family values of vietnam and usa

Family values and differences in family values between Vietnam and America TABLE OF CONTENTS Part A: INTRODUCTION Part B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theory background 1.1: History and cult

Family values and differences in family values between

Vietnam and America TABLE OF CONTENTS Part A: INTRODUCTION

Part B: DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1: Theory background

1.1: History and culture

1.2: Family Values

Chapter 2: Differences in family values of Vietnam and America 2.1: How is family values important?

2.2: Differences in family values between Vietnam and America 2.2.1 Family structure

2.2.2 Status and right

2.2.3 Education on children

Part C: CONCLUSION

Part D: REFERENCES

FAMILY

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Title

Family values and differences in family values between Vietnam and America

2 Reasonable

Being a student of Faculty of English at Hanoi Open university, I am always interested in discovering other countries’culture as much as I can Throughout the lessons of intercultural communication, I have more chances to know custom, communication ways, and culture of many countries and religions in the world In this subject, I pay attention mostly to some differences between Vietnamese and American, especially in family values In my thought, family is one of the most important parts in the lifetime And this is one of the reasons I choose family values

as the subject of my study Evey country has differ history which affects to cultural features of itself I do this study with hope to understand more about family values

of Vietnam and American From that point, people can know ways to maintain these cultural values for the next generation as well as avoid cultural shock

PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theory background

1.1 History and culture

Culture is one of thing who influences people Culture has many synonyms like habit, costume, tradition, manner and etc It determines people do anything Culture

is the abstract thing It places on their mind Different of the region determines the culture For instance, each people who live on a country have different culture Vietnam culture has been shaped by Confician ethics.During thousand years under the invasion and domination by Chinese, Vietnamese culture was also permeated by their Confucian philosophical beliefs In the process, Vietnam have been influenced by the different cultures in many countries around the world The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures This portrait indicates that Vietnam is influenced by many beliefs.America

is an immigrant country which means the people uprooted themselves in order to come to this new land Therefore, there are many cultural features Every area in America has the different customs,beliefs, and features

History and culture contribute to making the special family values for the two countries Both Vietnam and America consider family as the part important in the life

1.2 Family value

Family values are those which a family shares for the common good of its members Family values, sometimes reffer to familial values, are tradiotional or cultural values(that is values passed on from generation to generation within families) that pertain to the family’s structure, function, rules, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals According to dictionary, “family values” is defined as “ the moral and ethical principles traditionally uphelp and transmitted within a family as honesty, loyalty,

industry, and faith Values unite the parents and the family while bringing freedom

to its members to pursue happiness, to give and receive love and to know the truth These values enrich and guard the intimacy of the family members These values are commonly known beacause they are injured within our nature

Chapter 2: Differences in family values between Vietnam and America

2.1 How is family values important?

Family values have the important roles to the family and its member These values are factors and standards affecting to every member in many aspects Family values are important on many different levels of the family structure

Establishing a Foundation for the Family

A foundation supports a family When crises arise, the family is able to withstand them because of the stability of the relational structure Families with defined values are able to stand strong on their views despite other people's efforts to break through with opposing beliefs In addition, when family members feel weak from the cold outside world, they know they can come into their family for a warm comforting connection

Influencing Decision Making

Family values influence the decisions people make both within the family structure and outside of it Making a decision about important topics can be difficult, and people may feel helpless if they don't know which way to proceed Therefore, having solid family values helps people make the right decisions in life

Guidance for Raising Children

Parenting can be a challenge and with all of the world's influences, it can be downright scary Knowing what you believe in as a parent and what you want for your children will help you raise them to be responsible and conscientious adults

Giving Family Meaning

What does family mean to you? When people think about the definition of family, they usually say something about feeling connected because they share the same views of the world While some family members may differ on views of some topics, most family members keep the largest, most influential, beliefs intact

Helping Guide People in Relationships

People usually relate to others who share the same values as them because they are more compatible with one another However, to find compatibility you need to know what you believe in so you know what to look for when looking for a mate or friend Families with strong values are able to identify these values in others quickly, which then produces a new generation with similar beliefs

2.2 Differences in family values of Vietnam and America

2.2.1 Family structure

In Vietnam:

The Vietnamese household follows the extended multi-generational pattern Household average five to seven members but vary greatly in size A typical extended family often includes three or even four generations, and typicalling consisting of grandparents, father and mother, children and grandchildren, all living under the same roof Sometimes, parents have more than one married son living with them, but this often lead to such tension that it is generally held preferable for a second son to live separately

In America:

The traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative family forms have become more common The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations.Those generations,

the extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family

Over time, the traditional structure has had to adapt to very influential changes, including divorce and the introduction of single-parent families, teenage pregnancy and unwed mothers, and same-sex marriage, and increased interest

in adoption Social movements such as the feminist movement and the stay-at-home father have contributed to the creation of alternative family forms, generating new versions of the American family

2.2.2 Status and right

In Vietnam:

In the patiarchal society, the husband was considered the head of the family, had all rights and decisions for the family They did not need to do anything but make money The wife and Vietnamese women had limited rights and took a secondary place in the family Women were brought up according to a strict discipline and traditionally less educated than men The usually did not enter the job market outside the home They completely depent on their husband, performed all household tasks and took care of children In that years, the family and society were seriously influenced by these words: “to value men above women” As a result, when a wife gave birth of girl, she could be disregarded by the family of her husband and even by her husband A couple of husband and wife was forced to have a son for the next generation and to worship ancestors If they did not, that did mean they had no word in the huge family

The roles of women in Vietnamese family have been changed throughout the history of Vietnam There are more balanced between men and women Today, women can making money and have rights of decision in the family and society Men is also responsible for household chores and taking care of children However,

in some family , the erroneous conceptions about rights of women are still maintained

In America:

In America, the rights between husband and wife is more equal Both women and men have the same rights in making decisions, doing works and making money in the family Sometimes, women make more money than men The concept of family life is that both the husband and wife must share the burden Housework and caring for children are no longer the work of women by themselves Men are also responsible for helping women with these tasks Many women is not only good at work in the family but also in social works

2.2.3 Education on children

In Vietnam:

Vietnames parents protect their children so carefully which make their children mostly depend on them They let their children sleep with them even when they are not the small children Whatever their children want, they always support and do for them

Obedience and respect is the traditional virtues which Vietnamese children are taugth to exhibit in the family Discipline and physical punishment are acceptable remedies for disobedience in the Vietnamese tradition Harsh discipline and beatings do not constitute the abuse of a child but its reverse: loving care, concern, and attention When parents are old, children are expected to take care of them to compensate for the gift of birth and upbringing They are supported by married or unmarried children until they die

Vietnamese parents have a high regard for education It is considered a way for familya advancement Parents encourage their children to study and excel in their education However, they have a trend to force their children to learn major or school their parents like or which they think its effection

After marriage, Vietnamese children often live with their parents until they die

In America:

American parents teach their children sense of independence As soon as born, children are arranged for their private room,separately from their relatives It is believed to help children avoid depend on members in the family When they are two years old, parents teach their own self-serving skills such as taking food, drinking water or milk, playing by themselves and getting up on their own Parents and teachers always perserve, both guide and motivate to creat self-reliant routines for the child until he or she is able to practice them well They argue that grasping the basic skills of self-serving needs will help children improve their independence and sense of maturity Children can “leave the nest” at an early age and live an independent life This independence from parents is not an indication that parents and children do not love each other Strong love between parents and children is universal and there is no exception in America family

When children make mistakes, parents do not use whips Instead of scolding and beating, American parents punish their children with more positive and rational actions

American parents always respect opinions and hobbies of their children It is thought that fobbidance can limit their creativity But they will ban if that idea are wrong With this education, American children will have more opportunities to express their personality They have high regard for education but they let their children make decisions about their study by themselvese

After marriage, American children have private life They do not live with their parents and look after their life by themselves

PART C: CONCLUSION

Family is an important part in the life Family values contibute to build the perfect famlily as well as personality of members This paper help dicover partly the typical features and differences between Vietnames and American family The similarities and differences are found to help people from the two cultures establish and maintain effective communication and avoid misinterpretations, misunderstading, or cultural shock

PART D: REFERENCES

1 Di, Y H (2001), American Culture Changchun: Jilin Science & Technology

Press

2 Musgrove, F (1966), The Family Education and Society London: Routledge &

Kegan Paul

3 Wu, F (2003), American Society and Culture Wuhan: Wuhan University Press

4 Zhu, Y T (1997), The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries

Beijing: Higher Education Press

5 http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Vietnam/sub5_9c/entry-3389.html

6 http://www.usis.us/tin-tuc/nguoi-my-day-con-nhu-the-nao.html

7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_values

8 http://www.vietnam-culture.com/articles-53-6/Vietnamese-traditional-family-values.aspx