A COMPARISON ON SOME TRADITIONAL BELIEFS AND VALUES BETWEEN VIETNAMESE AND AMERICAN CULTURE

In the context of globalization of the world, the area of crosscultural communication has become more and more popular. However, each culture has its own features. We can not understand all cultures in the world. Positioning in two opposite sides of the world, America and Vietnam are different not only in geography but also in culture. Vietnam has a unique culture, long history associated with the formation and development of the nation. Vietnamese culture has been influenced by different cultures: first by the Chinese culture during the onethousand year Chinese Empire; then by French Colony of one hundred years. Nevertheless, the typical values and characteristics of Vietnamese culture have not only faded away but also have been preserved and enriched in our societies of all periods. United States is a multicultural nation, is home to many diverse ethnic groups, traditions, and values. American is regarded as “a salad bowl” where the various groups have remained somewhat distinct and different from another making up a richly diverse American culture. American culture and traditions have many differences with Vietnamese culture and traditions. With the process of globalization, our country will have a negative impact on all aspects of the world. The situation and the above trends will create both opportunities and challenges intertwined with the development of the country in the coming years. With the desire of finding some similarities and differences between Vietnamese and American culture. So, researcher chooses this study to research: “A comparison on some traditional beliefs and values between Vietnamese and American culture.” As stated above, the study aims to do analysis on some traditional Vietnamese and American beliefs and values; and find out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese culture and American culture.

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

In the context of globalization of the world, the area of cross-culturalcommunication has become more and more popular However, each culture hasits own features We can not understand all cultures in the world

Positioning in two opposite sides of the world, America and Vietnam aredifferent not only in geography but also in culture Vietnam has a uniqueculture, long history associated with the formation and development of thenation Vietnamese culture has been influenced by different cultures: first by theChinese culture during the one-thousand year Chinese Empire; then by FrenchColony of one hundred years Nevertheless, the typical values andcharacteristics of Vietnamese culture have not only faded away but also havebeen preserved and enriched in our societies of all periods

United States is a multicultural nation, is home to many diverse ethnicgroups, traditions, and values American is regarded as “a salad bowl” where thevarious groups have remained somewhat distinct and different from anothermaking up a richly diverse American culture

American culture and traditions have many differences with Vietnameseculture and traditions With the process of globalization, our country will have anegative impact on all aspects of the world The situation and the above trendswill create both opportunities and challenges intertwined with the development

of the country in the coming years With the desire of finding some similaritiesand differences between Vietnamese and American culture So, researcher

chooses this study to research: “A comparison on some traditional beliefs and values between Vietnamese and American culture.”

As stated above, the study aims to do analysis on some traditionalVietnamese and American beliefs and values; and find out the similarities anddifferences between Vietnamese culture and American culture

2 Previous research

Although there are some researches on Vietnamese and Americancultural values, they do not show the similarities and differences between twocultures For example, in the research on Vietnamese and American culturalvalues by Vu Thi Thanh Huyen (2009) only showed that some traditional values

in American and Vietnamese culture and their reflection on television

advertisement in this research “A Vietnamese- American cross cultural study

on cultural refection of television advertisement” In addition, Le Thi Van Nga

(2011) also showed that Vietnamese and American cultural values in general

and how they effect on business negotiation in the research of “Some reflections of Vietnamese and American cultural values on Vietnamese- American business negotiation.”

This is the first time the study: “A comparison on some traditional beliefs and values between Vietnamese and American culture” is carried out in

Hung Vuong University This study will focus on studying about American andVietnamese traditional cultural values as well as finding the similarities anddifferences between two cultures

3 Research Purpose

The purpose of this study is to give an overview about culture,traditional beliefs and values, analyze some Vietnamese and Americantraditional values, and finally find out the similarities and differences betweentwo cultures

4 Research Questions

The study will find the answers for the following questions:

- What are traditional Vietnamese beliefs and values in general?

- What are traditional American beliefs and values in general?

- What are the similarities and differences between Vietnamese andAmerican cultural values?

5 Methodology

5.1 Research procedure

- Studying the literature review about culture, traditional values and

some Vietnamese and American traditional cultural values

- Making a study of Vietnamese and American traditional values

- Finding out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese andAmerican culture

5.2 Methods of Data Collection

This method is used to systematize materials relating to the study

6 The Significance of the research

- The study helps the researcher improve the knowledge about Americantraditional values and Vietnamese traditional values in general

- It helps students who learn about English gain knowledge abouttraditional American values and American culture and also Americans who want

to discover about Vietnamese culture

7 The Scope of the research

The focus of this study is to analyze some typical cultural values of thetwo countries: Vietnam (freedom, patriotism, strong sense of community,family-oriented lifestyle, harmony, adaptability, directness) and American(freedom, patriotism, individualism, progress and Future- Oriented competitionand equality, self-reliance, indirectness) and to find out what the similarities anddifferences between Vietnam and American culture

8 Research outline

Part A: Introduction

It contains general information of the study: rationale, previous study,research purpose, research question, methodology, the significance of the

research, scope of the research, and outline of the research.

Part B: Major content

Chapter 1 shows the literature reviews of the study This is the

background of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts ofculture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditionalvalues and listing some Vietnamese and American cultural values

Chapter 2 analyzes some Vietnamese and American traditional beliefsand values

Chapter 3 shows the similarities and differences between sometraditional beliefs and values in Vietnamese and American culture

Part C: Conclusion

It gives a conclusion to summarize all the study above In addition, at theend of this study, a bibliography of materials and resources used in this researchwill be presented.

PART B: MAJOR CONTENT

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the researcher will give some general information aboutthe background of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts ofculture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditionalvalues and list some Vietnamese and American cultural values

1.1 Culture

1.1.1 Definitions of culture

There have been so far various definitions of culture by different

researchers According to Banks, J.A., Banks, & McGee, C.A (1989), “Most

social scientists today view culture as consisting primarily of the symbolic, ideational, and intangible aspects of human societies The essence of a culture

is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one people from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies People within a culture usually interpret the meaning of the symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in similar ways.”

Meanwhile, Spencer-Oatey (2000) offered a simpler definition on the

concept of culture, that is “ a fuzzy set of attitudes, beliefs, behavioral norms

and basic assumption and values that are shared by a group of people, and that influence each member’s behaviors and his/her interpretations of other people’s behaviors” (p.18)

A culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behaviorwhose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of aparticular society (Linton, 2003)

According to Encarta Dictionary (2004), culture is “the customary

beliefs, social forms and material traits of racial, religious or social group”.

As Edward Burnett Tyler wrote from the perspective of social

anthropology in the UK in 1871, “culture or civilization, taken in its wide

sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other compatibilities and habits acquired by man as a member

of society”.

In Vietnam, Nguyen Quang, PhD also mentioned this issue The hidden

of nature of culture has been compared to an iceberg; most of the influence ofculture on an individual can not be seen The part of culture that is exposed isnot always that creates cross-cultural difficulties; the hidden aspects of culturehave significant effect on behavior and on interactions with others From his

point of view, “culture is something which was and has been created through

the history of human development Culture is not static and is always changing The beliefs and values we hold now are not completely the same as those held in the pre- historics of medieval times, or 100 year ago” (Nguyen Quang, 2001).

The definition that is the most suitable for this scope of this study is cited by Dr

Nguyen Quang (p.3) “culture is shared background (for example, national,

ethnic, religious) resulting from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs, attitudes, and values”.

Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and is a way in which a personlives his life It is an integral part of every society, and creates a feeling ofbelonging and togetherness among the people of that society Cultureencompasses various aspects of communication, attitude, etiquette, beliefs,values, customs, norms, food, art, jewelry, clothing styles, etc Every society has

a different culture, which gives it an identity and uniqueness

1.1.2 Concepts of culture

The concept of culture was rigorously defined by Taylor in 1860s.According to him, culture is the sum total of ideas, beliefs, values, materialcultural equipments and non-material aspects which man makes as a member of

society Taylor's theme that culture is a result of human collectivity has beenaccepted by most anthropologists Tylarian idea can be discerned in a moderndefinition of culture - culture is the man-made part of environment (M.J.Herskovits).

The study of culture was first used by the pioneer EnglishAnthropologist Edward B Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in

1871 Tylor said that culture is the complex whole, which includes knowledge,belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired

by man as a member of society

The study of culture has complex relationships that provide the societalinformation in the given society This is the reason why Tylor explained it ascomplex whole as it provides the multi-dimension societal factors that isaffected by the inter and intra-relationships of man in the social environment

Primarily, the concept of culture revolves in the human society on itsbelief, art, morals, custom and other capabilities such as values, norms,traditions, mores, folkways, language , race, ethnicity, technology, fads, andlaws These social variables provide the unique definition of culture for theunderstanding and adjustment of life in a given societal condition

According to Robinson (1985), the concept of culture comprises threeelements:

 Cultural products: literature, art, music, folklore, artifacts

 Behaviors: customs, habits, clothes, foods, leisure

 Ideas: beliefs, values, institutions

(cited from Tomalin, B and Stempleski S, 1993: 7)

The relationship between these three elements has been shown as follow:

Figure 1.1: The relationship between three elements of culture

(cited from Tomalin B and Stempleski S 1993: 7)

As can be seen from the diagram, culture is understood as a multi-aspectcategory in which both the tangible and intangible values exist Culturalproducts such as literature, art, behaviors, clothes, or foods may be easilyidentified among different cultures They can be called the visible culture astermed by Hinkel (2001), On the contrary, Hinkel also states that the term

visible culture applies to socio-cultural beliefs and vhe alues that are hidden in

the r- material part of culture This point of view is shared by many theoristsnamely Spradley (1980), Lado (1997), under different names of elements

Until 1996, when the National Standards in Foreign Languages

Education Project was published in the United States, three elements mentioned

above were already seen in generalized terminologies as products, practices, andperspectives Despite the differences in names, aspects of culture in all these

P products

I ideas

B behavior s

viewpoints have an interrelated relationship and people can define the relativeboundary among them.

One of recent reports written by Moran, however, has added other two

dimensions to the above definition In Teaching Culture Perspectives in

practice (2001), Moran asserts that:

“Culture is the evolving way of life of a group of persons, consisting of

a shared set of practices associated with a shared set of products, based upon a shared set of perspectives on the world, and set within specific social contexts”.

From Moran’s definition, it can be pointed out that two new dimensions

of culture are community and persons The reason why these new ones wereadded is Moran’s recognition of the active role of people in their culture It isreasonable and understandable to make the relationship between people andtheir culture clearer It should be agreed that a specific culture can only exist anddevelop in a specific group of persons and its social context

In conclusion, the term “culture” has diverse and disparate definitionsthat deal with both many aspects in the society The image of an iceberg canreflect the nature of culture in all theorists’ acknowledgement The hidden part

of the culture iceberg which consists of values, beliefs, and attitudes

1.1.3 The characteristics of culture

Culture refers to the pattern of human activity and the symbols that givesignificance to these activities Culture manifests itself in terms of the art,literature, costumes, customs, language, religion and religious rituals Thepeople and their pattern of life make up the culture of a region Cultures vary inthe different parts of the world They are different across the land boundariesand the diversity in cultures results in the diversity in people around the world.Culture also consists of the system of beliefs held by the people of the region,their principles of life and their moral values The patterns of behavior of thepeople of a particular region also form a part of the region's culture The word

'culture' that hails from the Latin word, 'cultura' derived from 'colere', means, 'tocultivate' Hence the way in which the minds of the masses inhabiting aparticular region are cultivated, in some way determines the culture of a region.Let us look at the basic characteristics of culture and its fundamental elements.

Culture is shared, by which we mean that every culture is shared by agroup of people Depending on the region they live in, the climatic conditionsthey thrive in and their historical heritage, they form a set of values and beliefs.This set of their principles of life shapes their culture No culture belongs to anindividual It is rather shared among many people of a certain part of the world

It belongs to a single community and not to any single human being Culture islearned The members of a culture share certain ideals, which shape their lives.Generations learn to follow these ideals and principles Culture propagatesthrough generations, which adopt their old customs and traditions as a part oftheir culture The ideals they base their lives on is a part of their culture Culturalvalues are imparted from one generation to another, thus resulting in a continual

of traditions that are a part of culture The language, the literature and the artforms pass across generations Culture is learned, understood and adopted by theyounger generations of society No individual is born with a sense of his/herculture He/she has to learn it Despite the efforts of the older generations totransfer their cultural values to the forthcoming generations, many tend toremain unaware of their culture People are often found to have an incompleteknowledge of their culture People seldom know their culture completely

A gradual change is characteristic to almost every culture Cultures aresubject to change Culture loses some of its traits and gains new ones Theaspects of culture that change vary across societies With the passage of time,new technologies emerge, new modes of work come up, social thinkingundergoes transitions and so does culture Every culture changes in timealthough the rate of change of every culture varies There is hardly any socialcommunity that is completely isolated from the rest of the world Every culture

is mostly influenced by cultures of the surrounding regions Cultural values areprone to be affected by the values of communities in close vicinity The cultures,which emerged during the same periods of time often, show certain similarities.Modern times have witnessed an intermix of cultures Cultures are blendedtogether giving rise to shared cultures There is a need to study our culturalvalues and ideals, which have been shaping our society It is necessary to haverespect and pride for our culture

So as to have better understanding of culture, the author would like toconsider six characteristics of culture proposed by Porter and Samovar (1994):

 Culture is not innate, it is learned Fact has shown that members of culturelearn their patterns of behavior and ways of thinking until they havebecome internalized The power and influence of these behaviors andperceptions can be seen in the ways in which people acquire culture

 Culture is transmissible The symbols of a culture are what enable us topass on the content and patterns of culture People can use spoken words,written forms as well as nonverbal actions as symbols to spread culture

 Culture is dynamic As with communication, culture is on going andsubject to culture, they can produce changes through the mechanisms ofinvention and diffusion

 Culture is selective Every culture represents a limited choice of behaviorpatterns from the infinite patterns of human experience This selection ismade according to the basic assumptions and values that are meaningful

to each culture In other words, culture also defines the boundaries ofdifferent groups The notion of selectivity also suggests that cultures tend

to separate one group from another If one culture selects work as an end(Japan) while another emphasizes work as a mean to an end (Mexico), wehave cultural separation

 Facets of culture are interrelated As Hall clearly states:”You touch aculture in one place and everything else is affected” (Porter and Samovar,

1994, p.13) This characteristic serves to inform us that culture is like acomplex system

 Culture is ethnocentric Keesing notes that ethnocentrism is a “universaltendency for any people to put its own culture and society in a centralposition of priority and worth” (Porter and Samovar, 1994, p.13).Ethnocentrism becomes the perceptual window through which a cultureinterprets and judges all other cultures

1.1.4 The value of culture

Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined byeverything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts Today,

in the United States as in other countries populated largely by immigrants, theculture is influenced by the many groups of people that now make up thecountry

Culture implies the overall way of life for a group of individuals It is theglue that binds people together, and enables them to adapt, survive, and livetogether in harmony

There are different types of cultures across the world and each culturehas its unique essence While defining the term 'culture', there are severalelements that together constitute as the culture of a particular region or theculture of particular people The social values of a particular civilization are alsoconsidered as an element of the culture The values of a culture often refer to thethings to be achieved or the things, which are considered of great worth or value

in a particular culture

1.2 Traditional values

1.2.1 Definition of traditional values

According to website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_values.Traditional values refer to those beliefs, moral codes that are passed down fromgeneration to generation within a culture, subculture or community Importantand lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what isgood or bad and desirable or undesirable Values have major influence on

a person's behavior and attitude, and serve as broad guidelines in all situations

Traditional values emphasize the importance of religion, parent-childties, deference to authority and traditional family values These societies havehigh levels of national pride and a nationalistic outlook

1.2.2 Some Vietnamese traditional values

Vietnam is an agricultural country The wet rice culture made peoplecooperate and work together to bring a good harvest Consequently, thecollectivism prioritizes the community rather than individual

According to Ellis (1995), strong sense of community is felt by allVietnamese” Vietnamese live closely to community and have the group-oriented spirit, which leads the fact that we live in tightly tied relationship withfamily, neighbors and society Therefore, strong sense of community is atraditional value of Vietnamese people

Total harmony is achieved by creating harmony within oneself and one'sfamily, as well as in the outer world of humanity and nature Due to theagricultural activities, harmony is also another traditional value for Vietnamese The family is the center of the Vietnamese common man's preoccupation andthe backbone of Vietnamese society By virtue of the principle of collective andmutual responsibility, each individual strives to be the pride of his family So,

allegiance to family is also a traditional value of Vietnamese people.

The most important thing to understand about values in Vietnam is theimportance of their sense of national independence and peace During 4000years of Vietnam, Vietnamese patriotism took shape and has developed until

present Thorough the war from the beginning era of Vietnam to present,patriotism became a character of Vietnamese and the nation’s quintessence So,freedom and patriotism are traditional cultural values to Vietnamese people.

In conclusion, it is hardly possible to give a thorough description ofVietnam’s four-thousand-year-old culture In this section, I have just mentionedonly the most outstanding features of Vietnamese culture In the main part of thestudy, I will analyze more traditional cultural values of Vietnamese culture

1.2.3 Some American traditional values

According to (H Hoang, M Cao, M Nguyen, T Phung, T Nguyen,2005), there are some traditional beliefs and values in American culture Hereare details:

At the center of all that American value is freedom Americanscommonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world

Directly associated with the value of freedom is the idea of progress It isalso a traditional value to Americans The desire to progress by making use ofopportunities is important to Americans, who tend to look forward to the futurebut not to the past

Another traditional value of American culture is patriotism Americanpatriotism has also focused on the principles and values of the Constitution ofthe United States It means that all men are created equal", people have

"inalienable rights", and that people have the right to "life, liberty, and thepursuit of happiness"

In addition, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals

to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, aruling class, the church, or any organized authority In America, each individual

is separated, and they have their own responsible for their life and destiny So,individualism is also a traditional value of Americans

Being the home to a variety of immigrants from different races all overthe world, America is well-known for its diverse culture American values areconsidered “what among all of its cultural diversity gives America its nationalcharacter” However, I have given brief information about American culturalvalues In the next part of this study, I will analyze more American culturalvalues.

Summary

In this chapter, researcher presented the overview about thebackground of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts ofculture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditionalvalues and listing some Vietnamese and American cultural values In the nextchapter, the main findings and discussion of some traditional beliefs and values

in two countries will be presented

CHAPTER 2: ANALYING SOME TRADITIONAL BELIEFS AND VALUES IN VIETNAMESE AND AMERICAN CULTURE

In this chapter, the researcher tends to analyze some traditional beliefsand values in two countries So, the results will be presented in this section

2.1 Vietnamese cultural values

Being deeply rooted in Confucianism, the Vietnamese culture is solidlyfounded on the structure of family where the Filial Piety is respected andfollowed by members of the family over generations.

Historically, the culture of Vietnam has been influenced by differentcultures: first by the Chinese culture during the one-thousand year ChineseEmpire; then by French Colony of one hundred years Nevertheless, the typicalvalues and characteristics of Vietnamese culture have not faded away but havebeen preserved and enriched in our societies of all periods

It is hardly possible to give a thorough description of Vietnam’s thousand-year-old culture; correspondingly, only the most outstanding featureswhich have been acknowledged in earlier studies will be briefly examined in thisstudy

four-2.1.1 Freedom

It is the term of human right People have the freedom of speech, pressand religion Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever ournationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion,language, or any other status We are all equally entitled to our human rightswithout discrimination These rights are all interrelated, interdependent andindivisible Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law,

in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and othersources of international law International human rights law lays downobligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts,

in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms ofindividuals or groups

2.1.2 Patriotism

Patriotism means the love and devotion for our country Patriotism can

be expressed in many ways and many periods of time Vietnamese expressed indifferent ways to show our patriotism in wartime and peacetime

Vietnamese patriotism was expressed strongly in the past, especially inthe wartime During 4000 years of Vietnam, Vietnamese patriotism took shapeand has developed until present Thorough the war from the beginning era ofVietnam to present, patriotism became a traditional character of Vietnamese andthe nation’s quintessence Patriotism is a definition which is hard to explain but

in every Vietnamese thought, it is a precious tradition and our mission ispreserving and developing it Each individual Vietnamese should makeconcerted efforts and take resolute action in national construction and defense Itwill be a new step in the development of Vietnamese patriotism resting on thespiritual and cultural strength of the nation

The most important thing to understand about values in Vietnam is thesense of national independence and peace Because the Vietnamese are obsessedwith maintaining independent nationhood, the Vietnamese have resisted morethan 1000 years of Chinese cultural domination, French economic dominationand American military domination Under Chinese invaders, people sufferedmany hardships and were exploited emotionally and physically The French andAmerican also burdened the Vietnamese with an extensive taxation system.They strengthened to plunder and exploit the natural resources and oppressedVietnamese farmers making their life extremely miserable Because ofexperiencing a long time of war under miserable life, Vietnamese stronglystruggled to gain the national independence and peace On September 2, 1945,President Ho Chi Minh read the Dependent Proclamation during a publicmeeting in front of thousands of people, at Ba Dinh Square, Ha Noi announcingthe birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam In the heart of all Vietnamesecitizens “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” (Ho ChiMinh, Dependent Proclamation, 1945)

2.1.3 Strong sense of community

Sense of community is a concept in social psychology For Sarason(1974, p.157), Psychology sense of community is “the perception of similarity to

others, an acknowledged interdependence with others, a willingness to maintainthis interdependence by giving to or doing for others what one expects fromthem, and the feeling that one is part of a larger dependable and stable structure”

McMilan & Chavis (1986) defined Sense of Community as “a feelingthat members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one anotherand to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met get throughtheir commitment to be together”

Vietnamese live closely to community and have the group-orientedspirit, which leads the fact that we live in tightly tied relationship with family,neighbors and society

“Strong sense of community is felt by all Vietnamese”(Ellis, 1995, p.85).

In practice, there are always homogeneous residential areas offering support tonewly arrived immigrants as well as any member when they need help and thenclose connection is established among them as a result

It is the agricultural activities that attributed this attachment toVietnamese The wet rice culture made people cooperate and work together tobring a good harvest Consequently, the collectivism prioritizes the communityrather than individual

2.1.4 Family-oriented lifestyle

Family is the cornerstone of the Vietnamese society As opposed to theAmerican nuclear family, the Vietnamese family follows the extended multi–generational pattern It is not uncommon for a Vietnamese household to includethe parents, the sons and their wives (in some instances, daughters and theirhusbands), grandchildren, and unmarried siblings Everyone in the immediatefamily has a distinctive role.The concept of family extends to close relatives andbeyond In fact, the Vietnamese perceive society as a whole as one big extendedfamily This is demonstrated by the way Vietnamese greet one another Even

among strangers, kinship pronouns are often used as a way to show respect and

to reinforce the importance of kinship in Vietnamese culture

In a typical Vietnamese family household, the father is the central figureand is responsible for the well being of every member of his family He isusually the ultimate decision maker and provider However, grandparents andelder relatives within the immediate household often share the authority with thefather Hierarchy of authority also exists among siblings The oldest son of thefamily has the most authority and it is his duty to look after all the siblings if theparents are deceased Familial duties and obligations extend beyond theimmediate family to the extended family and, in some cases, beyond the living.Ancestor worship is a form of filial piety Children are responsible for themaintenance of the ancestral tombs and pay homage to ancestors' spirits athome Beyond the extended family, familial obligations also involve thephysical setting in which the family resides, the native village The attachmentand obligation to the native village stem from the concept of harmony

The most important factor in the value system of the Vietnamese is, nodoubt, the family The family is the center of the Vietnamese common man'spreoccupation and the backbone of Vietnamese society By virtue of theprinciple of collective and mutual responsibility, each individual strives to be thepride of his family Misconduct of an individual is blamed not only on himself,but also on his parents, siblings, relatives, and ancestors Likewise, any success

or fame achieved by an individual brings honor and pride to all members of hisfamily The Vietnamese child is taught from early childhood to readily forgethimself for the sake of his family's welfare and harmony Central to the concept

of family is the obligation of filial piety which is considered the most essential

of all virtues in Vietnamese society The child is expected to be grateful to hisparents for the debt of birth, rearing and education He is taught to to think of hisparents and ancestors first, even at his own expense, to make sacrifices for hisparents' sake, to love and care for them in their old age The Vietnamese man

who lacks filial piety is looked down upon and ostracized not only by his ownfamily but also by the community.

The profound love for and attachment to the family is extended to thephysical setting in which the family is located: the native village The dearestwish of the Vietnamese common man is, as a proverb puts it, to die in his ownnative village and amidst his own folk "as a leaf which leaves the branch to falldown on the ground at the foot of the tree" (lá rụng về cội) The native village isnot only the place where he was born and brought up and where his parents andfamily live but also a place where his ancestors are buried Many Vietnamese,especially people in the rural areas, never move out of their native villages orprovinces This deep attachment to the native village explains the lack ofhorizontal mobility in Vietnamese society,

The Vietnamese household traditionally followed the extended generational pattern The parents, their sons and their wives, their children, andunmarried siblings usually constituted a Vietnamese household In this structure,frequent contacts were maintained, and this constant closeness to family wasemphasized from childhood and continued to be important to Vietnamesethroughout their lifetime Most Vietnamese placed more emphasis on their roles,privileges and obligations within this group than on their own individual desires

multi-In this extended family, the most important expectation was respect for theelders The family decisions were made by the parents and grandparents Thetraditional Vietnamese worshipped ancestors as a source of their lives, fortunes,and civilization The spirits were honored on various holidays and theanniversary of their death

It is clear that one of the most important factors in the value system ofthe Vietnamese is the family Each family is regarded as one cell-body of thewhole society as well as the center of the Vietnamese’s lives According to Ellis

(1995, p.85) “As in many parts of Asia, Vietnamese life revolves around the

families” Under the effects of the principles of collective and mutual

responsibilities, every individual is expected to make all of their efforts to be thepride of his/her family.

The Vietnamese child is taught from early childhood to do things notonly for his own sake but for his family‘s honor, harmony, and welfare as well.The child is supposed to be grateful to his parents for the debt of birth, rearingand education For this reason, he is supposed to think of his ancestors andparents in order to make sacrifices for their sake and to love and care for them,especially in their old age Any Vietnamese man who lacks such filial piety islooked down upon not only by his own family but also by the community

Vietnamese also live according to tradition and obey customs and habitsstrictly In addition, Vietnamese often look back to their ancestors’ achievementand consider them as the motivation and example to follow Vietnamese aretaught as children to forsake the ego and make individual sacrifices to ensure thefamily's welfare and harmony Allegiance to one's family is absolute, andincludes fulfilling one's responsibilities, obligations, familial role, duties andproper conduct "Improper conduct" brings shame and dishonor to self andfamily The most feared criticism is the allegation of "ill–breeding," which can

do significant damage to the ego and disgrace the family's honor Moderation,modesty, moral probity and self–control demonstrate allegiance to the family

It is important to emphasize that in the past few decades the traditionalVietnamese family has been deteriorating as an institution as a result ofcommunist ideology, an impoverished economy, migration and assimilation ofwestern culture The communist regime mandated that the state replace parents

as the ultimate authority in every household Loyalty and allegiance to thecommunist party was expected to take precedence over family loyalties In fact,children were trained to spy on their parents and report any "subversivebehaviors" to the party Decades of war annihilated homes and villages in thecountryside After the war, many abandoned their native villages and moved tobig cities in search of jobs This often caused the break up of the immediate as

well as the extended family unit The mass exodus of refugees since the late1970s sent Vietnamese to countries all over the world As children of thesefamilies assimilate western culture and embrace the ideology of individualism,the cohesiveness of the traditional Vietnamese family institution is furtherjeopardized.

2.1.5 Wishing to live in harmony with nature and people

The concept of harmony is based largely on the teachings ofConfucianism, Buddhism and Taoism Total harmony is achieved by creatingharmony within oneself and one's family, as well as in the outer world ofhumanity and nature To produce harmony, an individual must observemoderation and avoid extremes Moderation is practiced in verbalcommunication, daily life activities, consumption of food and drink and in socialinteraction These measures are undertaken to ensure physical safety and toadhere to the moral imperative to keep one's dignity unimpaired

Harmony is designed with the idea that people and nature can coexist.The desire to achieve harmony between the self and the non-self remains anessential preoccupation of the Vietnamese in interpersonal relations outside thefamily group The basic principle underlying family relationships is extended tothe relationships between members of wider social groups

The concept of society as an extension of the family is evident in thetransposition into social usage of a language originally intended for domesticlife Vietnamese uses more than a score of kinship terms as personal pronouns.The choice of the appropriate word depends on the relative age, social status,gender, degree of acquaintance, respect, and affection between speakers andhearers who are not related to each other by blood or marriage

In Vietnamese society, the predominant sentiment in the relationbetween members of a social group is respect This is particularly evident in theattitude towards older people Respect and consideration for old age no doubt

derive from the obligation of filial piety that requires young people to respectand love their parents and parent-like members of the family Vietnamese alsorecognize that a long life is a sign of kindness and regard on the part of the deityfor virtuous people, and that the elders are the carriers of tradition and theembodiment of knowledge and wisdom Old people enjoy high respect inVietnamese society, irrespective of wealth, education, or social position Thisrespect is expressed in both attitude and behavior, particularly in the use ofspecial terms of address and stylistic devices Unlike Western societies that put apremium on youth, Vietnamese society is proud of its old members Age is anasset, not a liability

With the origin as an agricultural country whose production method used

to be underdeveloped, Vietnamese used to depend much on the nature tosurvive, hence, their wish to live in harmony with the nature is easy tounderstand

As recommended by Ellis (1995, p.59), “social harmony is always

preferred” In other words, one must avoid extremes in communication, daily

life activities and social interaction to ensure physical safety and adhere to themoral imperative of keeping one’s dignity unimpaired It is also a fact thatVietnamese always try to get on well with each other and put great importance

on face-saving and on what others may think of them

2.1.7 Indirectness

Rooted in the high context culture where people have close connectionsover a long period of time, many aspects of Vietnamese culture behavior are not

made explicit Therefore, Vietnamese people seem to talk around a subject and

never get to the point (Tran Ngoc Them, 1997, p.158).

In addition, Vietnamese believes that people should consider oneanother’s feelings when deciding what to say In other words, how to conveyinformation is more important than the information itself

2.2 American cultural values

Being the home to a variety of immigrants from different races all over

the world, America is well-known for its diverse culture Immigrants from eachcountry have brought along with them the peculiarity of their own culture,diversifying American native one America, on one hand, is said to be “amelting-pot” where a various racial and ethnic groups have been combinedtogether “American is God’s crucible, the great melting-pot where all races ofEurope are melting and reforming Germans and French, Irishmen andEnglishmen, Jew and Russian into Crucible with you all! God is making theAmerican” (Crandall, Datesman, Kearny, 1997)

On the other hand, American is regarded as “a salad bowl” where thevarious groups have remained somewhat distinct and different from one another,making up a richly diverse American culture

American values are considered “what among all of its cultural diversity

gives America its national character” (H Hoang, M Cao, M Nguyen, T.

Phung, T Nguyen, 2005, An Introduction to American Studies, p.64)

2.2.1 Freedom

At the center of all that American value is freedom Americanscommonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world They like tothink of their country as a welcoming heaven for those longing for freedom andopportunity They are proud to point out that even today American’s