchette, Nicholas Stedman (2009) Discovering Craft Villages in Vietnam: Ten itineraries around Hà Nội, Hanoi, Vietnam: The Gioi Publishers.

[8] Taylor K. W. (2013) A History of the Vietnamese, 1st edition, UK: Cambridge University Press.

[9] Mark W. McLeod, Nguyen Thi Dieu (2001) Culture and Customs of Vietnam, 1st edition, USA: Greenwood Press.

[10] Shireen Naziree (2013) From Craft to Art - Vietnamese Lacquer Paintings: Including Works from the Collection of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Bangkok, Thailand: Thavibu Gallery Co., Ltd.

[11] British Council (2020) Next Generation Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam. https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/research-reports/next-generation-vietnam

[12] Vu Hong Van, Nguyen Trong Long, Tran Thi Thanh, Tong Kim Dong, Pham Van Luong (2020) Folk Beliefs of Vietnamese People, 1st edition, India: Book Publisher International.