Culture And Customs Of Vietnam (cultures And Customs Of The World) [Paperback]

Vietnam is increasingly opening up to the West, and society is in flux between tradition and modernity, and capitalism and socialism. Americans have distanced themselves from the Vietnam War now, andCulture and Customs of Vietnamfills a need to learn about the country, which has also evolved. Readers will find that this is the only general book on Vietnamese culture in English written by specialists. McLeod and Nguyen, historians specializing in Vietnam engagingly show the various forces of Vietnamese culture in narrative chapters on the land, people, and language; history and institutions; thought and religion; literature; art and architecture; cuisine; family, marriage, gender, and youth culture; festivals and leisure activities, and performing arts.

Culture and Customs of Vietnamis a comprehensive, one-stop source, providing the most useful and intriguing information for students and general readers. Some of the highlights include the discussion of the Chinese influence in writing, thought, and religion; eating habits; the changing family; and water puppetry. A chronology, glossary, and numerous photos complement the text.

MARK W. MCLEOD is Associate Professor of History at the University of Delaware./e He is the author ofThe Vietnamese Response to French Intervention, 1862-1874(Praeger, 1991).

NGUYEN THI DIEU, born in Vietnam, is Associate Professor of History at Temple University. She is the author ofThe Mekong River and the Struggle for Indochina: Water, War, and Peace(Praeger, 1999).

&this book includes virtually everything that a student looking for information on Vietnam is likely to need. VOYA

Finding postwar material is not always easy as our nation is still uncertain about uncovering wounds we'd rather forget, but we find this book to be an essential part of a high school's collection on South East Asia. Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)

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