Personal Narrative: My Vietnamese Culture

As a proud second generation Vietnamese American, I proudly associate myself with my Catholic Vietnamese community. Like all members in my group, we are indoctrinated with the typical immigrant values of perseverance, freedom, and respect for others and our cultural identity. The church that binds us together, Our Lady of Lavang, is the center where most of the Catholic Vietnamese Community gathers all over West Michigan. Since the 1st grade, I went through the Church's school program every Sunday to learn about Christian moral values, Vietnamese traditions, and language. These lessons has heavily influenced my outlook on life, enabling me to use faith to build confidence with myself, maintain integrity, and to love and respect every individual.

Around the globe there are many different types of unique and delicious food. In America it’s extremely diverse, people around the world come to America to share and spread their cultural food so that Americans can enjoy. There are several Vietnamese restaurants in America that Americans love to visit once or twice every week. Vietnamese food are usually defined as inauthentic in America. Vietnamese food in the U.S are highly different than the ones in Vietnam. In Vietnam, the food texture, taste, and color are authentic because the ingredients are freshly made. Moreover, in America the spices and recipes are not like the original ingredients. The taste and color of the food is exceedingly essential because if people come in and eat, they wouldn’t want to pay for foods that are plain boring, colorless, and tasteless. That would be awful.

I’m Vietnamese, but I cannot speak the language. Both of my grandparents are immigrants who came to Vietnam after the war. My dad was born in Vietnam and my mother was born in Louisiana. All of them speaks fluent Vietnamese, but only my mother speaks English. Growing up, it became harder and harder for me to communicate with my family in a sense that they did not know what I was saying and vice versa. Granted, I went to a Vietnamese school when I was younger but later dropped out once my family became busy with life.

Vietnam opens new opportunity for food choices to its tourist and visitors but lead to repetition of the same foods. While food may be exotic tourist also have the risk of eating something they adore and have for a pet, dogs and cats. America has set rules and laws on eating these animals since they are adored so much. Both countries may have education, Vietnam’s education is focus mainly towards the middle or rich class in the population since the only way of going to school is by paying, unlike America where it is “free”. In the end, America is the better choice for a family if they want to focus on their kid’s

What is culture? Culture is the idea of what is wrong or right, the concept of what is acceptable within our society. Culture serves us as a guide, taking us to the "right way" and helping us to make sense of things that surrounds us. There are many different cultures around the world. A lot of them are similar in specific ways and others are just completely different, this difference explains why we think that people from different backgrounds are "weird".

Before moving to Saint Paul, Minnesota, two and a half years ago, I lived in Storm Lake, a small rural town located in northwest Iowa. There was no big Hmong population there, only a few family friends. I was very hesitant to share my culture at school because I did not know how to explain the elaborate traditions and its purposes. For example, sacrificing animals to ancestors is an outdated practice and not understood by many people. Traditions like this only exist in historical textbooks. I was scared of being judged and looked on as weird. I did not know the purpose of dressing up in traditional clothing for new years, or what was the purpose of celebrating Hmong new year. I envied other cultures, for they had a history that was widely known and written down in text. I had no appreciation for my culture.

Whereas Vietnamese people prefer complicated homemade foods, Americans would rather grab and go. Fast food restaurants are growing on every corner with plenty choices like Arby’s, McDonald, Chick-fil-A, Checkers, Burger King etc. It is very convenient for people with a busy

A sudden winter breeze blew at my neck, I turned my head around and screamed at the back trunk, “Oh my god, where are all the suitcases!?” My parents jumped out of the car and everyone else squeezed in the back seat. I could never believe that people actually commit a crime at a worship place. The scene took place at the Vietnamese Buddhist Center in Sugar Land, Texas. It was our first stop of the visit. The car windows were shattered, leaving broken, sharp crystals all over the places. My parents called 911 and moved all the kids inside the temple. The adults were upset while the kids cried for their lost valuables. My family had nothing left except the clothes on us. After waiting for the police report, my father had to drive to the car rental

As a Colorado native, I gaze at the sun setting on the distant mountains, watch Aspen trees change color, and appreciate the complexity of snowflakes. This state has always captivated my sense of wonder. While this unquenchable curiosity permeates my whole life, it is most visible in my diverse undergraduate studies – majors in molecular biology and sociology with minors in chemistry, math, and leadership studies. Even more fundamental to my identity, though, is my Vietnamese heritage. Growing up, I ate dinner with three generations at table, tended to my grandparents, and fulfilled my responsibility as the oldest child. This upbringing taught me the importance of cultivating relationships. Moreover, circumstances within my family – such as

When we discuss about the differences between Vietnamese and America culture, we can think of many things such as History, Style of Music, Arts, Religion, Language, etc. And, I will tell you some differences and similarities in eating culture of the two countries. Even though they both have things in common such as family’s dinner, tea and coffee for morning, three meals a day or small snacks between main meals. But, the food cultures of two countries are different in many ways including kinds of farmland, living style, cooking style and eating style.

After finishing all her classes on the very first day of her college year, Janet feels overwhelmed and exhausted. During the last class of the day, her stomach growled loudly. I am so hungry, she thought. She wants to go out to eat. However, she does not know the new area well enough to know the best spots to grab a bite to eat. As Janet walks back to her dorm, she is surprised by a familiar face. Jason, an old high school classmate greets her in delight. Jason tells Janet that he is craving Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup. In search of a places that sells Pho, they walk down King street, the hub of Charleston where most stores and restaurants are concentrated at. Suddenly, Jason pointed at CO. He cheerily boasts about the dished he had when

As far as I know in any Asian culture, there is a strong sense of competition. The ranking system discourages people from helping each other. I had teachers who admired my ability to learn and give, but that didn't matter to my “competitors.” Most of them thought I was unusual and fake for caring less about being a topper. I chose Hampshire for the very reason of no grade system.

If a Vietnamese cook is asked where his cuisine originated from, he might, reply, from his ancestors. The cuisine has evolved by the contribution of various rulers, invaders and indigenous peoples- each one adding their own nuances to create a deliciously simple cuisine. The Chinese made the first dramatic impact on its cuisine, teaching them Buddhism with its inherent vegetarian beliefs and the art of chopsticks, use of noodles, stir-frying in oil, tofu, soy sauce and cultivation of rice. India introduced Vietnam to spices. The Mongol tribesmen brought with them their love of beef, which resulted in the creation of Vietnamese soup, Pho. Explorers from Spain brought foods from the New World, including chillies and potatoes. Later, the French passed on their techniques of sautéing and simmering for stock making, and introduced onion, coffee, beer, ice cream and baguettes. From Thailand they took basil, lemon grass and shrimp paste and combined them with Indian spices. Cambodia introduced Vietnam to coconut milk. With such diverse inspiration, the resulting dishes are wholly unique. (Basan, VIETNAMESE fragrant and exotic :a deliciously simple cuisine)

The area of Saigon-Cho Lon is famous for selling many Chinese dishes. People can find anything they need, even in a vendor’s leaf knitting needle, there are still many types of farm product such as home-grown vegetables and home-raised fish. Such loads of goods remained in Saigon until the 1970s. The old Saigon also has a collection of street vendors for customers to eat. In the morning the neighborhood was very busy, attracting the West living in the colony. Meeting on the street is an inherent habit of the Vietnamese, making a very hectic pace of living on the streets of old Saigon.

On one hand, Vietnamese gastronomy is not just about Vietnamese food; the gastronomes can try Chinese, Thailand, French food and many other dishes from different countries in the world right here in the Vietnamese restaurants. It is really a paradise of food bringing tourists to Vietnam. On the other hand, many Vietnamese restaurants located abroad contribute to present the image of Vietnamese gastronomy to the world. Misses Wendy Chan, an expert from Definity Marketing assumes that Vietnamese food is the most fashionable choice for the Americans.