Learn · Reconnect · Preserve
The learning library
Free, readable lessons to help you understand and reconnect with Vietnamese culture.
Foundations
Language
Family
Culture
- Respect and Elders
- Vietnamese Hospitality
- Áo Dài
- Why do Vietnamese parents always ask if you’ve eaten?
- Why do Vietnamese people call strangers anh, chị, cô, chú, or bác?
- Why is fruit placed on an ancestral altar?
- Why do families burn incense?
- Why do people give red envelopes during Tết?
- Why are shoes often removed before entering a home?
- Why is food such a common way of showing affection?
- Why are elders greeted first?
- Why are family relationships so important in Vietnamese language?
- Why do Vietnamese families celebrate death anniversaries?
- Why do some Vietnamese-American kids understand Vietnamese but struggle to speak it?
- Why can immigrant parents and American-born children see family obligations differently?
- What does Việt Kiều mean?
- Why does going back to Vietnam feel emotional for some families?
- Can you still be Vietnamese if you don’t speak Vietnamese?
Traditions
Food
- Vietnamese Food Culture
- Rice, Herbs and Fish Sauce
- Understanding Phở
- Phở — Rice noodle soup
- Bánh mì — Vietnamese sandwich
- Bún bò Huế — Huế-style beef noodle soup
- Cơm tấm — Broken rice plate
- Bánh xèo — Sizzling crêpe
- Gỏi cuốn — Fresh spring rolls
- Bánh chưng — Square sticky rice cake
- Bánh tét — Cylindrical sticky rice cake
- Bún riêu — Crab and tomato noodle soup
- Cao lầu — Hội An noodle dish
- Chả giò — Fried spring rolls
- Chè — Sweet soups and dessert cups
- Cà phê sữa đá — Iced coffee with condensed milk