Vietnam Population Change Over Last 100 Years Cultural Studies Essay

Everybody knows Vietnam as a war country, truly, how long my historic country was, and it is how long wars were also. Those wars had affected a lot of my country including history, culture, environment, economy, policy, technology… However, have you ever thought population which can be changed because of war? Actually, each war can decrease or increase population, but, how can this rate population relate with changing culture? Let’s find the answer in the history of my home country in last 100 years.

One-hundred years ago (19th century), it is the period when Vietnam was French colonization. Furthermore, this time could mark a new step forward of the changing population, especially culture. After possessing Vietnam, French had identified Vietnam by allowing the French who could immigrate in Vietnam, gathering military force into Vietnam to control. In this period of time, Vietnam population had regained balance, although almost Vietnamese didn’t respond it so much. However, this time marked as beginning of innovated Vietnamese culture. When the French immigrated in Vietnam, they had their culture sharing with us including French was official language in almost school, French music, French art dance, French fashion French life style and modernization. For high society, this identification seemed to make them at the same level with French people, for other social classes, adapting French culture was enhancing knowledge and their business, for a few, this was by force. In general, due to French colonization, Vietnamese culture has become diversity, especially borrowed language. Furthermore, at this time, the Vietnamese culture was distinguished North culture, Middle culture and South culture by some different policies, treatments and educations of French administration for each part in Vietnam. In one side, this made Vietnamese culture to become more multiform, and rich, but, otherwise, it made a barrier in Vietnamese relation between each part.

About 1927- 1945, this was troublous time in Vietnam because of “League for the Independence of Vietnam”, and involvement between French administration, Japanese and United State. Furthermore, especially, in 1944-1945, due to the Japanese occupation of Vietnam, about two millions of Vietnamese people had died because of no food, natural disasters, grow just instead of rice, war by Japan and United State. This crisis seemed bringing to Vietnamese some phobias, at this time, only thing they could think that how to have food to survive. They weren’t interesting of showing off, festival, gastronomies… however, at this period, the neighborly relation was more important than ever, all population in the South in one mind had supported the North overcoming this crisis. In fact, Vietnamese physical culture was farther and lost seriously, but, Vietnamese spirit culture was stronger.

Fighting situation was constant until 1976, Vietnam was officially unified and renamed Socialist Republic of Vietnam, with Ha Noi which is its capital. From this period until now, Vietnamese population has grown regularly. Everybody started to recognize that they need to find lost cultures including traditional music, ancient architecture, royal dress and rural clothes,…and complete other culture left to create Vietnamese own culture such as language, long-dress, art dance,…in this period, life has been more stable and safe, economy has been developing, technology has grew, financial has improved, demand of life has increased, people has knew of taking care themselves and require more and more. Vietnamese culture had been perfect in short time, but, nowadays, with trend of globalization, culture is dissolve. When population increase a lots, it affects living space, education, employment, social benefit,… almost people in countryside emigrate to city to find a job, population density in city is higher than countryside, administration city lost control, education can’t ensure its quality because of too students,…in consequences, people has trend to live abroad, study a abroad, like to integrate outside culture. Beside, tourism is one of important business in Vietnam, it affects Vietnamese culture also. Actually, when population density is higher, everything is more difficult, serious and acute. In this environment, people take care themselves more than show excessive interest in other people. Therefore, Vietnamese spirit culture is weaker, and physical culture is just enjoyed as trendy entertainment for high social class such as some villas which has ancient royal architecture, royal gastronomies,… even though culture can have the right to refuse or agree integrating, but, in general, its result is also the same.

Nowadays, Vietnamese government had some policies to solve these problems as the policy: each family should have two children, skyscrapers to improve living space, stimulating live in countryside, increasing amount of school, and manufactory to create job, building culture in education… these policies has been useful, in consequences, in 2009, Vietnamese population has totally 85.5 million peoples, population growth is slowing down, economy is more stable with population structure of gold, social order is controlled, social benefit is improved and finally, Vietnamese culture was respected more for younger generation.

Conclusion:

Through this project, the population growth affects truly to change of the culture of my home country. Over the last 100 years in Vietnam, with population growth decreased and increased irregularly, it made Vietnamese culture own which is one of important factor to attack curiousness of tourist from whole the world. The culture is more strong or weak, more multiform or poorer, population growth is also one of important factor which affects it. As I mentioned before, culture has a strong relation with human, so, any change in human can also affect the change in culture. Have you ever thought when you change your life, when you have family and when you have children, everything you are doing now, it can impact your culture or the country when you live?