Until this point in time, almost no one knew anything about the elongated Southeast-Asian country. Well, the French knew more about it, as they controlled huge parts of Indochina, which is Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam today. But let’s talk about the French influence in modern-day-Vietnam at some later point.
The country
From North to South the country meanders 1650 km along the South-Chinese-Sea - or Eastern Sea as it is called in Vietnam - while it is around 50 km broad on its narrowest East-West-expansion. This geographical situation may easily explain why the country was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
The country has been divided quite in the middle of the country, around Danang. And there are also two rivaling cities - the capital Hanoi in the North and Saigon in the South. In the North with its four seasons, it can quite chilly, whereas in the South in Saigon, the Mekong-Delta or on the island of Phu Quoc there are only two seasons: hot and some rain as well as hot and more rain.
Huge parts of Vietnam - mostly the Northern parts - have been occupied by China over centuries, but finally various Vietnamese Emperors where able to repell the Chinese Imperial Army and built an empire of their own.
The South has been part of different Khmer, Son and other regional kingdoms.
The Language
It took me almost two weeks to remember the words for „Hello“ and „Thank you!“ And if you’re not a genius in learning foreign languages, it’s all you will be able to manage. „Xin chào“ means „Hello“ and „Cảm ơn“ means „Thank you“. And please don’t bother with correct pronunciation, because it sounds different depending on the region and you’ll never going to pronounce it correctly. Still, try to use it when talking to the locals, as they will really appreciate your efforts and you can lighten up their day.
The culture
Vietnam is a marvelous diverse country with Asian and European influences. As a communist country, religion should not be important, but centuries of Buddhist and most notably Confucian influence from its big neighbor China cannot be erased within a few centuries. And it seems the communist government regime doesn’t care too much about religious practices. And that is why you can find Buddhas and Chinese-Vietnamese folk religion stelas and statues spread all over the picturesque landscape.
And, to my amazement, there’s a unique religion founded and based in Vietnam: Cao Dai. For Westerners, this religion is a confusing melange of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Judaism and Christianity. Their temples look Disney castles on acid. You will love them.
Another big influence was - and still is - the French colonial rule that finally led to the infamous war. Indochine comprised the total of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. You can see French-colonial-style houses and architectures all over the country. Many elder Vietnamese still speak French, but the most striking influence is reflected in the Vietnamese cuisine. Bánh mì, p. ex. is a traditional French baguette filled with Vietnamese and French ingredients. Baguettes and croissants are still the most favorite products in bakeries from Hanoi to Ho-Chi-Minh City. And then, there is Vietnamese coffee. You simply take French café au lait and adapt it to Vietnamese living conditions. As fresh milk was scarce and cold chains nowhere to be found, it was replaced by condensed milk and ultimately made stronger and chilled with ice cubes - Voilà, Vietnamese coffee was born.
Another aspect of the conflict is still apparent, as North Vietnamese who where under Communist influence much longer tend to reflect more and are more friendly than their Southern brethren. The southerners are said to act quickly and think about the consequences in the aftermath. And they are noticeably less welcoming. Saigon - or Ho-Chi-Minh-City or HCMC - hardly has any old town or old buildings, whereas Hanoi definitively has an old town and colonial district, imperial palace included.
Traffic is crazy everywhere, but compared to Saigon, Hanoi is quite a tranquil city. Although Vietnam is governed by a Communist party, but as in China, Captialism has won everywhere and the Vietnamese are a very hard working people who try to support their family and step up the ladder of prosperity.
These were only a few examples how the Vietnamese cuisine benefitted from the various influences of colonial rule. As most of the countries in this part of world, Vietnam is for foodies, definitively.
