For our last two weeks, Logan and I started focusing on historical studies in preparations for my final cultural presentation. Our activities now focus on different regions in Vietnam. The country is historically divided into three main regions: North Vietnam, Central Vietnam, South Vietnam. Each region is further subdivided into many subregions, all of which contain a region-specific unique aspect of the culture.
Northern Vietnam includes the following subregions and famous locations:
- Tây Bắc – The Northwest
- Điện Biên Phủ – Battle of Điện Biên Phủ during the First Indochina War
- Đông Bắc – The Northeast
- Hà Nội – Capital of Vietnam; former capital of North Vietnam
- Đồng Bằng Sông Hồng – Red River Delta
- Contains the second largest river in Vietnam – the Red River
Central Vietnam includes the following subregions:
- Bắc Trung Bộ – The North Central Coast
- Huế – the former imperial capital
- Hội An – ancient town
- Nam Trung Bộ – The South Central Coast
- Known for the beaches
Southern Vietnam includes the following subregions:
- Tây Nguyên – The Central Highlands
- Primarily inhabited by the Ethnic Montagnard people
- Đông Nam Bộ –The Southeast
- Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Saigon) – former South Vietnam capital
- Chợ Lớn – central market
- Đồng Bằng Sông Cửu Long – The Mekong River Delta
- Cần Thơ – the floating market
- Mỹ Tho – home to the Ethnic groups: Kinh, Hoa, Cham, and Khmer
- Contains the biggest river in Vietnam – the Mekong River
In order to learn more about each region, Logan and I watched whatever Vietnamese television programs regarding the history and culture of each location we could get our hands on. Most of the program’s snippets came from Youtube.
One particular video that really stood out for me was a documentary covering the “miền sông nước” (the south river region) – a nickname for The Mekong River Delta region. This region, apparently prone to dangerous flooding and frequent mudslides, is primarily populated by people living in severe poverty. Despite producing most of the country’s rice and wheat production, the average income is less than $55 per day and famine is rampant in the region. This coupled with environmental concerns caused by pollution poses a major Environmental Justice problem as well as human rights problem for the region.
This region was traditionally found on a low-lying coastal area and would suffers from periodical drought and frequent flooding. However, climate change concerns as well as rising sea level indicates that the region could be completely over flooded as soon as 2030. Another environmental concern of the region is related to soil salinity – that is, the soil might over salinized. The Mekong River Delta Region has the smallest forest area in all of the regions but is responsible for most of the rice production in the country. If the soil is render useless by rising salinity, it could cause unforeseeable damages to the country’s economy as well as population.
Replies