The Cultural Customs Of America, Vietnam And China

It doesn’t matter what kind of ethnicity you are, or how you were brought up. Everyone is deeply rooted in their own culture. “Culture” has a different meaning to everyone. Comparing American culture to Chinese culture we will find many different meanings to the word “culture”. For example, we Americans are always looking for something bigger and better for our future, and the Chinese are content with a small reserved lifestyle with no intentions of changing it for something bigger. A culture is a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and are passed along by communication and imitation from

Cultural differences are apparent from one group of people to another. Culture is based on many things that are passed on from one generation to the next. Most of the time people take for granted their language, beliefs, and values. When it comes the cultural differences of people there is no right or wrong. People should be aware of others culture and respect the differences that are between them. The United States and China are two very large countries that have cultures that are well known through out the world. There are many differences between the United States and China, but there are many contributing factors that shape the cultures of these two countries.

For this paper I will examine Vietnamese culture according to the five essential questions all cultures must answer (according to Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck). I will then take those answers and compare then to out culture here in America. I realize that some might argue that using North American culture as a starting point is an attempt to simplify this writing, but I believe that any initial examination of something new is most effectively done in comparison to what one already knows.

Amy’s parents are the authoritative figures keeping their Chinese traditions and cultures alive. Rather than appeal to the American tradition even though they invited the Minister’s family, they decided to stay true to who they are, by making a menu according to their traditions. “What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?” (Tan, 110). Amy describes how her family will stick to their normal chinese menu rather than cook American Christmas eve food.

Every time I come home from college, my family and I would go out to yumcha or, as directly translated from Cantonese, to “drink tea. However, drinking tea is only one component of yumcha. To yumcha is to converse with company over a meal of many small dishes and hot tea. Going yumcha is social activity brought to the United States by the people from the Guangdong region of China, also known as Cantonese people. When they immigrated to the United States, yumcha became an important tradition because it also enabled Cantonese parents to socialize their children into the Chinese culture through the language and social practices involved in the meal and the ritual and meaning surrounding the tea. However, to Chinese-Americans such as myself, going yumcha with native Chinese people also emphasized my American identity due to my food choices. Yet when I go yumcha with non-Chinese people, I become distinctly aware of my Chinese identity when they fail the language or rituals of this tradition. The only time when I do not feel alienated during yumcha is when I go with my other

Zimmermann, K. (2013, April 22). American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States. Retrieved October 29, 2014 from http://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html

This article discusses President Lyndon B. Johnson’s involvement with Vietnam and civil rights. Vietnam and Civil Rights Movement protests coincided. African Americans were discriminated against at home and in the United States armed forces. In previous history blacks fought segregated in war. During Vietnam blacks were intergraded with a small number of segregated troops. Blacks fought for democracy believing they would return home with equal rights. Blacks felt they had earned the right to be equal. After returning home from Vietnam, blacks remained discriminated against. The war heightened awareness of discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr., with blacks and whites, marched to Washington to protest for equal rights. Kings speech was one of the most powerful protests in history. His speech for freedom was televised across America. King was assassinated and white soldiers applauded his death. The military began posting confederate flags on equipment. Racism was tolerated in military bases. Legislation passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Before entering the Vietnam War, President Kennedy had been warned by Charles De Gaulle, a French general, that war in Vietnam would trap America in “a bottomless military and political swamp” (Source A). Just a few years later, entrance into this very swamp resulted in a wide variety of changes in American life. The Vietnam War affected cultural aspects of American life by giving rise to the counterculture movement of the 60s and 70s, it affected economic aspects of American life by depleting resources in a long and drawn out war, and it began to tear society apart. The changes brought on by the Vietnam War had both positive and negative impacts that affected our country for years to come.

To do the latter, we must investigate the meanings the custom has for those who practice it and the functions it may fulfill in their society. (Section 1.4, “Cultural Differences: Cultural Relativism,” para. 3).

In what concerns cultural practices, Yang, Kou studied the 30th annual Hmong New Year event celebrated in the United States, defined as a unique Hmong festival, which turns to be the occasion of displaying the Hmong culture. However, the researcher noted that this New Year event was also dominated by other activities and concepts, largely influenced by the American culture. Therefore, the research aimed at presented the Hmong New Year in the USA as a festival that combines two cultures. However, the paper missed to present the influence of said Festival on the Hmong international community.

Over the years, millions of people have died for this country. Their character is challenge by the actions they have done in battle. In the Vietnam war, soldiers came back to US citizens calling them baby killers and being disrespected all because society in the US during that time thought they were blood thirsty killers. That is an attack of their character, but still fought for our country even though they are being criticized for their actions But then now when they get back from Afghanistan they are considered heroes and are honored. Society’s views have changed dramatically throughout the time of WW2, Vietnam War, and the Afghan War.

I'm Vietnamese American. I came to America twelve years ago. I’d say I am equally influenced by both Vietnamese and American culture. Growing up as a Catholic, I learned that happiness is the life that we receive when we are in union with God in heaven. How do we get there is something I had to learn from both textbooks and experiences. My parents would often talk about growing up, getting a job, starting a family, and live happily. They also talk about how religion leads you to happiness when you values love and kindness. Religion specifically taught me values such as persistence, perseverance, humility, forgiveness, and charity. These values is reflected in the way I speak, think, and view life.

The Vietnam War began in the year 1954, after the ascension to power of Ho Chi Minh, who was a communist leader in North Vietnam. The leader was spreading communism, and because the United States wanted to stop the spread, it sent military troops to aid South Vietnamese to stop this vice. The war saw about 3million people die with the inclusion of 58,000 American soldiers. About 150,000 people were wounded during the war. In 1975, South Vietnamese government surrendered the war after the communist forces forced them to surrender. Vietnam unified communism and became a Socialist Republic. Although decades have passed since the occurrence of the Vietnam war, the American culture, which was partly born as a result of this war, is celebrated

The United States and Vietnam have almost opposite cultural systems under Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. There are four main categories which is a power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity or feminine, and individualism or collectivism. Vietnamese has a high power distance when the US have much lower power distance. For instance, they respect others by their ages because of their culture. Usually an elder man is the most powerful person in a family and a decision maker. Parents didn’t used to allow to speak up anything from their children and also some physical violence were accepted as discipline, but it’s been changing. Uncertainly avoidance is weak in a family situation, on the other hand, the US has weak uncertainly avoidance

This year is my forth year that I has been studying in the United State. I’m already used to the U.S. culture and the U.S. living style. So in general, I didn’t experience any culture shock after I got here. If I had any culture shock, it’s probably three years ago. I couldn’t remember any of them. However I do have some thoughts about the differences between the U.S. and China after four years of studying in the United States.