Vietnam
Through
CinemaTEACHING ASIA:
Vietnam
Through
Cinema
A Teaching Resource for Secondary School Educators
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In June of 1995, the Southeast Asia Program collaborated with the other Asia National Resource Centers at Cornell in the development and implementation of the teacher training program entitled "Teaching Asia Through Cultural Media." Geared to secondary educators this three-day program presented a range of speakers that examined Asian cultures through literature, music, the cinema, archaeology and popular culture mediums. As part of the program schedule, SEAP featured "Vietnam through Cinema," which explored the way film shaped our images of Vietnam and the Vietnamese. This session was presented by Dr. Anne Foster, a SEAP, Visiting Fellow. She received her Ph.D. in history from Cornell in 1995 with a focus on U.S. Southeast Asia relations. Having taught a college-level course on a similar topic, Dr. Foster authored the materials that follow, which she adapted to the curricular needs of the secondary school social studies teacher. The Southeast Asia Outreach Program wants to thank Dr. Foster for this and numerous other contributions she has made in an effort to extend the resources of the Program to the public at large.
-Penny N. Dietrich,Coordinator of Outreach,Cornell University SE Asia Program
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A.) We all have stereotypical images of Southeast Asia, and particularly of Vietnam, which I think are reinforced by the images we see in movies and documentaries. For example, my husband and I were watching L'Indochineand one scene, in which the heroine is walking across a vast landscape of rice fields, prompted my husband to ask how much of Vietnam is arable, cultivated land. He had the impression--from movies like Platoon and Apocalypse Now--that Vietnam was primarily jungle, and that the Vietnamese lived in villages surrounded by jungle. It is true that the mountainous regions of Vietnam occupy almost 3/4 of the country, but almost all the people live in the remaining lowland areas, and cultivated land makes up 21% of total land area. Of that, 75% is in rice cultivation. So in the areas in which most Vietnamese live, the rice field is a common everyday sight while the jungle is not. But this experience with my husband convinced me that the best way to help people learn about Southeast Asia, and Vietnam in particular, is to take the images they have already and provide them with knowledge to contextualize and complicate those images. I did this in my own class at Cornell, teaching freshman about the Vietnam War, and I hope I can offer some suggestions about how you might do it with your classes.
B.) Format:
1.Lecture about the role of rice in Vietnamese culture and economy and the importance of family altars in people's religious and family life (20 minutes)
2. Lecture about impact of Vietnam War on Vietnamese society and on foreign relations of the region (10 minutes)
3. Watch film clips from documentaries (see attached list for titles and where available). We will not watch clips from any feature films, because most of the American-made feature films are too long and rated R, so I assume you could not use them in any way in your classes. (25 minutes)
4. BREAK (5 minutes)
5. Individually read over lesson plans handed out (5-10 minutes)
6. Small group discussion of lesson plans and information provided (30 minutes)
a. Are the learning goals appropriate?
b. Is the information conveyed in a way students will find stimulating and challenging?
c. What will and what won't work in the classroom?
d. How might these plans fit with what you have taught previously on related subjects? Feel free to modify, expand, etc., the lesson plans during your discussion.
7. Whole group discussion: share critiques and suggestions from small groups (15 minutes)
8. Question and answer session: I'll answer questions about resources, information, activities which you may have.
II. RICE IN VIETNAMESE CULTURE AND ECONOMY
A. Origin of Rice: Vietnamese Myths
1. Once upon a time, the rice grain was in fact a very large ball. Rice was not cultivated then, but at harvest time people instead lit incense and candles, and prayed. The rice grain would simply come into their house, and they would have sufficient for the season.
Unfortunately, one year a lazy woman, in spite of her husband's instruction to sweep the house to make it ready for the rice grain, procrastinated. Her husband finished praying and the rice grain arrived at their house before she had finished sweeping. The woman was so startled that she struck the rice grain with her broom, whereupon the rice grain burst into a thousand pieces--each small as a grain of rice. From that time since, people have had to plant, harvest, and pound rice.
2. God did not mean for people to have work hard to grow rice. A spirit messenger had been entrusted by god to bring rice to earth for humans to enjoy. God gave the messenger two magic sacks. "The seeds in the first," god said, "will grow when they touch the ground and give a plentiful harvest, anywhere, with no effort. The seeds in the second sack, however, must be nurtured; but, if tended properly, will give the earth great beauty."
Of course, god meant for the first seeds to be rice, which would feed millions with little effort; and the second to be grass, which humans couldn't eat but would enjoy as a cover for bare ground. Unfortunately, the heavenly messenger got the sacks mixed up, and humans immediately paid for his error: finding that rice was hard to grow whereas grass grew easily everywhere, especially where it wasn't wanted. (From Le Ly Hayslip When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, 1989, p. 7)
B. Sayings and Superstitions about Rice
1. The shape of the country of Vietnam is like two baskets of rice on a pole; the "baskets" in North and South are the more productive rice-growing regions as well, particularly in the South.
2. Parents must never punish a child while he or she is eating rice, no matter what the child has done, because that would disrupt the sacred communion between the rice-eater and rice-maker. Le Ly Hayslip remembers that she and her siblings quickly learned to eat slowly when they fear punishment. (p. 9)
3. Vietnamese proverb "The scholar precedes the peasant/but when the rice runs out/it's the peasant who precedes the scholar" (From Jacqueline Piper, Rice in South-east Asia)
4. Vietnamese song: "In the heat of mid-day, I plough my field/My sweat falls drop by drop like rain on the ploughed earth/Oh, you who hold a rice-bowl in your hands/Remember how much burning bitterness there is/In each tender and fragrant grain in your mouth!" (Piper, p. 46)
5. Vietnamese nursery rhyme: "Sky! let the rain fall down/So that there's water to drink/So I can plough my field/Sky! let the rain fall down/So we can eat white rice and chopped aubergine!" (Piper, p. 46)
C. Rice-Growing Methods in Vietnam
1. Most rice grown in Vietnam is wet-rice, meaning that it is grown in flooded fields rather than dry land. To get maximum yields, the rice is usually started in special seed beds, then transplanted painstakingly by hand to the flooded fields when the seedlings are strong enough. Other countries of Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, have also traditionally grown rice in this time-consuming method, but as those countries have become more industrialized, they have begun to turn to the less labor-intensive and less productive methods which do not require transplanting, particularly broadcast (similar to the way wheat is grown in the United States).2. Detailed explanation: Rice seed is broadcast in a prepared nursery bed, meaning one moist enough. The seedlings sprout quickly and after only one week are thick and 2-3 inches high. After about 40 days, the seedlings are ready to be transplanted to the wet paddy-field. They are pulled out in bundles, stacked, and protected from sun and from drying out by wet leaves. Farmers prune the roots and shoots, and plant the seedlings in rows. The paddy field may be allowed to stand flooded until harvest, or may be allowed to dry out before being flooded again soon before the harvest. After the harvest, weeds are allowed to grow in the paddy field for a few weeks, before being plowed under to decay and provide fertilizer for the next crop.
The standing water in a paddy-field prevents weed growth and the algae which grows on the water provides fertilizer in the form of nitrogen (from blue-green algae) and oxygen (from green algae) for the rice plants. These methods plus the addition of some animal manure (usually from animals owned by rice farmer) keeps the ground fertile enough to provide year after year of rice crops, often two crops in one year.
After harvesting (still often done by hand in Southeast Asia and particularly in Vietnam to minimize waste), the rice must be dried before being pounded to separate the grain of rice from its husk, or the rice bran. Traditionally, rice was pounded by hand and retained more of the protein and fat which made it the nutritious basis of the Asian diet. Now, rice is more often milled at a rice mill, from where it emerges more beautifully white, but less nutritious. A "polishing powder" of talc or glucose is often added in the final polishing process. It is to get rid of this powder that most Asians wash their rice (and why we all should).
D. Ways of Eating Rice
1. Most often, rice is simply steamed and eaten as the accompaniment to other dishes in a meal.
2. Rice can also be cooked in a soup, made into noodles which are eaten stir-fried or in soup, made into a flour used to make both savory and sweet dishes, or glutinous rice can be cooked as sticky rice (bring along examples of each of these).
E. Rice and the National Economy
1. Agriculture accounts for 70% of the work force and 50% of national income in Vietnam (William Turley, ed. Reinventing Vietnamese Socialism, p. 11)2. Rice is Vietnam's second most valuable export, after oil and Vietnam is the third largest exporter of rice (after Thailand and the United States) in the world. Rice exports earned Vietnam approximately US $375 million in 1993. ("Against the Grain," Far Eastern Economic Review April 14, 1994)
3. Decreases in productivity and yield from rice farms were among the main reasons the Vietnamese government launched doi moi (best translated as "renovation," but have the connotation of change and newness as well) at its Sixth National Party Congress in December 1986. Since 1955 in the North, and since 1975 in the South, the Vietnamese government emphasized collectivization as the best way to improve peasant lives and build a socialist state. But on collectives, peasants did not work as hard or take care of the land as well. Per capita rice production declined from 304.9 kilograms in 1961-65 to 252.8 kilograms in 1966-75 (figures for north only, of course). With the introduction of some family incentives in 1979, rice production went from 13.35 million tons per year avg. from 1976-1980 to 17 million tons per year avg. in 1981-1985. But inflation and population grew quickly too, and gains were slow. The situation became grim in 1986-87. In 1987, food production was actually one million tons lower than in 1986, and many people went hungry. The government increased scope for land ownership, peasant initiative, and allowed people to sell and buy on the private market. They have even recently begun to make it easier for foreign companies to invest in Vietnam. U.S. preparations to completely lift the economic embargo stemming from the Vietnam War and re-establish full diplomatic ties have helped as well. Vietnam's economy--led by rice production--is improving dramatically. (Chu Van Lam, "Doi Moi in Vietnamese Agriculture," in William S. Turley, ed. Reinventing Vietnamese Socialism, 151-64.)
III. WORSHIPPING THE ANCESTORS
A. Religion in Vietnam: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Catholicism
1. Buddhism is the most widely practiced religion in Vietnam, and Vietnam is usually said to be a Buddhist country. It is, but not completely or exclusively. Many people are not Buddhist, and many who are combine Buddhist beliefs with other religious beliefs and activities. The type of Buddhism most commonly practiced in Vietnam is called Mahayana Buddhism (as compared with Theravada Buddhism). In English, this translates as Great Vehicle Buddhism, while Theravada translates as Little Vehicle. No hierarchy is implied. It is simply easier to attain salvation (nirvana) in Mahayana Buddhism, because this strain emphasizes the virtue of compassion, and followers believe that all humans have within them the Buddha potential, i.e., any person can achieve enlightenment. One practical consequence of this belief is that the Buddhist priesthood is generally less powerful, because less set apart from society.
2. Taoism, like Buddhism and Confucianism, came to Vietnam from China. It appealed in part because, like the animistic indigenous religions of Vietnam, it emphasized the spirit world, magic, and mysticism. When elements such as water, sun, rain, tigers, etc. could make the difference between a good harvest and easy life, or bad harvest and possible end to life, it made sense to worship them. Taoism provided systematic ways of appealing to or appeasing these spirits, and so continues to exert influence in Vietnam. The veneration of ancestors takes some elements of Taoism.
3. Confucianism also came from China, and historically influenced only the educated, ruling class in Vietnam. Its influence stemmed primarily from the fact that Vietnam, like China, held national examinations to determine who would become government officials, popularly known as mandarins. This practice continued until the early 20th century. The examinations tested people's knowledge of Chinese classics, often Confucian. Confucianism teaches that people should follow a consistent system of ethics in family, political, and social life. In practice, since government officials were all trained in Confucianism, this meant that social and family life bowed to the needs of the state. The lingering influence of Confucianism can be seen in the extreme reverence for education in Vietnam.
4. Catholicism was brought by French missionary priests to Vietnam in the 17th century, but at most 10% of the population are Catholics. Many Vietnamese Catholics supported the Government of South Vietnam, and so left the country after 1975. Even when practicing Catholicism, few Vietnamese abandon all elements of traditional religion, and combine often find a way to reconcile ancestor worship with Christian beliefs (i.e., they have masses said for their ancestors instead of performing traditional rites, but often maintain altars which look remarkably traditional.)
5. Cao Dai: Cao Dai was founded in Vietnam in 1926. It is among the most eclectic of religions in the world, combining elements of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity as well as claiming that people such as Sun Yat-sen (a nationalist figure in Chinese history) and William Shakespeare. Followers of Cao Dai do believe in a Supreme Being, but otherwise the religion is quite flexible and adaptable. The buildings of the Cao Dai religion are often quite impressive, and some are modeled after the Catholic cathedrals. Interior decorations are so bright as to almost be gaudy, and include murals.
6. Hoa Hao: Hoa Hao was founded in Vietnam in 1939 by Huynh Phu So. He claimed that the end of the world would come within a few years, and his ability to gain followers was probably helped greatly when World War II spread to Asia. Huynh Phu So claimed that religion should provide guidelines for all a person's activities, and that one's daily activities were the best method of seeking salvation. Hoa Hao arose in part to counter the excessively expensive and elaborate rituals which had grown up in Vietnam over the years, and adherents advocated a simpler approach to worship. The religion also arose in part as a response to the Confucian ideal of subordinating religion to the needs of the state. Followers of Hoa Hao claimed religion and politics were not only compatible, but naturally intertwined. Hoa Hao was opposed to the Viet Minh, and most members fought against the communists throughout the war.
B. Family Altars and Cult of the Ancestors
1. As eclectic as religious practice is in Vietnam, virtually all Vietnamese have a family altar in their home, and practice at least some of the rituals in the Cult of Ancestors. Families are incredibly important in Vietnam, and traditionally people were judged by their neighbors according to the degree of filial piety they showed among living family members, and were believed to "earn" luck in part based on the sincerity and degree of veneration of their ancestors. Naturally, traditions have broken down, particularly as people have left the villages where their families lived for centuries. Family altars remain critically important, and their centrality will be apparent in the video clips we see.2. Altars generally contain a prescribed set of things. There is almost always a cloth of some kind, preferably in red and gold. Red is the color of happiness and fortune. For example, bride's dresses in Vietnam (and China) are red, not white. (White is the color of mourning in both those countries.) There is always an incense burner, and incense is an important component of all rituals. Generally, the incense is said to make the spirits feel welcome to return to their home, and therefore serves as an invitation to the ancestors. Religious altars will usually have statues of religious figures, like the Buddha but family altars have photographs of ancestors, or if a photo is unavailable, a tablet (wood or stone, preferably) with the ancestor's name written or carved on it. This marks the concrete representation of the ancestor, since his or her name can never be spoken by the family after death. Some altars also have candles on them, which serve much the same purpose as the incense. And families place offerings of food and sometimes flowers on the altar to show that they provide for the sustenance their ancestors need. The food offerings are generally placed on the altar only for symbolic purposes, and remain there only briefly before being eaten by the family. All elements of the family altar are supposed to demonstrate that the family wishes to care for the spirits of their ancestors, to welcome them into what is still their home, and to pray for the continued well-being of the extended family of past, current and future generations.
3. After a family member's death, the family must follow certain rituals of veneration. These include kowtowing, lighting incense (also called joss sticks), offering food and fake paper money at the grave and altar, etc. If the family fails to carry out these rites, the spirit is believed to be unable to find its "home," and so wanders endlessly and aimlessly. Errant spirits are believed to bring bad luck everywhere, and are blamed when children drown, for example. They bring bad luck particularly to their own families. The fact that so many Vietnamese remain MIAs from the Vietnam War is therefore doubly disturbing to many Vietnamese, since they cannot properly perform these rituals when they don't know whether family members are dead, or where they might be buried. Those families who had to relocate also often struggle to find a way to settle the spirits of their ancestors. A Vietnamese proverb sums up the importance of a "place" for the Vietnamese: "When alive, one must have a house; when dead, one must have tomb."
4. The cult of ancestors traditionally strengthened Vietnamese families, and provided an important sense of belonging and purpose. It is harder to maintain, and harder to justify in present-day Vietnam. People often move from their villages. Generations of families don't often live in the same village or house. People have a sense more of making own luck, than of having a fate based in part on ancestors' lives. So far, however, most Vietnamese still have family altars in their homes even if they don't necessarily believe those homes need be in the place where their ancestors lived. Connections to the past remain important.
A. Current day effects of Vietnam War include:
1. There remain more than 300,000 Vietnamese MIAs (probably more, since those who fought for the Government of South Vietnam have consistently been undercounted) and more than 2 million Vietnamese were killed during the war years. Even more, obviously, were wounded. Artificial limbs remain rare and expensive. So Vietnam's productivity, its birth rate, family life, and social relations are only now beginning to recover the human losses of the war.2. The economic embargo which the United States led until recently dramatically affected Vietnam's ability to recover from the war. It could trade outside the Communist world only with difficulty for a long time. A greater problem was the hesitancy of natural trading and investment partners such as Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, France, etc., to trade and invest. That has changed in recent years, particularly since 1986, when the Vietnamese government instituted doi moi. U.S. companies have been clamoring for an end to the embargo and full diplomatic recognition since at least 1990, because they realize that Vietnam's oil, cheap, well-educated labor force, and other valuable resources are being snapped up by other countries.
B. Vietnam's relations with China:
Vietnam also contributed to its own problems by engaging in border skirmishes with China and by invading Cambodia in order to overthrow Pol Pot's government. These wars surprised no one who has studied Vietnam's history, since Vietnam and China have more often been enemies than friends, or even peaceful neighbors. The traditional animosity does suggest however, that the U.S. war in Vietnam was perhaps unnecessary.
V. LESSON PLANS FOR VIETNAM THROUGH CINEMA
1. Identify the major religions practiced in Vietnam, and the basic tenets of each religion. Understand that Vietnamese (as indeed most Southeast Asians) rarely believe that these religions are mutually exclusive.2. Identify the main components of a family altar, and the use or symbolism of each item.
3. Explore the impact of the Cult of Ancestors on family life in Vietnam.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
--Have students read John Whitmore's "Cultural and Religious Patterns" (from photocopied packet received at workshop), either at home as homework or in class. Spend some time leading the class through a discussion of the following questions. The amount of information you will need to provide will depend on what else students will have read about religion in Asia or Vietnam.
1. What is "animism"? Why would people in an agricultural society be likely to worship animals, spirits of nature, and even the spirits of their ancestors?
2. What does the diversity of religion in Vietnam suggest about the type of history Vietnam has had? (I am thinking primarily about the fact that traders and invaders have criss-crossed Vietnam for centuries, but the students may come up with other ideas.)
3. Compare the religious diversity in Vietnam with the religious diversity in the United States. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Can you think of possible explanations? (I am thinking here primarily of the fact that many people in Vietnam follow more than one religion at the same time, while in the U.S. that would be rare. But in both countries religious diversity is rarely a reason for serious conflict.)
--Now have students read Phung Thi Hanh's "The Family in Vietnam and its Social Life," either as homework or in class. Give a brief lecture, based on information from the TEACHING ASIA workshop, about family altars, and Cult of Ancestors. Discuss the following questions in groups or as a whole class.
1. Why do you think Vietnamese use family terms as ways of addressing all people (p. 78)? What might you learn about Vietnamese society from this one fact? (I am thinking 1) that until recently, most Vietnamese spent most of their lives in small villages where everyone knew everyone else and 2) that hierarchal relations are very important, and these terms allow those hierarchies to be expressed in every conversation.)
2. What were the traditional reasons for the roles described for men (father) and women (mother)?
3. The author has a reason for reaching the conclusion she does. Why do you think she has reached that conclusion? (I think because she believes the traditional Vietnamese family is a valuable institution, and she wants to demonstrate that it can survive in the modern world.) Might you use the information in this article, and other things you have learned about modern Vietnam to reach a different conclusion?
--Use the same headings in the "Family in Vietnam" article, and the information learned so far in this unit to compare and contrast family life in the United States (or some other country the students are studying) with family life in Vietnam. This activity can be done in small groups in class, or as homework.
--Watch one of the videos you viewed during the TEACHING ASIA workshop. Discuss the following questions, or have students write their answers.
1. Are family altars and Cult of Ancestors still important in Vietnamese society? How can you tell?2. What impact did the Vietnam War have on traditional Vietnamese religious beliefs and practices, as far as you can tell from the video?
3. What meaning(s) do you think family altars have for Vietnamese today?
--Ask students either to describe or actually construct a personal family altar, using the objects which they would find personally important but keeping in mind the symbolism of various elements in Vietnamese family altars. How are the students' altars different than Vietnamese altars? Why?
LESSON PLAN #2: RICE AND VIETNAM
LEARNING GOALS:
1. Understand the cultural and economic importance of rice in Vietnam. OPTIONAL: Make comparisons to the equally important role of rice in other Southeast Asian countries.2. Identify ways in which the critical role of rice influences the everyday lives of people in Vietnam.
3. Identify ways in which industrial and economic developments may change the role rice currently plays in Vietnamese culture and economy.
--Begin class by asking students what grain (or food, if you think it will work) is the most important one in American society. Continue asking until they say "corn" or "wheat." Elicit answers to the following questions:
1. What physical conditions are required to grow corn or wheat for a living? (Answers: lots of relatively flat land, temperatures above freezing, fertile soil, predictable and not too heavy rainfall.)2. What are all the different ways in which we consume wheat and corn in the United States? (Answers: WHEAT: bread, cereal, crackers, macaroni/pasta, rolls, cakes, cookies, etc. CORN: tortillas, tortilla chips, on the cob, creamed corn, cornbread, corn muffins, cereal, popcorn, etc.)
3. Ask how many students eat rice regularly, and in what ways they eat rice. Use their answers as a transition to a brief lecture about rice as the most important grain in Vietnam. --Lecture to class, briefly and based on the lecture you heard at the TEACHING ASIA workshop, about the role of rice in Vietnam's economy and culture.
--Show one of the videos of which you saw clips in the TEACHING ASIA workshop. Have the students write a paragraph, or discuss in small groups, how the video demonstrated the importance of rice to Vietnam's culture and economy. Alternately, have the students write a description of one or more parts of the process of rice cultivation based on what they have learned and seen.
1. Collect (or ask students to collect, if feasible) samples of the different forms in which rice is consumed in Vietnam, and find recipes which use rice in these different forms. If possible, make some of the dishes which use rice in forms Americans don't typically see. (Recipes are attached for your information, or for them to use if none are available in your area.)
2. If studying Native American or African countries in the same term, collect stories about the origins of the main food eaten in those countries (i.e., probably corn and peanuts?) and compare the stories for similar and dissimilar elements.
3. Using information they've learned, and images from the video, have students write short stories, or a skit, about everyday life in a rice-growing village in Vietnam. You might talk about possible points of tension surrounding rice cultivation, such as the very hard work everyone has to do during transplanting and harvesting, or how dangerous drought could be.
Pho (Beef and Rice-Noodle Soup)
This could almost be called the national dish of Vietnam, and is ubiquitous in Vietnam and in Vietnamese restaurants in this country.
1 large onion, unpeeled
1 (3 to 4 lb.) beef shank bone, cut into several large pieces water to cover beef
11 cups water
1 (1-inch) piece ginger root, sliced
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick
1 T. salt
1/4 t. black peppercorns
1/4 lb. rice noodles, 3/8 inch
12 oz. beef eye of the round, partially frozen
1/2 lb. bean sprouts
1 or 2 jalapeno chilies, sliced crosswise
1 lemon, cut in four wedges
hoisin sauce
fish sauce
1 small onion, quartered, thinly sliced
1/4 c. chopped green onions, incl. some tops
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place unpeeled onion in a pie pan and bake 45 minutes. Place beef bones in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Cover with water; bring to full boil. Pour off water. Rinse pan and bones. Return bones to pan. Add the 11 cups of water, roasted onion, ginger root, cinnamon stick, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 3 hours. Remove bones and strain broth. There should be about 6 cups; if not, add water to make 6 cups. Place in a large jar or bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove solid layer of fat on top. Just before serving, boil rice noodles in 3 quarts water for about 10 minutes, or until tender; drain. Cut beef across the grain into paper-thin slices; set aside. Arrange bean sprouts, chilies, and lemon wedges on a serving plate. Pour hoisin sauce into a small bowl. Divide rice noodles among 4 heated large soup bowls; bowls should hold at least 3 cups. Meanwhile, bring chilled broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beef and sliced onion; boil until beef is no longer pink, 1_ to 2 minutes. Divide broth, beef and onion among soup bowls. Sprinkle 1 T. chopped green onion over each serving. At table, add bean sprouts and chilies, as desired. Squeeze in lemon juice; add 1 or 2 T. hoisin sauce. Serve with soup spoons for broth and chopsticks for meat, vegetables and noodles.
1 lb. boneless beef round roast, partially frozen
1 T. fish sauce
1 1/2 t. sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb. rice stick noodles
tops of 4 green onions, chopped
1 T. unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
8 leaves butter or other leafy lettuce
5 oz. bean sprouts
8 mint sprigs
1 1/2 T. butter
1 lemon grass stalk, thinly sliced
Dipping Sauce
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar
1/3 c. fish sauce
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 small serrano chili, sliced
4 t. shredded carrot
Cut meat in slices 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Place in a medium bowl. Stir in fish sauce, sugar, and garlic. Cover and marinade in refrigerator 2 to 3 hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking. Make Dipping Sauce (instructions below). Soak rice sticks in a large saucepan in water to cover 20 minutes; drain. Just before serving, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add drained rice sticks, boil 3 minutes and drain. Arrange on a platter. Top with 1 T. green onion tops and chopped peanuts. Arrange lettuce leaves, bean sprouts, and mint sprigs on a separate platter. Heat butter in a non-stick skillet. Add lemon grass, saute 1 minute. Add meat and onion tops, cook until meat is browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Spoon onto a separate heated platter. To eat, tear off a portion of lettuce leaf. Add some of the meat, bean sprouts and mint leaves. Wrap and dip in bowl of sauce. Serve with rice noodles or wrap some of the rice noodles in the lettuce. Makes 4 servings.
Dipping Sauce: Combine lemon juice, vinegar, fish sauce, water, sugar and garlic in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and add chili, if desired; cool to room temperature. At serving time, divide among 4 small bowls. Add 1 teaspoon carrot shreds to each.
3 c. water
2/3 c. sugar
1 T. thinly slice ginger root
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin orange slices
1 (8 oz.) can pineapple chunks
1/3 c. glutinous rice flour
3 T. warm water
1 t. toasted sesame seeds
Combine 3 cups water, sugar and ginger root in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until reduce to 2 cups. Cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled, retaining ginger in syrup. Chill cans of fruit. Just before serving, drain fruits, discarding liquid; divide among 4 dessert bowls. In a small bowl, blend rice flour with warm water to make a soft dough. Add more water if needed. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll each into a ball. Bring 3 cups of water to boil in 1-quart pan. Add dumplings. Cook at a medium boil, uncovered, until dumplings rise to surface. Cook 1 more minute. Lift from water with a slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water. Place 4 dumplings in each bowl with fruit. Strain ginger from syrup. Add _ c. ginger syrup to each bowl. Sprinkle each with 1/4 t. sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.
VIII. TEACHING ASIA: "VIETNAM THROUGH CINEMA" BIBILIOGRAPHY
Chi Nguyen. Cooking the Vietnamese Way (Minneapolis, 1985)
--Tompkins County Public Library J 641.59 N
--This cookbook would be ideal for use in a classroom, because the recipes have been simplified (including suggestions of substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients) and the cultural importance of many of the foods explained.
Christine Osborne. Southeast Asian Food and Drink (New York, 1989)
--Tompkins County Public Library J641.59 Osbourne
--Recipes are interspersed among explanations of staple foods, cooking methods, meal customs, and agriculture in the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The food photographs will make you hungry.
Phyllis Shalant. Look What We've Brought You from Vietnam: Crafts, Games, Recipes, Stories and Other Cultural Activities from New Americans (New York, 1988)
--Tompkins County Public Library J745.5 S
--Explanations of Vietnamese holidays and traditions with crafts and food to make, stories to tell. Probably most suitable for elementary school children as is, but a teacher could adapt the activities for older students.
Sherry Garland. The Lotus Seed (New York, 1993)
--Tompkins County Public Library E Garland
--Story of a little girl who picks a lotus seed on the night the Vietnamese emperor abdicates his throne, and who preserves it through all the troubles Vietnam and she experience in the coming decades. Upon moving to America, one of the by-now grandmother's grandchildren takes the seed and loses it in the family's yard. But the seed blossoms into a beautiful lotus, and the grandchildren receive their own lotus seeds, to remind them of their heritage.
Holly Keller. Grandfather's Dream (New York, 1994)
--Story of a little Vietnamese boy's grandfather who convinces the others in their village to turn some of the land over to a preserve to attract again the cranes (an important bird in Vietnamese history), which have not been seen for years due to the disruption of war. Many in the village would prefer to use the land to grow rice, but agree to try for a couple of years. The cranes do return at the end of the story. Watercolor illustrations.
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Michele Maria Surat. Angel Child, Dragon Child (Austin, 1992)
--Story of a Vietnamese girl who moves to America, and the troubles she encounters at school, as well as her sadness because her mother was unable to join the family. Ends happily when her school raises money for her mother to join family in America.
Gail B. Graham. The Beggar in the Blanket and other Vietnamese Tales (New York, 1970)
--Eight tales from Vietnam, nicely illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings.
Lynette Dyer Vuong. The Brocaded Slipper and Other Vietnamese Tales (New York, 1982)
--paperback, $3.95
--Five well-known tales from Vietnam, nicely told. A few illustrations, but clearly aimed at a upper-elementary and older audience. Author explanations at end of book explain some of the important cultural elements in the stories.
My-Van Tran. Folk Tales from Indochina (Victoria, Australia, 1987)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library ASIA GR308.T77
--Bilingual edition, intended to be used in English classes for Vietnamese immigrants. Eight folk tales from Vietnam as well as six from Cambodia and five from Laos. Pen-and-ink illustrations.
Sherry Garland. Vietnam: Rebuilding a Nation (Minneapolis, 1990)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library ASIA DS556.3 G23
--Readable descriptions of religion, history, government, family life, schools, etc. in Vietnam. Includes many nice photographs. Author is clearly opposed to current government of Vietnam, and some editorial comments detract from balanced tone. Although published in 1990, does not take into acccount new economic developments stemming from policy of doi moi.
Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. Vietnam: Why We Fought, An Illustrated History (New York, 1990)
--Tompkins County Public Library 959.704 Hoobler
--If your students want to learn more about the American war in Vietnam (in contrast with French or Cambodian), this book will provide a good overview as an introduction. Almost all the photographs are black and white. The tone is balanced, but the suggestions for further reading section is disappointingly short.
Karen Jacobsen. Vietnam (Chicago, 1992)
--Tompkins County Public Library J 959.7
--For elementary school students, a brief description of the climate, people, geography, history, economic and social life, and holidays of Vietnam. Color photographs throughout.
Patricia Norland. Children of the World: Vietnam (Milwaukee, 1991)
--Tompkins County Public Library J 959.704 or to buy, call 1-800-341-3569
--For elementary school students, follows the daily life of an 11-year-old Vietnamese girl, Ho Thi Kim Chau, who lives near Ho Chi Minh City. Students learn about family life, the economy, schools, and holidays. At end of book, brief overview of Vietnam more generally. Excellent color photographs.
Audrey Seah. Cultures of the World: Vietnam (New York, 1994)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library ASIA DS556.3.S43 1994
--A good introduction to Vietnam for junior high and high school students. Covers geography, history, government, economy, the people, education, religion, the arts, festivals, and food. Color photographs throughout. A balanced presentation.
Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt. Passage to Vietnam: Through the Eyes of Seventy Photographers (Hong Kong, 1994)
--Tompkins County Public Library O 959.7044 Passage
--A beautifully photographed study of contemporary Vietnam. Wonderful for giving students an idea of the "look" of Vietnam. The accompanying text is sometimes uninformed and often romanticized, but the photos speak more loudly.
David K. Wright. Enchantment of the World: Vietnam (Chicago, 1989)
--Tompkins County Public Library J 959.7
--Same approach as Audrey Seah's book, but more attention to the struggle for independence. Information on the economy is rapidly becoming out-of-date, but the tone is balanced. Photos throughout, but not as lush as Audrey Seah's book.
Bao Ninh. Sorrows of War (London, 1993)
--Rapidly becoming a classic, the novel is a semi-autobiographical account of a young Vietnamese who fought with the North Vietnamese Army. It is told from the vantage of several years after the war has ended, but uses flashbacks to explore the then and continuing horror of the war for Vietnam.
Le Ly Hayslip. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places (Penguin, 1990)
--This novel, and its sequel, have been made into a movie by Oliver Stone. The book is better than the movie, and while often overly dramatic or sentimental, Hayslip makes a point to try to convey her understanding of Vietnamese history and culture. Her view differs from many scholars, but her story is a compelling one.
Nguyen Du, The Tale of Kieu, translated by Huynh Sanh Thong (New Haven, 1983)
--This is the classic epic poem of Vietnamese literature, and even today many Vietnamese are familiar with the poem. This particular edition is bilingual.
Duong Thu Huong. Paradise of the Blind (Penguin, 1988, 1993)
--Story of a young woman, her mother, and her aunt (father's sister) and their lives in Vietnam during and after the war. Not a "war" novel, although the war and transition to a communist state influenced every part of the characters' lives. As much about a young girl becoming a woman, and struggling to make an independent way in the world in the family-centered society of Vietnam as about any political theme.
Vietnam: A Teacher's Guide (The Asia Society, 1983)
--This booklet focuses primarily on the war in Vietnam, and more than might be wished on the American experience, but provides some information about Vietnamese history and culture. Since the pamphlet is more than 10 years old, it does not include much information about post-war developments in Vietnam.
David P. Elliott, et.al. Vietnam: Essays on History, Culture, and Society (The Asia Society, 1985)
--Available from The Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021 ph. 212-288-6400
--Essays by prominent scholars of Vietnam on topics of history, religion, the traditional village, Vietnamese myths, Vietnamese poetry and revolution in Vietnam. Most of the essays have a more historical than present-day focus.
Gerald Cannon Hickey. Village in Vietnam (New Haven, 1964).
--Although published 30 years ago, Hickey was one of the last anthropologists to live in a village in Vietnam for an extended period of time, and his work stands the test of time. As anthropologists begin to get access to rural Vietnam again in the near future, however, they will surely ask whether the traditions Hickey so carefully documented have been affected by the intervening years of war and communist rule.
Neil Jamieson. Understanding Vietnam (Berkeley, 1993)
--Jamieson has tried to provide an undated and slightly less academic version of Hickey's Village in Vietnam. He explains Vietnamese culture in terms of yin and yang, the Chinese ideas about balance between different, even contradictory, forces. Although this explanation is too schematic (everything doesn't fit as neatly as Jamieson would like), the book contains excellent and detailed descriptions of traditional Vietnamese family and village life. Understanding Vietnam does not replace Hickey, but is much more easily available if you don't have access to a university library, since it's still in print.
Hy Van Luong. Revolution in the Village: Tradition and Transformation in North Vietnam, 1925-1988 (Hawaii, 1992)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library DS559.93 S66 L86x 1992
--This excellent study looks at how the changes which Vietnam has experienced since the late 19th century played out in one village in northern Vietnam. Hy Van Luong interviewed many people, and often quotes from the interviews at length. Topics of particular interest are anti-colonial movements, political relations within the village, land tenure, and ceremonies.
Jacqueline M. Piper. Rice in South-east Asia: Cultures and Landscapes (Oxford, 1993)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library GR308.P56x 1993
--Explores the cultural and historical importance of rice in Southeast Asia. Describes farming methods, superstitions, myths, etc. Emphasizes Indonesia and Malaysia more than other Southeast Asian countries, but provides good introduction to the topic and region.
Hue-Tam Ho Tai. "Religion in Vietnam: A World of Gods and Spirits," The Vietnam Forum 10 (Summer-Fall 1987) 113-145.
--Cornell University's Kroch Library DS556.V68
--Introductory description of the major religions practiced in Vietnam (with the exception of Catholicism): Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao. Emphasizes origins more than current practice, but a brief section on religion in an atheist state.
William S. Turley and Mark Selden, eds. Reinventing Vietnamese Socialism: Doi Moi in Comparative Perspective (Boulder, 1993)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library DS559.912 T87x 1993
--Some of the foremost scholars of Vietnam explore the general economic, agricultural, and social implications of the new policy of doi moi, which can be compared with perestroika in the former Soviet Union. The concept of doi moi is very important in Vietnam today, and this collection of essays provides a good introduction.
John K. Whitmore, ed. An Introduction to Indochinese History, Culture, Language and Life (University of Michigan, 1978)
--Cornell University's Kroch Library DS 537.I42 1978 and photocopies of some chapters in your packet
--Some essays are outdated, but generally a decent introduction to history and culture of the three countries of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia). The essays on religion and the family are in your packets. The essays may all be photocopied because they are not protected by copyright.
Copies of the essays "Cultural and Religious Patterns," by John K. Whitmore and "The Family in Vietnam and Its Social Life," by Mrs. Phung Thi Hanh , both from the book An Introduction to Indochinese History, Culture, Language and Life (University of Michigan, 1978), are available through SEAP's Outreach Office. This work was published under a federal grant (via the State of Michigan) and is in the public domain.
Cornell University
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Document modified May 13, 1999 by seap-out@cornell.edu