The Origins of Vietnamese

Vietnamese or Tiếng Việt, has over 86 million speakers worldwide, it is the official language of Vietnam. The roots of the Vietnamese language can be traced back to the Austroasiatic language family, which includes languages spoken in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. Vietnamese evolved over centuries, influenced by various languages due to the country's history of invasions, colonization, and trade. Notably, the Chinese presence in Vietnam lasted for over a millennium, leading to significant borrowing of vocabulary and concepts. As a result, a lot of Vietnamese vocabulary is derived from Chinese, particularly in areas such as philosophy, politics, and science.

The Latin alphabet, known as Chữ Quốc ngữ, was developed in the 17th century by Portuguese missionaries, notably Alexandre de Rhodes. This system replaced the complex chữ nôm script, which was based on Chinese characters. The adoption of Chữ Quốc ngữ in the early 20th century significantly increased literacy rates and helped to unify the country linguistically.

Vietnamese is a tonal language, meaning that the pitch or intonation used when pronouncing a word can change its meaning. There are six distinct tones in the northern dialect, which is often considered the standard for the language. These tones are:

1. Mid-level (no tone mark)
2. Low falling (grave accent)
3. High rising (acute accent)
4. Low rising (tilde)
5. High falling (dotted circle)
6. Low falling and rising (hook above)

For example, the syllable "ma" can mean "ghost," "rice seedling," "mother," "but," "horse," or "to chew," depending on the tone used. Vietnamese grammar is relatively straightforward as it is an isolating language, which means that it relies heavily on word order and context rather than inflection. The typical sentence structure follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. For example, "Tôi ăn cơm" translates to "I eat rice."

Modifiers, such as adjectives and adverbs, usually precede the nouns and verbs they modify. For instance, "cô gái đẹp" means "beautiful girl," with "đẹp" (beautiful) coming before "cô gái" (girl). Additionally, Vietnamese utilizes classifiers, which are words used alongside numerals when counting nouns. For example, "một con mèo" means "one cat," where "con" is the classifier for animals. This feature adds a layer of complexity to the language, as different nouns require different classifiers.

Vietnamese is rich in dialectal variation, with three primary dialects: Northern, Central, and Southern. The Northern dialect, centered in Hanoi, is often considered the standard form of the language. It has a more rigid tone system and preserves many features that have changed in other dialects. The Central dialect, spoken in regions like Huế and Đà Nẵng, has its own unique pronunciation and vocabulary, influenced by the historical significance of Huế as the former imperial capital. Meanwhile, the Southern dialect, prevalent in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), is characterized by a more relaxed tone system and different vocabulary choices. These regional differences not only affect pronunciation but also the use of slang and idiomatic expressions. For example, the word for "you" varies by region—bạn in the North, mày in the South—reflecting the cultural nuances in interpersonal relationships.

Alphabet:
A Ă Â B C D Đ E Ê G H I K L M N O Ô Ơ P Q R S T U Ư V X Y
a ă â b c d đ e ê g h i k l m n o ô ơ p q r s t u ư v x y

Vietnamese Mythology and Poetry

Many Vietnamese folktales feature clever animals and moral lessons, reflecting the values of the culture. Stories like “Con Cóc là Cậu Ông Trời” (Toad is the Uncle of Heaven)is an ancient tale describing in a year of severe drought where animals went to Heaven to protest to God. Frog was their leader exposing Heaven’s laziness and begged God to provide rain. After winning a quarrel, God granted their wish saying if ever you need rain that frog simply had to grind his teeth. That would be the signal and God would provide rain. This tale expresses the age-old adage of not judging the greatness of things by their appearances. To be daring and brave even if people judge you negatively.

In Vietnamese mythology, a sacred giant turtle with a magic sword helped defend Vietnam against invaders. This belief is heavily rooted in the legend of the Hoan Kiem turtle, which dates to the 15th century. According to the legend, Emperor Le Loi returned a magical sword after defeating China's Ming Dynasty. As he was boating on Hoan Kiem Lake, a golden turtle emerged and took the sword back to its divine owners. This event was interpreted as an omen of peace and prosperity for Vietnam. Since then, turtles have been highly revered at Hoan Kiem Lake as protectors of the nation's sovereignty and symbols of good luck. A statue of this legendary turtle can be found in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. In Vietnamese culture, turtles are considered sacred creatures that symbolize longevity, wisdom, and good fortune.

The lục bát form is a traditional Vietnamese poetic style which has been used for centuries and is beloved for its lyrical beauty. It alternates with six and eight-syllable lines.

"Bánh trôi nước" by Hồ Xuân Hương

Thân em thì trắng, phận em tròn,
Bảy nổi ba chìm mấy nước non.
Rắn nát mặc dầu tay kẻ nặn,
Mà em vẫn giữ tấm lòng son.

My body is white; my fate, softly rounded,
rising and sinking like mountains in streams.
Whatever way hands may shape me,
at center my heart is red and true.

The poem is spoken by a woman. But besides being about a woman’s fate, line two suggests the nation’s changeable fate as well with nước non, “mountains and streams,” the set phrase for “nation.”

Bánh trôi nước (“cake floats in water”) is a little sugary ball of sticky rice – often shaped like birds’ eggs – with a red-bean-paste center.

Coffee and The Magnanimous Cave

Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the world, after Brazil. The country is famous for its unique coffee drinks, including cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk).

Some people enjoy a glass of iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk alongside a cup of herbal tea, alternating between the two. The herbal tea can refresh the palate after the rich coffee.

Many Vietnamese and tourists enjoy coffee and tea simultaneously bridging cultures of East and West in a relaxing afternoon.

Hang Sơn Đoòng (Sơn Đoòng cave) the world’s largest cave is located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume.

The cave's interior is so large that it could fit an entire New York block inside, including skyscrapers, or could have a Boeing 747 fly through it without its wings touching either side. It has its own ecosystem and even an entire river inside!

“Cái khó ló cái khôn.” - Difficulties reveal wisdom

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