Vietnamese Culture Research Articles

Human Life Philosophy in Worship Rituals of the Ede People in Buon Ma Thuot - Highlands, Vietnam

The cultural and spiritual life of the Ede people is very rich and unique. Therefore, the implementation of the Ede people’s worship rituals is quite common. These rituals embody the Ede people's profound human life philosophies about human and human life. But now the Ede people’s worship rituals have been transformed through the process of cultural exchange and contact with other ethnic groups. The regular practice of worship rituals on the one hand contributes to preserving and promoting the values ​​in the Ede people’s traditional culture, on the other hand, it is also one of the factors leading to superstitious actions, which negatively affects the healthy development of spiritual and cultural elements, hinders the construction of an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity in a more or less manner. Therefore, the research for objective view in a scientific perspective on human life philosophy in the Ede people’s worship rituals is necessary to contribute to the explanation of the formation of the worship rituals and human life meaning of ritual practice steps. It is one of the important bases for cultural management agencies to devise appropriate guidelines and policies to preserve and promote human life values ​​in the Ede people’s worship rituals in Buon Ma Thuot in the current period. Keywords: philosophy; human life; the Ede people; ritual; worship. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-4-11 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Peace through Suffering: Human Resilience and Viet Nam War Literature

Peace through Suffering: Human Resilience and Viet Nam War Literature Erin R. McCoy (bio) The Viet Nam1 War (1955–1975) marked a turbulent time in American culture. The othering of the enemy coupled with America’s status as a victor in World War II colored lenses of political, cultural, and social views in post-war America. But a perpetual victor America was not, and the Viet Nam War brought undue division and despair to the nation’s identity and psyche that lasted decades. In a 1980 address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Ronald Reagan referred to the United States’ aversion to war as a product of “Vietnam Syndrome,” where a “noble cause” was marred by the propaganda-fueled aggression of the North Vietnamese (Reagan). According to Reagan and others, the nation’s trepidation regarding entering into conflict stemmed from a guilt-like hangover from the Viet Nam War experience. Though a common thread in war literature is individual and collective suffering, how these are expressed in literature about the Viet Nam War is simultaneously unique to its situation and common in its commentary on the continuity of war as a part of the human experience. What unites literature of the experience of the Viet Nam War are shared themes of human suffering and the quest for individual peace. In his survey of the Viet Nam War legacy, Nothing Ever Dies, Viet Than Nguyen’s opens with the observation, “All wars are fought twice; the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory” (4). American Literature About the Viet Nam War The bulk of early United States literature about Viet Nam either analyzed the failures of the French or criticized American involvement in the war. Prior to the Viet Nam War, Graham Greene’s 1955 novel, The Quiet American (published on the eve of American involvement in Viet Nam), made pointed references to early American involvement in France’s Indochina Wars. The book’s primary tension is between a British journalist and American CIA operative over the affections of a girl named Phuong; however, that tension acts as an extended metaphor of the incoming American experience in the country, an experience characterized by frustration, cruelty, and suffering. Books about Viet Nam published during the war, like Bernard B. Fall’s Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina (1961) and Hell is a Very [End Page 155] Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu (1966), focused on the many failings of French colonialism. They did little in regard to representing Vietnamese people or culture. Norman Mailer’s The Armies of the Night (1968) detailed the October 1967 March on the Pentagon. He had already penned his treatise Why Are We in Vietnam? (1967), stoking anti-war fires in the United States. Noam Chomsky added fuel to the anti-war fire with American Power and the New Mandarins(1969), as did John Rowe with Count Your Dead (1968). At the same time, more traditionally patriotic and battle-centered works, like Robin Moore’s The Green Berets (1965), also sold well during the early years of the war. A notable exception to the 1960s-era literature about the war is Michael Herr’s Dispatches (1968). Herr’s book is one of the first journalistic accounts of the war, and it is a chaotic, hazy read. The journalist’s memories and renderings of the war are bleak--he makes clear that in its earliest stages, the war made little sense to those reporting on it. Herr also offers a window into Vietnamese culture. More urgently, his unique inside/outside perspective on the war warns readers about the emotional suffering that would become the Viet Nam War’s legacy. Because the Viet Nam War continued into the 1970s, as did conflicts at home regarding the United States’ involvement in it, individuals who had been part of the war began to write about it while it continued. As a result of the emergence of empirical storytelling, Viet Nam became less of a war and more of a country to American readers. Increasingly, there appeared more “front line,” or first-person accounts from Viet Nam written by those who had directly...

Changing Vietnamese consumer culture today - issues for the sustainable development of Vietnamese enterprises

The paper, based on the analysis of changes in Vietnamese consumer culture in the context of globalization and international integration, provides suggestions for Vietnamese enterprises to access and dominate the domestic market. It can be seen that, Vietnamese people now tend to choose products made in Vietnam more than imported products of the same type because Vietnamese products meet the tastes of Vietnamese people and have reasonable prices for financial conditions of the majority Vietnamese people. Vietnamese enterprises have many advantages in accessing and dominating the domestic market, but many businesses have not paid enough attention.

Heritage and the image of national culture in Vietnam

The article analyzes the issues of the policy regarding intangible cultural heritage, which is carried out in modern Vietnam. The selection of objects that are recognized as cultural heritage at the national level, as well as being promoted to the List of UNESCO World Heritage Masterpieces, is associated with the specifics of constructing the image of national culture. Despite the obvious positive aspects of the work of protecting national traditions, the theme of culture in Vietnam has the ideological significance, and it affects the authenticity of preserved or restored cultural phenomena. The national myth, which is constructed through cultural heritage policies, comes down to the ideas about the antiquity of the Vietnamese nation and its descent from the Hung Kings, and about the antiquity and continuity of the Vietnamese cultural tradition, which dates back directly to the era of the Hung Kings and carries the features of national identity formed at that time. Such a vision of history and culture is not correct, since the Vietnamese culture developed under the influence of Chinese, and Vietnamese ethnogenetic myths in the form that has survived, bear the imprint of Chinese influence. A special place in the construction of the image of national culture is given to song lore. We believe that actions aimed at enhancing the status of musical folklore have the goal of restoring the traditions of performing folk songs and attracting the interest of youth in this form of activity. We think that the availability of folk songs, the performance of which does not require special skills and special equipment, their potential to turn into mass art makes the promotion of song lore a priority for Vietnamese. Rich and diverse musical folklore is becoming the cornerstone in shaping the image of national culture.

Collective bargaining complexity in Vietnam

8 | International Union Rights | 27/4 FOCUS | TRADE UNION RIGHTS IN ASIA In 2018, Vietnam ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Transpacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement1. It is said this marks a paradigm shift for Industrial relations development in the country. Trade unionism will be competitive as a result of provisions that require State Parties to permit independent workers’ representatives. In Vietnam this means, for the first time, the prospect of unions operating outside of the VGCL umbrella. How will this affect the landscape of trade unionism? Will strengthening collective bargaining agreements lessen wildcat collective actions? Will the model prove to be adversarial, or anarchical, or highly interventionist, while the overarching governing principle of social and political stability is the focus of the nation? Will the model of Work Councils support stable, sound industrial relations? It is undeniable that the CPTPP brings pros and cons for Vietnam’s industrial relations system. On one hand, a more competitive trade unionism brings more information flow, and thus real possibilities of for challenging what the philosopher Habermas called the ‘colonised life world’. This comes from the legitimacy pertaining to independent workers’ representatives who are acknowledged by law. On the other hand, with competitiveness set up, it is a challenge for seeking agreement from what is likely to be a prolonged decision-making process. Especially where unions are not on the same frontier, this could make up the risks of fallacious arguments against the worker’s representatives and jeopardise a sound industrial relations environment, creating additional costs for running the system and chaotic challenges for business. The challenge is the need to set up a viable social dialogue platform that facilitates negotiations, which could be expressive and factual while heading to substantive outcomes, maintaining a certain unity and enforcement of agreements, while reducing unnecessary costs to the social partners. Vietnamese Culture of dialogue The legislation provides mechanisms for participation in social dialogue and negotiations, but it is worth noticing certain cultural distinctions of the Vietnamese that determine certain social interactions in practice. It is commonly known that in direct dialogue, any disagreement shall not be shown on the face – at least not in a direct way – but will rather be disguised by silence and or a diluted smile; this is misunderstood as ‘agreement’ by opponents2. In such a context, procedural talks or negotiation is a burden if workers have to take follow up dialogue or actions to get what they want. However, one should not infer from this that people are mostly not in favour of disputes. Another matter is that the Vietnamese have a pragmatic and purposeful mindset, and tend to want to achieve and solve things quickly. This leads to what is at face value a seemingly contradictory fact; that collective actions - like wildcat strikes - are quickly launched and solved, whereas cooperative joint problem solving is beset by impatience and hesitancy over face-to-face dialogue that can easily fall into ad-hominem arguments, which destroy collaborations and relationship in the long run. This challenge for a trade union officer is to develop a sensitive capacity to guess people’s ideas, summarise them, and take important practical tactics to get things done in favour of workers without involving too many stakeholders on joint-decision making. Versatile Trade Union Officers In Vietnam, it is by law the responsibility of business owners and the upper level trade union to encourage workers to establish a trade union in any new business entity with more than five workers. The interim trade union was commonly formed based on the lists of personnel selected and proposed by management and approved by the upper-level trade union for a maximum of 12 months. Following this, every five years the trade union must approve a grass-roots officer nominated and selected in a workplace, with three conditions: credits from stakeholders; votes by workers; and authorisation by the upper-level trade union. The workplace trade union chairman thus plays a ‘3 in 1’ role of company mediator officer, state policy executor, and representative of workers. It is assumed that in this particular design, the grassroots unions are given the responsibilities of harmonising relationships and have access to knowledge that...

Vietnamese Cultural Identity in the Face of Cultural Globalization

Vietnamese Cultural Identity in the Face of Cultural Globalization

Vietnamese and Chinese Culture and Motives for Being an Entrepreneur Among Immigrants From Vietnam and China Settled in Poland

Vietnamese and Chinese Culture and Motives for Being an Entrepreneur Among Immigrants From Vietnam and China Settled in Poland

ETHNICITY AND HUMANITY OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE IN TAO DAN MAGAZINE (1939)

The presence of Tao Dan magazine, in terms of time, is shorter than its contemporaries. But Tao Dan is a cultural magazine of literature and art with great opening contributions, important ideological and academic works. With our research, we analyze and explain the national spirit and humanity of Vietnamese culture in Tao Dan magazine by studying the manifesto of the magazine – as well as debate. "Art for art or art for human life?" – in modern poetry, prose and drama.

Studies on the Curriculum and Operation of the Vietnamese Language and Regional Studies on Vietnam as a Convergence Major

현 정부는 아세안 회원국들과의 유대 관계 강화를 핵심으로 하는 ‘신남방정책’을 강력하게 추진하고 있으며, 특히 베트남은 한국 인적, 경제적, 정치적 교류 측면에서 아세안 회원국들 중에서도 가장 중요한 위치를 차지한다. 이에 따라 베트남어에 대한 수요도 급증하고 있다. 본 연구에서는 베트남을 중심으로 그 언어와 지역에 대한 이해를 향상시키고 국내 학생들의 취업률을 제고할 수 있는 ‘융복합 전공으로서 베트남어 및 지역연구’라는 융복합 프로그램을 제안하고 있다. 본 프로그램은 그 명칭에 제시하는 바와 같이 베트남어와 베트남 지역연구로 구성된다. 첫째, 베트남어 영역으로, 듣기, 말하기, 읽기, 쓰기와 같은 4대 외국어학습영역을 중심으로 기초베트남어, 중급베트남어, 비즈니스 베트남어 등의 강의를 단계별로 제공하고, 본 프로그램의 실무적인 특성상 통번역학습방법을 추가하여 학생들의 실제적인 베트남어 구사능력을 배가하고자 하였다. 또한, 베트남 지역연구 영역으로는 베트남과 관련된 정치, 경제, 사회, 문화, 역사, 법률 등으로 구성되는 지역연구분야를 제시하였다. 학생들에게 시간적, 공간적 제약을 극복하면서 이러한 프로그램을 원활하게 제공 및 운영하기 위하여 본 프로그램에는 온라인 방식의 베트남어 및 지역연구와 관련된 교과목의 제공, 외부학점의 인정 및 연계, 정부기관에 의한 법률과 규정상의 지원으로 구성되는 통합적인 네트워크가 구성되어야 한다. 그래서 본 베트남어 및 지역연구 프로그램은 교육부, 국립국제교육원, 국내 베트남어과 개설대학 및 한국방송통신대학 등 유관기관들을 컨소시엄으로 결합하여 베트남어 학습을 원하는 학생들이 가상의 공간에서 베트남어에 관한 전반적인 학습을 수행할 수 있도록 하는 플랫폼을 구축하는 것이 핵심이다. 본 연구에서 제시하는 프로그램은 국내 대학생들이 베트남 진출이라는 당면 과제를 해결하는데 도움을 주기 위한 융복합적 방법론으로 기능할 것이며, 베트남어뿐만 아니라 특수외국어진흥법이 대상으로 하는 모든 외국어에도 적용할 수 있는 범용성을 가진다 할 수 있다.The present Korean government is aggressively promoting the New Look South Policy. The core of the policy comprises strengthening close ties with the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN). In particular, Vietnam has taken a leading role among the other member countries, as it facilitates a large number of human and economic exchanges with Korea. Accordingly, demands for the Vietnamese language and regional studies on Vietnam are rapidly increasing. In this study, a convergence major, titled the Vietnamese language and regional studies of Vietnam is suggested based on the notion that when offered as a convergence major, the program will advance the understanding of the Vietnamese language and Vietnam area and enhance the employment rate of students in Korea. As suggested by its name, this program consists of two parts. One pertains to the Vietnamese language, and the other highlights regional studies on Vietnam. For the portion devoted to the Vietnamese language study, beginner, intermediate and advanced Vietnamese language courses are provided. Four major parts of language learning are focused upon: listening, speaking, reading and writing. From a practical perspective, this program adds the methodology of interpretation and translation studies to language learning to reinforce students practical language skills. Alternatively, the other part of the major, which treats regional studies on Vietnam, explores subjects such as Vietnamese politics, economy, society, culture, history, and law, which are included as topics relevant to regional studies. The integrated network comprising the online curriculum (related to Vietnamese language learning and regional studies on Vietnam, recognition and linkage of credits received from other universities and assistance provided by the rules and regulations of governmental entities) should be organized to support and operate this program smoothly. Therefore, a consortium that includes the Ministry of Education, the National Institute for International Education, the Vietnamese language departments in Korean universities and the Korea National Open University should be formed, thereby establishing a platform that enables students to undertake general Vietnamese studies online. The program suggested in this study will serve as a convergence-based methodology to support Korean students in resolving the current challenges of advancing into Vietnam. The program structure can also be applied to other languages addressed in the Act on the Promotion of Education of Critical Foreign Languages.

Study of the Laws under the Feudal Dynasties of Vietnam

After the establishment of the Dynasty, along with the establishment of national sovereignty, development of socio-cultural economy of the country, the Lý kings, firstly Lý Thái Tổ who focused on revival and development of ancient Vietnamese culture to a new level, with new nuances. As the first Dynasty of the period of independence and autonomy, the LýDynasty acted as the first Dynasty to open, establish and create the basic money for the development of the following dynasties at all and aspects of culture such as religious activities, beliefs, literature - arts, folk festivals ... In particular, it was noticeable as the first marks in the reception of Confucian ideology of the Lý Dynasty. Starting from there, the monarchy and feudal states in Vietnam were aware of the role of law and cared about and invested in the enactment of the law. The Vietnamese legal system in this period consisted of general laws and other legal documents such as Chiếu, Chỉ, Lệ, Lệnh, Dụ, Sắc ... In which, the laws- Hình Thư (Lý Dynasty), Quốc Triều Hình Luật (called Hình Luật - Trần Dynasty), Quốc Triều Hình Luật(called the Hồng Đức law– Hậu Lê Dynasty), and the Hoàng Việt Luật Lệ(called the Gia Long law - Nguyễn Dynasty) were ancient codes the most typical was built and issued in Vietnamese history (from the 11th century to the 19th century).The main and throughout ideology in the Laws is expressed in two main contents- first, the concept of the people and the role of the people; secondly, virtue of the king, virtue of the people, king- functionary, king-people and king-functionary relationship. These ideologies, to a certain extent, have influenced the Chinese Confucianist conception of water governance and determined the social relationships that everyone must follow. However, those laws have been developed and regulated by the conditions of Vietnamese society, by the requirements and practical tasks set for the feudal class, for the Vietnamese people... Because, that thought went beyond the classic books of the Confucian sages; contribute to meeting the requirements and tasks of defending and building the country, in line with the development trend of Vietnamese society in the feudal period. It has undeniable positive values.

CULTURAL COMPONENTS IN THE SEMANTICS OF KINSHIP TERMS IN RUSSIAN AND VIETNAMESE CULTURES

The article examines the kinship terminology presented through the comparison of Russian and Vietnamese lingua-cultural aspects to identify their functional features, amount and structures. In modern linguistics, the issue of lexical units having the same “kinship” seme in the Russian and Vietnamese languages is relatively under-researched. To contrast the kinship terminologies, the authors use the following methods: comparison, synchronic linguistic analysis and classification of research materials, comparative-typological investigation, component analysis and linguocultural analysis. The research finds that the Vietnamese language has more terms of kinship than the Russian language. Moreover, the semantic features referring to “age in one generation” and “paternal or maternal kinship” play the most important role in Vietnamese linguistic culture. Both cultures are characterized by respect to hierarchy and androcentrism. A lot of semes rarely used in Russian language are typical of Vietnamese language.

한국과 베트남 문화에 나타난 고래 신화와 관음신앙의 해양 신화 상상력 비교 연구

본 연구는 한국과 베트남 문화를 상호 이해하기 위해 한국과 베트남 고래신앙의 해양 신화 상상력과 관음 신앙의 불교 상상력을 비교 고찰하고자 한다. 특히 두 나라에 공통적으로 보이고 있는 고래신앙과 관음신앙 상상력의 비교 연구를 통해 각 나라의 민간신앙과 종교적 상상력을 상호 비교해 보고자 하였다. 한국의 〈삼국유사(三國遺事)〉와 베트남의 〈영남척괴열전(嶺南拓怪列傳)〉은 대표적인 신화서인데, 이 두 신화서의 비교를 통해 신화가 생성되는 문화적 욕망을 살피고 두 나라간 상호 이해의 디딤돌을 다지고자 했다. 첫째, 한국 동해안의 고래 신앙과 베트남 동해안의 고래신앙은 일부 유사성과 차이성을 가진다. 한국의 동해안의 고래신앙과 베트남 동해안의 고래신앙에서 각 나라의 문화와 종교가 어떠한 문화 교섭 양상을 보여주고 있는지 살펴보았다. 둘째, 한국의 관음신앙에 대한 상상력과 베트남 중부의 해수관음에 대한 상상력을 비교해 보았다. 한국의 관음사상은 동해안, 서해안, 남해안 등에서 두루 나타나고 있는 불교의 모성적 자비의 상상력이 보이는데 베트남의 북부와 중부에 걸쳐서 이러한 해수관음 사상이 비슷하게 보이고 있다. 두 나라는 대승불교의 영향권 아래에 있는 나라들이기 때문에 유사한 점이 많다. 두 나라의 고래신앙과 관음신앙의 비교분석을 통해 한국과 베트남의 해양 신화 상상력이 종교 상상력을 어떻게 받아들이면서 교섭 형성되는지 살펴보고자 하였다. 본고는 이러한 문화적 공통점의 상호비교를 통해 한국의 다문화 이주 여성의 많은 비율을 차지하는 베트남 이주 여성의 문화를 단순한 언어소통이 아니라 심층적인 문화 이해의 초석으로 삼고자 하였다.

The new politics of debt in the transition economy of Vietnam

This study reviews the rising household debt and nonfinancial corporation debt in Vietnam, a socialist-oriented, lower middle-income emerging economy. Vietnam has made huge strides in economic growth within three decades of reforms, lifting millions of people out of poverty thanks to better access to credit. At the same time, there are lending and borrowing practices that signal troubles ahead. Based on a thorough examination of the theoretical literature on indebtedness, the study sets out to identify the drivers of borrowing and over-borrowing in Vietnam in recent years. Particularly, the abundant financial and physical resources have given rise to consumerism and the boom of the super-rich. These are two of the four factors that have shifted Vietnamese culture from one that traditionally condemned debt as a vice to one that now tolerates indebtedness. The other two factors can be found at the corporate level where there is an over-reliance on debt financing and rampant rent-seeking. Here, a kind of ‘resource curse’ threatens sustainable corporate growth – businesses rely too much on borrowing to fuel their operations, but in fact are overlooking the innovation factor. The new politics of debt, we suggest, have created a toxically pro-consumption, debt-tolerant society.

An Autobiographical Narrative Inquiry Into the Experiences of a Vietnamese Mother: Living Alongside Children in Transition to Canada

Since my family came to Canada, family story nights have become our daily practice. Within such moments, I explore how I, as a mother, have been sustaining the Vietnamese language and traditions in my family and how, when transitioning to a new land, this has become the core of our familiar curriculum making (Huber, Murphy, & Clandinin, 2011). As I share Vietnamese stories with my children, they reply to me in English. Also, they only have a distant understanding of Vietnamese culture and the intergenerational traditions of our great family back home. Acknowledging these transitional processes allows me to nurture their love and understanding of Vietnamese language, culture and traditions. As I inquire into my own experiences as a mother, I trace my ancestral heritage in my homeland, where, in Thúy’s (2012) words, “a country is no longer a place but a lullaby.” Meaningfully, the following questions have shaped my research puzzles: (a) What are possible ways to build our familial curriculum in integration with our homeland language, culture, and traditions; and (b) How could I as a mother sustain these three essential areas in my children’s lives in Canada? I embrace autobiographical narrative inquiry as the methodology for my paper. Narrative inquiry draws attention to story as both the phenomenon under study and narrative as the methodology for the inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 1994). I will be living, telling, retelling, and reliving (Clandinin, 2013) my storied experiences and my children’s in our familial curriculum making through cooking, reading, and painting. By attending to my daughters’ experiences, I inquire into their transitions differently, that is to understand their own transitions narratively (Clandinin, Steeves & Caine, 2013). Significantly, this paper will bring understandings on Vietnamese newcomer mother’s and children’s familial curriculum making as a way to sustain the homeland’s language, culture, and traditions and to support the children in their transition to a new country as well as inform related realities, knowledges, and approaches in education.Keywords: experience; transition; curriculum making; language; culture; traditions

베트남 문화와 도이 머이 정책 이후 베트남 경제 발전과 지속가능성에 대한 논의

베트남 문화와 도이 머이 정책 이후 베트남 경제 발전과 지속가능성에 대한 논의

높임법을 통해 본 한국 및 베트남의 문화 비교 연구 -가정 내 커뮤니케이션을 중심으로

한국과 베트남은 유교문화의 영향을 많이 받았는데 이러한 영향은 언어적인 측면 특히 높임법의 사용에서 많이 반영되어 나타나고 있다. 양국 언어의 높임법은 가정 내 커뮤니케이션의 수직 관계 또는 수평관계에서 보편적으로 나타난다. 수직 관계든 수평 관계든 손아랫사람은 높임법을 통해 손윗사람을 높여 존경을 드러낸다. 손아랫사람은 높임법을 활용해서 자기를 낮추고 손윗사람을 높이는 것이다.BRBR 높임법을 통해 손윗사람은 손아랫사람에게 자기 지위를 주장하며 가정 내 장유유서의 질서를 지키도록 한다. 가정 커뮤니케이션에서 높임법은 중요한 역할을 가지며 서로의 지위를 드러내기도 하고 가정 내구성원들 간의 관계를 조정하기도 한다. 이러한 기능에 의해 높임법이 잘 사용되는 경우 가정 내 갈등이나 불화를 감소시킬 수도 있을 것으로 보인다.BRBR 양국은 문화와 언어가 서로 밀접한 관계에 있는데 이는 문화가 언어에 드러나고 언어가 문화를 드러내는 현상을 보여 주는 단서가 되기도 한다. 그러므로 높임법에 대한 연구를 통해 양국의 유교문화가 양국민들의 사고방식 및 생활 습관에 반영된 문화적 특징을 살펴볼 수 있다.

Traditional Beliefs of Ethnic Minorities in the Northern Mountainous Region of Vietnam in Current Context

Traditional beliefs is one of the elements of Vietnamese spiritual culture in a very multifarious and diverse appearance. The traditional beliefs of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam such as: Ancestor worship, the beliefs related to community and the beliefs related to nature, production and life cycle, etc. absorbing morality “when drinking water, think of its source”, “Let every man praise the bridge that carries him over” of the Vietnamese ethnic groups. Currently, the traditional beliefs of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region are changing to adapt, more suitable to real life. Some traditional beliefs of ethnic minorities in the Northern mountainous region tend to recover, develop and emphasize the significance of human life for individuals and village communities. Many new and progressive cultural values have been transformed into the beliefs of the people here, which makes the cultural and religious values system more multifarious and more humanistic. However, the transformation of the beliefs of ethnic minorities according to the tendency to recover both cumbersome, costly rites, miscellaneous culture or a trend of commercialization also give many challenges for the preservation and promotion of traditional culture of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam in the current context.

The Korean-Vietnamese Multicultural Families’ Experiences of Visiting Maternal Homes in Vietnam

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of Korean-Vietnamese multicultural families when visiting their maternal homeland, Vietnam, and to investigate the educational program of supporting their visits. The research participants were 42 Korean-Vietnamese multicultural families who participated in the program. Researchers collected data through group discussion and pre- and follow-up interviews with participants. The results of this research were as follows. As for the children, first, they became closer to the culture of their mother’s country. Second, they confirmed family affection when they received love and a hearty welcome from their maternal family members. Third, their interest in the Vietnamese language, food, clothing, and shelter increased through personally experiencing and understanding Vietnamese culture. Fourth, visiting their maternal home helped them understand and form a positive view of their own multicultural identity. As for the mothers, their confidence was restored while they shared the joy of the family reunion. Second, the mothers were able to please their parents by showing their happy married life. Third, the mothers were able to expand exchanges among marriage-immigrant women and find hope for the future by interacting with other multicultural families. As for the fathers, first, through the visit to their wife’s parents’ home, they understood the difficulties that their wife underwent in Korea and their attitude changed in that they made efforts to be more considerate towards their wife. Second, they felt a more intimate connection with their wife’s family as a result of receiving a hearty welcome and having a good time. Third, they discovered the multicultural potential of their children and thought about their children’s future in a positive way. It is expected that the educational program of supporting visits to their maternal home will be developed into one that supports the holistic development and growth of multicultural family children with the goal of helping those children to develop multicultural capabilities and grow to be global leaders.

Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao

Reviewed by: Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao Alaine Martaus Dao, Julie C. Song of the Crimson Flower. Philomel, 2019 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3835-8 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5247-3836-5 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 When seventeen-year-old nobleman's daughter Lan rejects the love of the long-admiring peasant, Bao, he seeks the help of the river witch to forget her. Instead, the witch curses him: find someone to love him or spend eternity with his soul trapped inside his flute. Now, overcome with guilt and remorse, Lan vows to travel across the empire with Bao in search of a way to break the spell and thus earn his forgiveness. The journey unfolds as many such quests do, and the quarreling duo soon get caught up in impending war, find a host of likable allies, uncover secrets around Bao's birth and the witch's true intentions, and discover the truth of their hearts. This simple tale ultimately offers an enchanting combination of gripping adventure and sweet romance. Lan and Bao make for winningly imperfect soulmates, who learn and grow rather than simply fall in love, while war and family conflict create a strong foundation for the underlying quest narrative. Deeply enmeshed in Vietnamese culture and aesthetics (there's a pronunciation guide for character names), the story maintains all the hallmarks of familiar fairy tales, making this novel the perfect choice for readers who love a fairy tale fantasy but are looking to move past conventional Western fare. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Lit Trends: Sewing a New Era of Poetry

TWO VIRAL BUTTON POETS Sabrina Benaim, a writer and slam poet from Toronto, Canada, is renowned as the winner of the 2014 Toronto Poetry Slam. Her poem “Explaining My Depression to My Mother” was uploaded on Button ’s YouTube channel and now has over eight million views. Her performances began to go viral across social media and jump-started her writing career. Button published her collection Depression and Other Magic Tricks in 2017. Rudy Francisco is a poet, writer, and social advocate from San Diego. He is arguably one of the most recognizable spoken-word poets and has won several national poetry-slam competitions. He writes about love and the intersectionality among race, class, gender, and identity. YouTube videos of his performances have received more than three million views. In April 2019 he performed his spokenword poem “Rifle” on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a follow-up to his March 2018 performance on the show. lit trends Sewing a New Era of Poetry by Tiffanie Vo OFTEN WHEN I ASK people what they think of poetry, their first thought is of the famous poets we studied in school—Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman. That, plus the higher likelihood of scrolling through their phones on social media rather than reading a book of poems, makes many people likely to miss the exciting new voices in poetry. How we view poetry, however, is changing, and Button Poetry (@buttonpoetry ) is one agent of that change. One of the fastest-growing poetry platforms through social media and YouTube, Button Poetry is an independent publisher for performance poetry. The company highlights poetry performances across the United States through media, audio recordings, video, local and national events, publishing chapbooks, and scholarships. According to Button Poetry’s vision statement, it seeks “to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.” The company was founded by Sam Cook and Sierra DeMulder in 2011 in Minneapolis , Minnesota, as a website and blog. By 2012 Cook and Dylan Garity rebranded Button Poetry to target audiences through social media and their channel called Button YouTube. They soon launched their third album, The Good News Poetry Tour, and videoed more than fifty poetry performances at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational and Women of the World Poetry Slam. Through this, Button YouTube grew exponentially , reaching more than five thousand subscribers. That same year, Button released its first published poetry chapbook, Aziza Barnes’s me Aunt Jemima and the nailgun, winner of the 2012 Button Poetry Prize. After broadcasting the 2013 National Poetry Slam on its YouTube channel, Button ’s popularity skyrocketed, breaking four million views. Now with more than a million subscribers and 220 million views on its YouTube channel, Button has published ten chapbooks and dozens of poetry books and provided a platform for young poets to speak their truths to a global audience online. Tiffanie Vo is a WLT intern studying human relations and sociology at the University of Oklahoma. She is passionate about sharing her Vietnamese culture and advocating for Asian American rights. When she’s not studying, she is performing spoken word at local open mics and taking kickboxing classes four times a week. Creative cross-stitch by Tiffany Marie inspired by Button poet Neil Hilborn’s “Our Numbered Days” WORLDLIT.ORG 7 ...