SO SÁNH một số NIỀM TIN và GIÁ TRỊ TRUYỀN THỐNG GIỮA văn hóa VIỆT NAM và mỹ 25

A INTRODUCTION Rationale In the context of globalization of the world, the area of cross-cultural 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 one-thousand year Chinese Empire; then by French Colony of one hundred years Nevertheless, the typical values and characteristics of Vietnamese culture have not faded away but 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 one 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 that the country faced 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 analysis on some traditional Vietnamese and American beliefs and values; and find out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese culture and American culture Previous research Although there are some researches on Vietnamese and American cultural values, they not show the similarities and differences between two cultures For example, in the research on Vietnamese and American cultural values 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 and Vietnamese traditional cultural values as well as finding the similarities and differences between two countries Research Purpose The purpose of this study is to give an overview about culture, traditional beliefs and values, analyze some Vietnamese and American traditional values, and finally find out the similarities and differences between two cultures 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 and American cultural values? 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 and American culture 5.2 Methods of Data Collection Theoretical method By using this method, the researcher can give the background about traditional American values and Vietnamese values in general - Collecting materials: find out the related materials about traditional Vietnamese and American beliefs and values - Analysis method: from data got from the field study analyzing to get the final results - Comparison and contrast method: in order to find out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and American culture Systematized method This method is used to systematize materials relating to the study The Significance of the research - The study helps the researcher improve the knowledge about American traditional values and Vietnamese traditional values in general - It helps students who learn about English gain knowledge about traditional American values and American culture and also Americans who want to discover about Vietnamese culture The Scope of the research The focus of this study is to analyze some typical cultural values of the two countries: Vietnam (freedom, patriotism, strong sense of community, familyoriented lifestyle, harmony, adaptability, directness) and American (freedom, patriotism, individualism, progress and Future- Oriented competition and equality, self-reliance, indirectness) and to find out what the similarities and differences between Vietnam and American culture Research outline PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.Rationale 2 Previous studies 3.Research purpose Research Questions 5.Metholodogy The significance of the Research The Scope of the Research 8.Research outline PART B: MAJOR CONTENT Chapter 1: Literature review 1.1 Culture 1.1.1 Definitions of culture 1.1.2 Concepts of culture 1.1.3.The characteristics of culture 1.1.4 The value of culture 1.2 Traditional values 1.2.1 Definition of traditional values 1.2.2 Some Vietnamese traditional values 1.2.3 Some American traditional values Chapter 2: Analyzing some traditional beliefs and values in Vietnamese and American culture 2.1 Vietnamese cultural values 2.1.1 Freedom 2.1.2 Patriotism 2.1.3 Strong sense of community 2.1.4 Family-oriented lifestyle 2.1.5 Wishing to live in harmony with nature and people 2.1.6 Adaptability 2.1.7 Indirectness 2.2.American cultural values 2.2.1 Freedom 2.2.2 Patriotism 2.3 Individualism 2.2.4 Self-reliance 2.2.5 Competition and equality 2.2.6 Progress and Future-oriented 2.2.7 Directness Chapter 3: The similarities and differences between some traditional beliefs and values in Vietnamese and American culture 3.1 Similarities 3.1.1.Freedom 3.1.2 Patriotism 3.2 Differences 3.2.1 Family life 3.2.2 Individualism 3.2.3 Lifestyle 3.2.4 Thinking method 3.2.5 Attitude towards nature and people 3.3 Implications 3.3.1 For people who access Vietnamese and/or American culture 3.3.2 For English teaching and learning PART C: CONCLUSION Major findings Limitations of the research Suggestions for the further research Conclusion B METHODOLOGY The researcher mainly uses two kinds of data collecting instrument They consist of theoretical- study method and comparison and contrast method However, with all the effort on collecting and analyzing data, the researcher finds outs the similarities and differences of American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values To complete this study, the researcher collects information from many reliable sources such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online documents in a long time Then the researcher has studied and selected the essential details related to the study in order to mention in the study In the study, the researcher gives the literature review related to the research such as culture, traditional values, and some Vietnamese and American traditional values Through collecting and studying the information, the researcher finds out the similarities and main differences between two cultures C THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY Through collecting and studying the information, the researcher finds that there are two similarities between American and Vietnamese culture They are the value of freedom and patriotism Besides, the researcher also works out the five main differences between American and Vietnamese culture The first one is the difference in family life The second one is the difference in the sense of individual in both countries Another difference is lifestyle in two countries The fourth is the difference in thinking method between two countries And the last one is the attitude towards people and nature The researcher believes that the findings of this research would help all of the English learners get more information and knowledge about American and Vietnamese culture Hopefully, it would be a helpful material for cultural lovers who want to discover the American and Vietnamese culture D CONCLUSION Major findings In conclusion, this study focuses on studying about American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values as well as finds the similarities and differences between two countries To complete this study, the researcher collects information from many reliable sources such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online documents in a long time Then the researcher has studied and selected the essential details related to the study in order to mention in the study In the study, the researcher gives the literature review related to the research such as culture, traditional values, and some Vietnamese and American traditional values Through collecting and studying the information, the researcher finds that there are two similarities between American and Vietnamese culture They are the value of freedom and patriotism Besides, the researcher also works out the five main differences between American and Vietnamese culture The first one is the difference in family life The second one is the difference in the sense of individual in both countries Another difference is lifestyle in two countries The fourth is the differrence in thinking method in two countries And the last one is the difference in the attitude towards people and nature between two countries The researcher believes that the findings of this research would help all of the English learners get more information and knowledge about American and Vietnamese culture Hopefully, it would be a helpful material for cultural lovers who want to discover the American and Vietnamese culture Limitations of the research Although the research has been seriously studied, this research cannot avoid some shortcomings The following limitations are still inevitable Firstly, the study has been conducted in limited time The researcher therefore has little time to collect information fully and study it carefully As the result, the study only focuses on analyzing some similarities and differences of some American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values The study cannot cover all of the similarities and differences between them Secondly, it is the fact that the researcher of the paper when implementing this research has no chance to go to America and directly find out American culture Therefore, the researcher, to complete this study, mainly depends on information from books, newspapers, magazines and online documents Finally, in present study, the researcher mainly uses two kinds of data collecting instrument They consist of theoretical- study method and comparison and contrast method However, with all the effort on collecting and analyzing data, the researcher finds outs the similarities and differences of American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values The researcher believes that this study could be a valuable and reliable one Suggestions for further research In this study, the researcher has studied about American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values culture However, due to the limited one, knowledge and materials as well as little experience, the researcher only focuses on some similarities and differences between them The study cannot cover all aspects of the similarities and differences Hopefully, in the future, there will be a research conducted to work out more similarities and differences about American and Vietnamese culture Conclusion In conclusion, the study has studied some Vietnamese and American traditional cultural values as well as found out some similarities and differences between them It is hoped that what has been discussed in the research might be helpful for students who learn about English gain knowledge about traditional American values and American culture and also Americans who want to discover about Vietnamese culture E SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH In this study, the researcher has studied about American and Vietnamese traditional cultural values culture However, due to the limited one, knowledge and materials as well as little experience, the researcher only focuses on some similarities and differences between them The study cannot cover all aspects of the similarities and differences Hopefully, in the future, there will be a research conducted to work out more similarities and differences about American and Vietnamese culture PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale In the context of globalization of the world, the area of cross-cultural 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 one-thousand 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 analysis on some traditional Vietnamese and American beliefs and values; and find out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese culture and American culture Previous research Although there are some researches on Vietnamese and American cultural values, they not show the similarities and differences between two cultures For example, in the research on Vietnamese and American cultural values 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 and Vietnamese traditional cultural values as well as finding the similarities and differences between two cultures Research Purpose The purpose of this study is to give an overview about culture, traditional beliefs and values, analyze some Vietnamese and American traditional values, and finally find out the similarities and differences between two cultures 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 and American cultural values? 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 and American culture 5.2 Methods of Data Collection Theoretical method By using this method, the researcher can give the background about traditional American values and Vietnamese values in general - Collecting materials: find out the related materials about traditional Vietnamese and American beliefs and values - Analysis method: from data got from the field study analyzing to get the final results - Comparison and contrast method: in order to find out the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and American culture Systematized method This method is used to systematize materials relating to the study The Significance of the research - The study helps the researcher improve the knowledge about American traditional values and Vietnamese traditional values in general - It helps students who learn about English gain knowledge about traditional American values and American culture and also Americans who want to discover about Vietnamese culture The Scope of the research The focus of this study is to analyze some typical cultural values of the two countries: Vietnam (freedom, patriotism, strong sense of community, family-oriented lifestyle, harmony, adaptability, directness) and American (freedom, patriotism, individualism, progress and Future- Oriented competition and equality, self-reliance, indirectness) and to find out what the similarities and differences between Vietnam and American culture 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 shows the literature reviews of the study This is the background of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts of culture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditional values and listing some Vietnamese and American cultural values Chapter analyzes some Vietnamese and American traditional beliefs and values Chapter shows the similarities and differences between some traditional beliefs and values in Vietnamese and American culture Part C: Conclusion It gives a conclusion to summarize all the study above In addition, at the end of this study, a bibliography of materials and resources used in this research will be presented PART B: MAJOR CONTENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, the researcher will give some general information about the background of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts of culture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditional values 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 behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular 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 of culture on an individual can not be seen The part of culture that is exposed is not always that creates cross-cultural difficulties; the hidden aspects of culture have 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 10 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 person lives his life It is an integral part of every society, and creates a feeling of belonging and togetherness among the people of that society Culture encompasses 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, material cultural 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 been accepted by most anthropologists Tylarian idea can be discerned in a modern definition of culture - culture is the man-made part of environment (M.J Herskovits) The study of culture was first used by the pioneer English Anthropologist 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 societal information in the given society This is the reason why Tylor explained it as complex whole as it provides the multi-dimension societal factors that is affected by the inter and intra-relationships of man in the social environment Primarily, the concept of culture revolves in the human society on its belief, art, morals, custom and other capabilities such as values, norms, traditions, mores, folkways, language , race, ethnicity, technology, fads, and laws These social variables provide the unique definition of culture for the understanding and adjustment of life in a given societal condition According to Robinson (1985), the concept of culture comprises three elements:  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: 11 P products B I behavior ideas s 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-aspect category in which both the tangible and intangible values exist Cultural products such as literature, art, behaviors, clothes, or foods may be easily identified among different cultures They can be called the visible culture as termed 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 rmaterial part of culture This point of view is shared by many theorists namely 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, and perspectives Despite the differences in names, aspects of culture in all these viewpoints have an interrelated relationship and people can define the relative boundary 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 were added is Moran’s recognition of the active role of people in their culture It is reasonable and understandable to make the relationship between people and 12 their culture clearer It should be agreed that a specific culture can only exist and develop in a specific group of persons and its social context In conclusion, the term “culture” has diverse and disparate definitions that deal with both many aspects in the society The image of an iceberg can reflect 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 give significance to these activities Culture manifests itself in terms of the art, literature, costumes, customs, language, religion and religious rituals The people and their pattern of life make up the culture of a region Cultures vary in the different parts of the world They are different across the land boundaries and 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 the people of a particular region also form a part of the region's culture The word 10 'culture' that hails from the Latin word, 'cultura' derived from 'colere', means, 'to cultivate' Hence the way in which the minds of the masses inhabiting a particular 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 a group of people Depending on the region they live in, the climatic conditions they 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 an individual 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 is learned The members of a culture share certain ideals, which shape their lives Generations learn to follow these ideals and principles Culture propagates through generations, which adopt their old customs and traditions as a part of their culture The ideals they base their lives on is a part of their culture Cultural values 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 art forms pass across generations Culture is learned, understood and adopted by the younger generations of society No individual is born with a sense of his/her culture He/she has to learn it Despite the efforts of the older generations to transfer their cultural values to the forthcoming generations, many tend to remain unaware of their culture People are often found to have an incomplete knowledge of their culture People seldom know their culture completely A gradual change is characteristic to almost every culture Cultures are subject to change Culture loses some of its traits and gains new ones The aspects of culture that change vary across societies With the passage of time, new technologies emerge, new modes of work come up, social thinking 13 undergoes transitions and so does culture Every culture changes in time although the rate of change of every culture varies There is hardly any social community that is completely isolated from the rest of the world Every culture 11 is mostly influenced by cultures of the surrounding regions Cultural values are prone 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 blended together giving rise to shared cultures There is a need to study our cultural values and ideals, which have been shaping our society It is necessary to have respect and pride for our culture So as to have better understanding of culture, the author would like to consider six characteristics of culture proposed by Porter and Samovar (1994):  Culture is not innate, it is learned Fact has shown that members of culture learn their patterns of behavior and ways of thinking until they have become internalized The power and influence of these behaviors and perceptions can be seen in the ways in which people acquire culture  Culture is transmissible The symbols of a culture are what enable us to pass 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 and subject to culture, they can produce changes through the mechanisms of invention and diffusion  Culture is selective Every culture represents a limited choice of behavior patterns from the infinite patterns of human experience This selection is made according to the basic assumptions and values that are meaningful to each culture In other words, culture also defines the boundaries of different 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), we have cultural separation 12  Facets of culture are interrelated As Hall clearly states:”You touch a culture in one place and everything else is affected” (Porter and Samovar, 1994, p.13) This characteristic serves to inform us that culture is like a complex system  Culture is ethnocentric Keesing notes that ethnocentrism is a “universal tendency for any people to put its own culture and society in a central position of priority and worth” (Porter and Samovar, 1994, p.13) Ethnocentrism becomes the perceptual window through which a culture 14 interprets and judges all other cultures 1.1.4 The value of culture Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts Today, in the United States as in other countries populated largely by immigrants, the culture is influenced by the many groups of people that now make up the country Culture implies the overall way of life for a group of individuals It is the glue that binds people together, and enables them to adapt, survive, and live together in harmony There are different types of cultures across the world and each culture has its unique essence While defining the term 'culture', there are several elements that together constitute as the culture of a particular region or the culture of particular people The social values of a particular civilization are also considered as an element of the culture The values of a culture often refer to the things 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 13 According to website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_values Traditional values refer to those beliefs, moral codes that are passed down from generation to generation within a culture, subculture or community Important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good 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-child ties, deference to authority and traditional family values These societies have high 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 people cooperate and work together to bring a good harvest Consequently, the collectivism prioritizes the community rather than individual According to Ellis (1995), strong sense of community is felt by all Vietnamese” Vietnamese live closely to community and have the grouporiented spirit, which leads the fact that we live in tightly tied relationship with family, neighbors and society Therefore, strong sense of community is a traditional value of Vietnamese people Total harmony is achieved by creating harmony within oneself and one's family, as well as in the outer world of humanity and nature Due to the agricultural activities, harmony is also another traditional value for Vietnamese The family is the center of the Vietnamese common man's preoccupation and the backbone of Vietnamese society By virtue of the principle of 15 collective and mutual 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 the importance of their sense of national independence and peace During 4000 14 years 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 of Vietnam’s four-thousand-year-old culture In this section, I have just mentioned only the most outstanding features of Vietnamese culture In the main part of the study, 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 Here are details: At the center of all that American value is freedom Americans commonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world Directly associated with the value of freedom is the idea of progress It is also a traditional value to Americans The desire to progress by making use of opportunities is important to Americans, who tend to look forward to the future but not to the past Another traditional value of American culture is patriotism American patriotism has also focused on the principles and values of the Constitution of the United States It means that all men are created equal", people have "inalienable rights", and that people have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit 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, a ruling 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 15 Being the home to a variety of immigrants from different races all over the world, America is well-known for its diverse culture American values are considered “what among all of its cultural diversity gives America its national character” However, I have given brief information about American cultural values In the next part of this study, I will analyze more American cultural values Summary 16 In this chapter, researcher presented the overview about the background of culture especially about definitions of culture, concepts of culture, the characteristics of culture, the value of culture as well as traditional values and listing some Vietnamese and American cultural values In the next chapter, 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 beliefs and values in two countries So, the results will be presented in this section 2.1 Vietnamese cultural values 16 Being deeply rooted in Confucianism, the Vietnamese culture is solidly founded on the structure of family where the Filial Piety is respected and followed by members of the family over generations Historically, the culture of Vietnam has been influenced by different cultures: first by the Chinese culture during the one-thousand year Chinese Empire; then by French Colony of one hundred years Nevertheless, the typical values and characteristics of Vietnamese culture have not faded away but have been preserved and enriched in our societies of all periods It is hardly possible to give a thorough description of Vietnam’s fourthousand-year-old culture; correspondingly, only the most outstanding features which have been acknowledged in earlier studies will be briefly examined in this study 2.1.1 Freedom It is the term of human right People have the freedom of speech, press and religion Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals 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 in different ways to show our patriotism in wartime and peacetime 17 17 Vietnamese patriotism was expressed strongly in the past, especially in the wartime During 4000 years 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 traditional character of Vietnamese and the 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 is preserving and developing it Each individual Vietnamese should make concerted efforts and take resolute action in national construction and defense It will be a new step in the development of Vietnamese patriotism resting on the spiritual and cultural strength of the nation The most important thing to understand about values in Vietnam is the sense of national independence and peace Because the Vietnamese are obsessed with maintaining independent nationhood, the Vietnamese have resisted more than 1000 years of Chinese cultural domination, French economic domination and American military domination Under Chinese invaders, people suffered many hardships and were exploited emotionally and physically The French and American also burdened the Vietnamese with an extensive taxation system They strengthened to plunder and exploit the natural resources and oppressed Vietnamese farmers making their life extremely miserable Because of experiencing a long time of war under miserable life, Vietnamese strongly struggled to gain the national independence and peace On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh read the Dependent Proclamation during a public meeting in front of thousands of people, at Ba Dinh Square, Ha Noi announcing the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam In the heart of all Vietnamese citizens “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” (Ho Chi Minh, 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 18 others, an acknowledged interdependence with others, a willingness to maintain this interdependence by giving to or doing for others what one expects from them, and the feeling that one is part of a larger dependable and stable structure” McMilan & Chavis (1986) defined Sense of Community as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met get through their commitment to be together” Vietnamese live closely to community and have the group-oriented spirit, 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 to newly arrived immigrants as well as any member when they need help and then 18 close connection is established among them as a result It is the agricultural activities that attributed this attachment to Vietnamese The wet rice culture made people cooperate and work together to bring a good harvest Consequently, the collectivism prioritizes the community rather than individual 2.1.4 Family-oriented lifestyle Family is the cornerstone of the Vietnamese society As opposed to the American nuclear family, the Vietnamese family follows the extended multi– generational pattern It is not uncommon for a Vietnamese household to include the parents, the sons and their wives (in some instances, daughters and their husbands), grandchildren, and unmarried siblings Everyone in the immediate family has a distinctive role.The concept of family extends to close relatives and beyond In fact, the Vietnamese perceive society as a whole as one big extended family This is demonstrated by the way Vietnamese greet one another Even 19 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 figure and is responsible for the well being of every member of his family He is usually the ultimate decision maker and provider However, grandparents and elder relatives within the immediate household often share the authority with the father Hierarchy of authority also exists among siblings The oldest son of the family has the most authority and it is his duty to look after all the siblings if the parents are deceased Familial duties and obligations extend beyond the immediate family to the extended family and, in some cases, beyond the living Ancestor worship is a form of filial piety Children are responsible for the maintenance of the ancestral tombs and pay homage to ancestors' spirits at home Beyond the extended family, familial obligations also involve the physical setting in which the family resides, the native village The attachment and obligation to the native village stem from the concept of harmony The most important factor in the value system of the Vietnamese is, no doubt, the family The family is the center of the Vietnamese common man's preoccupation and the backbone of Vietnamese society By virtue of the principle of collective and mutual responsibility, each individual strives to be the pride 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 his family The Vietnamese child is taught from early childhood to readily forget himself 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 his parents for the debt of birth, rearing and education He is taught to to think of his 19 parents and ancestors first, even at his own expense, to make sacrifices for his parents' sake, to love and care for them in their old age The Vietnamese man 20 who lacks filial piety is looked down upon and ostracized not only by his own family but also by the community The profound love for and attachment to the family is extended to the physical setting in which the family is located: the native village The dearest wish of the Vietnamese common man is, as a proverb puts it, to die in his own native village and amidst his own folk "as a leaf which leaves the branch to fall down on the ground at the foot of the tree" (lá rụng cội) The native village is not only the place where he was born and brought up and where his parents and family 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 or provinces This deep attachment to the native village explains the lack of horizontal mobility in Vietnamese society, The Vietnamese household traditionally followed the extended multigenerational pattern The parents, their sons and their wives, their children, and unmarried siblings usually constituted a Vietnamese household In this structure, frequent contacts were maintained, and this constant closeness to family was emphasized from childhood and continued to be important to Vietnamese throughout their lifetime Most Vietnamese placed more emphasis on their roles, privileges and obligations within this group than on their own individual desires In this extended family, the most important expectation was respect for the elders The family decisions were made by the parents and grandparents The traditional Vietnamese worshipped ancestors as a source of their lives, fortunes, and civilization The spirits were honored on various holidays and the anniversary of their death It is clear that one of the most important factors in the value system of the Vietnamese is the family Each family is regarded as one cell-body of the whole 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 21 responsibilities, every individual is expected to make all of their efforts to be the pride of his/her family The Vietnamese child is taught from early childhood to things not only 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, rearing and education For this reason, he is supposed to think of his ancestors and parents 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 is looked down upon not only by his own family but also by the community 20 Vietnamese also live according to tradition and obey customs and habits strictly In addition, Vietnamese often look back to their ancestors’ achievement and consider them as the motivation and example to follow Vietnamese are taught as children to forsake the ego and make individual sacrifices to ensure the family's welfare and harmony Allegiance to one's family is absolute, and includes fulfilling one's responsibilities, obligations, familial role, duties and proper conduct "Improper conduct" brings shame and dishonor to self and family The most feared criticism is the allegation of "ill–breeding," which can 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 traditional Vietnamese family has been deteriorating as an institution as a result of communist ideology, an impoverished economy, migration and assimilation of western culture The communist regime mandated that the state replace parents as the ultimate authority in every household Loyalty and allegiance to the communist party was expected to take precedence over family loyalties In fact, children were trained to spy on their parents and report any "subversive behaviors" to the party Decades of war annihilated homes and villages in the countryside After the war, many abandoned their native villages and moved to big cities in search of jobs This often caused the break up of the immediate as 22 well as the extended family unit The mass exodus of refugees since the late 1970s sent Vietnamese to countries all over the world As children of these families assimilate western culture and embrace the ideology of individualism, the cohesiveness of the traditional Vietnamese family institution is further jeopardized 2.1.5 Wishing to live in harmony with nature and people The concept of harmony is based largely on the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism Total harmony is achieved by creating harmony within oneself and one's family, as well as in the outer world of humanity and nature To produce harmony, an individual must observe moderation and avoid extremes Moderation is practiced 21 in verbal communication, daily life activities, consumption of food and drink and in social interaction These measures are undertaken to ensure physical safety and to adhere 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 an essential preoccupation of the Vietnamese in interpersonal relations outside the family group The basic principle underlying family relationships is extended to the relationships between members of wider social groups The concept of society as an extension of the family is evident in the transposition into social usage of a language originally intended for domestic life 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 and hearers who are not related to each other by blood or marriage In Vietnamese society, the predominant sentiment in the relation between members of a social group is respect This is particularly evident in the attitude towards older people Respect and consideration for old age no doubt 23 derive from the obligation of filial piety that requires young people to respect and love their parents and parent-like members of the family Vietnamese also recognize that a long life is a sign of kindness and regard on the part of the deity for virtuous people, and that the elders are the carriers of tradition and the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom Old people enjoy high respect in Vietnamese society, irrespective of wealth, education, or social position This respect is expressed in both attitude and behavior, particularly in the use of special terms of address and stylistic devices Unlike Western societies that put a premium on youth, Vietnamese society is proud of its old members Age is an asset, 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 to survive, hence, their wish to live in harmony with the nature is easy to understand 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 the moral imperative of keeping one’s dignity unimpaired It is also a fact that Vietnamese always try to get on well with each other and put great importance on face-saving and on what others may think of them 2.1.6 Adaptability Adaptability enables Vietnamese to turn their action into the reality like the saying “Honor when honor is due” (đi với bụt mặc áo cà sa, với ma mặc áo giấy), “when in the Rome, as the Romans do” (Nhập gia tùy tục) This 22 characteristic is considered as one of the strong points of Vietnamese as they can accept the current situation and try to adapt themselves to it rather than daydreaming 2.1.7 Indirectness 24 Rooted in the high context culture where people have close connections over 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 one another’s feelings when deciding what to say In other words, how to convey information 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 each country have brought along with them the peculiarity of their own culture, diversifying American native one America, on one hand, is said to be “a melting-pot” where a various racial and ethnic groups have been combined together “American is God’s crucible, the great melting-pot where all races of Europe are melting and reforming Germans and French, Irishmen and Englishmen, Jew and Russian into Crucible with you all! God is making the American” (Crandall, Datesman, Kearny, 1997) On the other hand, American is regarded as “a salad bowl” where the various 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 Americans commonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world They like to think of their country as a welcoming heaven for those longing for freedom and opportunity They are proud to point out that even today American’s 25 23 ... values 1.2.2 Some Vietnamese traditional values 1.2.3 Some American traditional values Chapter 2: Analyzing some traditional beliefs and values in Vietnamese and American culture 2.1 Vietnamese cultural... 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 listing some Vietnamese and American cultural values Chapter analyzes some Vietnamese and American traditional beliefs and values Chapter shows the similarities and differences between some