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20/12/2016

5PM

Arnhem

Interviewer: Huy Duong (19)

Interviewee: Willem-jan de Groot

1.      How do you define “family”?

-        I see my wife and sons as family, family are the one who are closest to me and my life. So even though I have relatives but I dont see them as my “family”

2.      Who hold the most “status” in your family? Why?

-        I think I have the most status in my family, I make the most money and my sons look up to me. It is a cultural thing that people often admire the one who can make alot of money or have a high position.

3.      How do you define “success”? What is your plan to get them?

-        Succes is to achieve my goals. Right now, my goal is making my family happy, I will work as hard as I can just to keep them happy.

4.      What do you think are the most positive things about being a Dutch? And the negative things?

-        The most positive thing about being a Dutch is we have free speech, so everybody can express themself and can easily stand up for their rights. And we also have good infrastructure, so the country is stable no matter what happens. I don't really think about the negative things

5.      What do you think are the most important needs of your culture?

-        Being on time is very important to the Dutch, so punctuality is the first thing I want to mention. We also need the other people to be open about themself so we can know them a little better.

6.      How are insult expressed? Can you give me an example?

-        Here, we we often insult people straight. Which means if we not satisfied with anything, we can just come and talk about the bad things right to that person.

7.      Which family member are you closest to and why?

-        I think my wife. Because I have been living with her for around 25 years from now, so I shared many memories with her, we went through a lot you know. That makes me treasure her.

8.      Are there any rules in your family? Did you set it up?

-        The rule I can think of right now that my sons are not allowed to smoke, if I caught they smoking or doing drugs, I will immediatly cut off their spendings that I give them because money is not for doing things like that.

9.      Can you describe your family dinner? Is it often to have one?

-        Everyday, we sit together around a table and have dinner. Therefore, we can talk with each other about anything.

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-        As I took my time to interview the other people, I have learnt something from themm and from myself as well. First, as my classmate, he was quite open to me and answered my questions clearly with even some examples for each questions. But the older guy must in a hurry so he answered the questions very short. We made eye contact throughout the interview. As I have been in the Netherlands for around 4 months and have some Dutch friends here, most of the things they told me did not suprised me a lot. Those are the informations that I might have known from the other Dutch friends and observe them since I have been here. Therefore, during the interview, we both were open and relaxed.

-        The behaviour is quite the same of me and my interviewee as we both used eye contact through the interview. Most of the aspects he answered matched my opinion. The difference is I would rather not to give someone bad feedback as straight as they are. And Vietnameses culture is quite of a collectivism culture, so those are the differences between me and the Dutch people.

-        After conducting an interview, I have learned something. Firstly, it is convenient to prepare a set of question before the interview so the interview can go on smoothly. Based on the purpose of the interview, the interviewer should prepare a set of different types of questions like open question or close questions. For example, in that case, I want in-depth information about my friend’s opinion so I prepared open questions for him. Secondly, depending on the purpose of the interview and the information that the interviewer want to get, the interviewer should choose the interviewee smartly.

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1. I learned alot from the Intercultural course and I find this is among the most interesting and important course of my first year. This course helps me having the knowledge of how to deal with the conflict and the differences from othercultures. Firstly, I find the lesson about Interviewing is helpful. Not only to deal with the everyday’s situation of cultural differences but also know how to ask open question or close question, suggestive or neutral questions. This is also important for me and might come in handy if I need to conduct a qualitative field research, to interview people to get in-depth informations. The Kilmann lesson was very helpful and interesting. After that lecture, I know who I really am and know more about the way that I often used to deal with conflict. Knowing about more conflict-dealing style, how and when to use them is crucial for me to reconcile the conflicts which I may come through in the future.

The Iceberg is the first thing that might less relevant than the other topics. Because it was mostly about myself and my own cultures’ norms, belief, values,... and I already know that aspects of my country so I find this part is not as useful as the other. DIE method is the lesson is considered also less relevant. In my opinion, I can learn to oberserve people through the Randomia Simulation, so DIE method would not be crucial for me to now that first describe, then inquire and interpret when meet new culture.

2.

After taking the course and gather some knowledge about how to deal with different culture, reflecting myself, I found out that I have 2 most strength as Curiousity and Leadership. For Curiousity, I love to exlore new things about different cultures, always eager to learn and know about the other’s culture. For Leardership, I can encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within the group. Both of these strengths will help me to deal with cultural differences later.

Two challenges that I may have are: being moody and reckless. Those are my challenges to aproach the other culture as sometimes I want to learn alot from the other, but other times I just feel not like to do anything about it. Being reckless sometimes can ruin a relationship between me and the people from the different culture as I can say things that can upset them.

1st goal: Right now, I have myself some Dutch friends.Next semester I will hang out more often with them, try to observe them and understand them in low-context communication. I will try to talk with them more straight and low-context like. As I will see my friends almost everyday, so this practice will be continue and I will be improving everyday to be more straight and understand them.

2nd goal: Next semester, I will try to communicate with my group less reckless than I am now.Sometimes my fellow group members tell me that I maybe say things without thinking about it. So I will try to think more deeply before saying or deciding anything. We will have new project next semester so as doing group work, I can improve myself on this aspect as they can give me feedback and also comment about my behaviour is improved or not. After some feedback, I may improve myself as not being so reckless anymore.

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1. Case study
Hall and Kluckhohn

Doing or being

Germany is more of a Doing country. They place great emphasis on deadlines, schedules etc. Tasks take precedence over personal relationships in most cases .People are supposed to have a personal opinion, which they are expected to verbalize.

Vietnam is a Being country. Where titles are important and should always be used, in order to show appropriate respect for someone’s status. Relationships often take precedence over tasks. Much time is spent on greeting and farewell rituals or getting to know someone before agreeing to do business with them.

In this case, Mr Kollman who is in line with his country as a Doing person, he saw the task and schedule as more important than the relationship between him and Mr Dinh, so he wanted to skip to the business part but not get to know each other. While Mr Dinh is a Being person, the relationship between 2 companies take precedence over the business. So he decided first to get to know the CEO of the German company first, then proceed to the business. This culture differences caused Mr Kollman stress and became irritated as things were not going like he expected.

Monochronic – polychronic

German is among the monochronic culture, as time is considered very important. Naturally, they have a sense of urgency when it comes to making the best use of the time. If not “well-spent”, they feel like they are losing something valuable. Tey emphasize the use of project planners, detailed schedules, and timelines.

Vietnam is among the polychronic culture. People are the Vietnamese’s main concern (particularly those closely related to them or their function) and they have a tendency to build lifetime relationships. Issues such as promptness are firmly based on the relationship rather than the task and objectives are more like desirable outcomes than must do's. They tend to take time a little lightly. They appreciate punctuality but may not reciprocate with it. There is no sense of urgency is using the time because it’s not going anywhere.

Mr Kollman is in line with the German culture in this aspect, and also Mr Dinh with the Vietnamese culture. As polichronic, Mr Kollman expected Mr Dinh to respect his time, such as be pro-active on the communication and contact of the business to save his time. In contrast, Mr Dinh, a Vietnamese, seen the time as less important than the contract, he did not made any further contact with the German company nor have a set date of visit. As Mr Dinh  did not take action about the business such as making a contact about their business and there would not be a set date for the visit of Mr Dinh, Mr Kollman became irritated because of the culture contrast.

Hofstede and Trompenaars.

Uncertainty avoidance

Vietnam scores low on this (30) thus the Vietnamese have the low uncertainty avoidance.They are more relaxed, focusing more on practice not theory. In Vietnam and other countries with low uncertainty avoidance, people believe there should be only necessary rules and if the rules are ambiguous or do not work they should be abandoned or changed. Schedules are flexible, hard work is undertaken only when necessary, precision and punctuality do not come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening.

Germany is one of the uncertainty avoidant countries (65); there is a slight preference for Uncertainty Avoidance. In line with the philosophical heritage of Kant, Hegel and Fichte there is a strong preference for deductive rather than inductive approaches, be it in thinking, presenting or planning: the systematic overview has to be given in order to proceed.. Details are equally important to create certainty that a certain topic or project is well-thought-out.

In this case, as Vietnamese, Mr Dinh and the Vietnamese company’s president  also has a low preference for avoiding uncertainty. Therefore, the Vietnamese seemed hesitated to make the contract with the German, also there is no set date for the visit. The reason behind this is in the mindset of the Vietnamese, the most important thing is to have the business with the German company, the other details such as having a set date is not very important. While Mr Phillip is in line with his country in the uncertanty avoidant index. Having a set date of visit, communication to make a clear contract is the important steps for the business. Consequently, this uncertainty of the contract, which was okay for Mr Dinh, made Mr Kollman irritated.

Powerdistance

Germany is among the lower power distant countries (score 35). Co-determination rights are comparatively extensive and have to be taken into account by the management. A direct and participative communication and meeting style is common, control is disliked and leadership is challenged to show expertise and best accepted when it’s based on it.

On the other hand, we can clearly see on this chart that Vietnam is belong to a higher power distant group (70). In Vietnam, people accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. Subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat.

In this case, Mr Phillip Kolman is the CEO of the company, and the the power distant index of his cultural is relatively low, therefore, he can make the decisions and choices of his company as those are his missions. While Mr Dinh is just a representative of the Vietnamese company. Whith the relatively low of power distant index, Mr Dinh is considered not having the permission to do more in the business of 2 companies. In the Vietnamese mindset, the business of 2 companies must be made by the Vietnamese company’s president and Mr Kollman.

Therefore, as not understanding the Vietnamese culture, Mr Kollman thought that the contract is uncertain and also not as smooth as he expected. He became irritated.

Individualism – collectivism

The German society is a truly Individualist one (67). There is a strong belief in the ideal of self-actualization. Loyalty is based on personal preferences for people as well as a sense of duty and responsibility. This is defined by the contract between the employer and the employee.

Vietnam, with a score of 20 is a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the “member” group, in this case is the company. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount and overrides most other societal rules and regulations. Such a society fosters strong relationships, where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group.

In this case, both Mr Dinh and Mr Kollman were in line with their culture. Mr Kollman as a German, who is a individualist himself. He can decide and make choice for his company by himself as that is his responsibility. Mr Dinh is a collectivist, who is loyal to his company, he must follow his company’s rule that only the president can make choices and decisions for the company, a representative can only meet people, not making decisions.

2. Stratergy to reconcile the conflict

In this case, which Mr Kollman and Mr Dinh were having cultural differences, much of a cultural contrast with the aspects that I described above. They are having personality Clashes when the conflict emerges by both men simply  do not view things similarly. Personality tensions are caused by differences in personality, attitudes, values, and beliefs. As mentioned above, punctuality, lifestyle of doing or being and their view of Uncertainty Avoidance, Power distance and their culture is collectivism or individualism is making a gap between Mr Dinh and Mr Kollman. One more conflict between them is Jurisdictional Ambiguities as the steps of business between them are unclear such as the business plan, the set date of the visit.

A fastest way to reconcile this conflict is Avoiding. The avoiding style is low on both assertiveness and cooperativeness. When both 2 men can ignore the problem and continue on the business. As Mr Kolmann can ignore the uncertainty of the contract, he can have the business with the style of the Vietnamese. The original problem, conflict, or situation is never directly addressed or resolved.

The effective way to reconcile this conflict is Collaborating. . Both men can adjust themself to reconcile the conflict. This is not a too complex solve because Mr Kollman was visited Vietnam and several Asian country, he could know the Asian culture and the way they work. While Mr Dinh studied in Europe so he can adjust himself and meet with his president to form a clearer contract between two company. This resolution is the win-win situation for both company as they can continue to cooperate with each other later on.

3. Include your Thomas Kilmann profile. Describe a conflicting situation in your own life.

Using the Thomas Kilmann conflict mode questionnaire, I scored the most in accommodating.  As described in the questionnaire that

ACCOMMODATING - Is unassertive and cooperative - the opposite of competing. When accommodating, an individual neglects their own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when one would prefer not to, or yielding to another's point of view.

Real life experience: About a year ago, I was a member of a club in my university. When I was working there, I experienced conflict between me and my fellow member. The club was under the advisor of some teachers and we have some event that was affected and changed partly by the teacher. I and 2 more members of my team who are Nguyen and Linh did not want the teacher to affect our plan and way of working anymore so we discussed the problem with the other teams’ leader. The conflict started here when 2 others who are Nam and Thu did not want to proceed. They said that having the teacher involve in the planning part is important as we will need their experience and advices to run the events smoothly. On my side, both Nguyen and Linh were competing, they were willing to protect their idea and defend their opinion. On the other side, Nam and Thu were also competing and defending their opinion. I was being a accomodating person, tried to convince my 2 teamates that maybe the others’ opinion was right and we can still work with the teacher giving us advices. As a result, my 2 teamates chosed to leave the club, Nam and Thu defended their opinion succesfully. In my point of view, that was a failure for both me and my club as we could not come up to a resolution for both sides and 2 good members have to leave the club as the conflict was not solved.

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Interviewer: Huy Duong (19) - Vietnamese

Interviewee: Santiago Werker(26) – Dutch

Date:16th of November, 2016

Time: 11.00 AM

Place: Campus of ABS

1.      How do you define “family”?

-        In my opinion, the term “family” is the one that not only related by blood with me, but the one who are close to me and have strong bond between me and them. For example, not only my family member or relatives but also my close friends that I am lucky to have.

2.      Who hold the most “status” in your family? Why?

-        My mom hold the most “status” in my family. Because, you know, moms are moms. They are always care for us and love us unconditionally. Moreover, my mom knows a lot, so she can always give me advices on what I should or should not do. You know, related to this, more and more women are becoming the leader, not only of a family but also of a country, for example, Hillary Clinton was nearly be the president of the United States, and our neighbor, the German also have Angela Merkel as their prime minister.

3.      How do you define “success”? What is your plan to get them?

-        “succes” is defined as how I set myself a goal, plan the steps that I have to make to achieve that goal, follow the steps to be closer to the goals and finally achieve it.

-        The goals that I have set are: pass the study, be fit and be more healthy

-        For the study, I will make summary and make myself a plan to summarise all the lessons. For being fit and heathy, I started going to the gym more often and cook myself healthier foods.

4.      What do you think are the most positive things about being a Dutch? And the negative things?

-        Being a Dutch that means to grow up with some certain values and norms. I was raised open minded so I always curious to learn more and more new things. Here, we have equal rights for everyone and we all have the equal chanes, so no one has any unfair advantages on others. Also, the Netherlands is a multi-culture country so it’s an advantage that we can meet people and learn from different cultural to imporve ourselves.

-        About the negative things, I think that the Netherlands have a very high taxation rates. Because their are too many people who are unemployed or choose to just stay at home and do nothing to get money from the goverment. That is the dark side of our country.

5.      What do you think are the most important needs of your culture?

-        Money as the cost of living here is pretty high, so most people need money in order to live well.

-        Social, we all need the affiliation which are friends and family who are close to us, so we can share with them our feeling and have fun with them.

-        Status as people often respect the people who are older and at a higher position

6.      What are the values of your culture?

-        Respect: the Dutch treats other with respect.

-        Individualist: the Dutch is raised to be themself. As each person has their own choices to live their own life.

7.      How are insult expressed? Can you give me an example?

-        Here in the Netherlands, as a low context culture, when we need to insult or give bad feedback about someone, we will just say it straight to that person.

-        An example is within my BSP group, when there is someone do a part of the project wrong, I can tell him/her right away and have him/her fix that part.
8. Which parent are you closer to and why?

-        I am the closest to my mom because in our culture sons are mostly be closer to their mothers and  we have a close bond between us. The reason why is I can simply just share with her everything knowing she wont judge me right away. If she doesnt agree to my opinion, we can just argue to come to a conclusion.

9. Are there any set of rules in your family? like the time u have to come home or what u cant do at home?

-        The most important rule in my family is to be honest. Our relationship is based on trust, so we are all honest in order that we can trust each other.There is no certain time for me to get home but I only have to tell my parents where I am.

10.  Can you describe a family dinner? is it often for all of the family to sit together and have a meal?

-        First, we all cook the meal together, me, my father and my mother. Then after that, we can sit around in a big table in the kitchen together to enjoy the meal. During the meal, we often discuss and talk about how our day is and about the plan for the next day.

-        I have dinner together with my family every Monday till Thursday in a normal week be cause on the other days I have works.

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1. Neutrally describe
Once I had a meeting with the BSP group here, we planned to meet at 9 AM and I reached the place at 8.55 to prepare the thing I would discuss. At exactly 9 AM, everyone had already been sitting there and started the meeting.
2. Wonder about culture
In my country, the punctuallity is not very important like it is here. It is okay for people to arrived 5 to 10 minutes late for a meeting.
3. Inquire first, then interpret
I asked my Dutch friend about the Dutch's view on punctuallity, he answered me that punctuallity is very important here and it is polite to come on time for a meeting.
4. Explore new responses and behaviour
As taught to be always on time by my parents, I was quite annoyed with people being late for meeting or appointment back in my country. But here in the Netherlands, I feel comfortable and convenient that people always be on time.

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What did you learn from this simulation game?

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What did you learn from this simulation game?

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Conflicts can happen easily in a conversation from 2 people who are different in cultural background. Each culture has its own values, beliefs and rules. Therefore, I learnt to not simply jumping to conclusion but I have to analyze and evaluate from the actual facts, not what I see is what others are thinking. Also, it takes time and patience to get to know the different cultures, and a lot time and patience to know the contrast cultures. These knowledge can help me avoiding conflicts with my the people around me who are from the contrast cultures in the future.

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How were you approached by the other group members?

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How were you approached by the other group members?

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- The trainers from Richland seemed to be annoyed and found it hard to understand when I kept looking downwards to the ground. I talked to 2 Richlander trainers, as I was not looking into their eyes when talking, the first one looked a bit angry and the second one looked confused as I saw the expression on their faces. Both of them then asked me if there was anything has gone wrong and if there was anything that I had hidden from them. Both started to walk around wondering how to talk to me.
- After a short discussion between the trainers, they finally came back and offered to rise my salary, and asked me whether I wanted to become a trainer just like them. Similar to before, I avoided eye-contact with the trainer. They just seemed to be more annoyed and tried every way possible to communicate to me in the way they want me to.
- All they did what just thinking how to get me to communicate the way they want, not even one of them tried to talk to me the way I was or just simply know that there were culture gap between 2 cultures. They just acted the way they were, I acted the way I was, so we both came to a difficult situation.

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How did you experience to be in this role (feelings, thoughts, behavior)?

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How did you experience to be in this role (feelings, thoughts, behavior)?

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- When I was a little boy,  I was taught by my parents to look into one's eyes whenever I have a conversation with that person. So it has been my habit to look directly into someone's eyes when I talk to them.
-This time, as told by the teacher the rules of this simulation which are the rules and cultures of Randomian which include not looking at the Richlanders' eyes, I found it extremely hard to follow it. Whenever I have a talk with the trainer, I had to keep myself from looking right into their eyes. I felt pretty annoyed, uncomfortable and weird myself. However, I managed to look to their shoulders or simply look down just to avoid looking into their eyes.
- Where I came from (Vietnam), people from the lower positions are expected to keep the harmony with higher staffs and look at them as superior. But that was not my mindset, I want to keep harmony, yes, but I will not hestitate to tell someone if something has gone wrong. This time, the trainers asked me about whether can I work well. Actually I blew 2 balloons perfectly so I just told them the truth, that my job here is done well and no problem is going on.

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Which role did you have in the balloon factory?

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Which role did you have in the balloon factory?

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I was a worker from Randomia. The Randomia's culture were::
- Indirect verbal conversation, we can not look into the trainer's eyes, it is considered to be rude
- Inequality of ingroup and outgroup distinctions, the Richlanders came from a rich country, they are smarter, richer than us, whatever they said is true.
- Harmony is the most important thing. We have to make the trainers feel good and keep a positive environment

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Using the DIE method, I realized that most of the time (all of the time in this case) I have wrong interpretation and misunderstand the people around me just by judging them through their behaviour. It is easy have a negative feeling myself and that may raise a conflict between me and the people around me if I keep judging people's behavior wrongly from the first time I notice it. It is surely better if I take some time to get to know the people well before have any interpretation of their behaviours, moreover, I can avoid any unwanted conflict between me and others in the future.
About my group members, I think they all are focusing on the project, they all want to finish the project as working effectively although there may be something may distract us and some outside problem may affect some member but in the end it does not affect the effectiveness of our work. All those the members try to do are focusing on the work and getting it done properly.

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Assignment 1.2: Whole "My country" and part of "My group
Assignment 1.3: changed whole DIE method
Assignment 1.4:  changed
- How did you experience to be in this role?
- How were you approached by the other group member?
-What did you learn from this simulation?

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1. Generally, I have similarities with my group at punctuallity and personal space. This is an advantage for our group.
We are all monochronic so everytime, all members from my group show up at exactly the fixed time of the meeting, there has never been anyone come late for a meeting. Therefore, all of the member can save time and never have to wait for any latercomers to start the meeting.
We have almost the same in personal space so each of us respect other's space and we can work effectively without any conflict.
2. Two most differences that making a gap between me and the other members are react against nature and high or low context though not major differences.
In high-low context differences, although it does not have a major difference between our group, but I know it is can cause potential conflict among us in the future. As a little between high and low context, I can easily understand people from low context culture such as Dutch but there were still thoughts that poped up in my mind wondering that whether there are any side meaning behind the conversation. The solution to this problem is I learnt that in high context, people literally mean what they are saying, so I do not have to worry about the hidden meaning of every sentences.
So far, we have not countered any conflict that caused by the differences in our reaction against nature.
3. I always try to fit in with the majority in my group, try to think the way they think and try to understand them. Although it is not very easy, but until now, my plan seems to work perfectly, we never have an argue about any cross-cultural aspects. This experience to work in a diverse culture can help me a lot in the future, when I will probably have to work with different people from different cultures all around the world.

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1. Communication
I am a little between those 2 aspects. It depends on the situation which I am in. For instance, I would like to be polite to give someone a complaint without make that person sad, I will try the high context way to tell them. On the other hand, with the people I have known for a long time and I know that they can understand my words as not offensive, I can use the low context way to express my feelings.
2. Time
I am a person with high concern on punctuality. I will become upset if someone is late for a fixed time appoinment. Being on time is important. I think it is disrespectful and impolite that someone turn up late for an appointment. Firstly, the lateness can affect badly to the mood of the person who have to wait. Secondly, "time is money" wasting another person's time is also considered as wasting that person's money. So in my opinion, it is better to come early than to be late for anything.
3. Personal Space
I can not live and work effectively without my own personal space. It is quite annyoing and rude if someone is staying too close to me.
4. Nature
My living motto and most favourite quote is "Survival of the fittest" by Charles Darwin, which is about adapting and changing yourself to fit into the environment which I am in. So I always try to change and improve myself to harmonize with the surroundings.
5. Orientation
My way of working is to achieve the goals that have been set for me, I will be happy if I can finish the jobs effectively and efficently on time. On the other, having a friendly and positive atmosphere can affect my feeling a littile bit as well.

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1. Communication
People from my country are mostly high context. They are not willing to express what they are thinking about the objects and people around them. Words and phrases have many meaning in Vietnam as words together can make a very complex meaning messeges apart from the actual meaning of that phrase. Fact that in the Northen part of Vietnam, people tend to be higher context, and the people from the South are more likely to be a little between high and low context.
As being between high and low context, I did have some difficult situation back when I was in Vietnam. When they said something with different meaning than I expected, I behaved the wrong way and annoyed that person.
Example: Once I came to my friend's house, his family was originally from the North, when they were having dinner. His father asked me to join them having dinner, I agreed to have dinner with them as invited. Later, I learnt from my friend that it is not very polite to join a family's dinner even when you were invited, the invitation is just politeness and they did not expect me to have dinner with them.
2. Time
People from my country does not think that pucntuality is important, 10-15 minutes late is acceptable in my country. Whenever people come to sit together for example a meeting, an appointment, attending a class or even a wedding, they often come later than the actual time 5-10 minutes.
I was raised as not making people wait is a way to show respect and be polite, so I am different from most of them. Therefore, there were many times that I became annyoed and angry at my friends for being late and wasted me a lot of time.
Example: In my country, on the initation letter of the wedding ceremonies, they actually write down the time when the ceremony will be started and the time when people will start to eat together, usually 30 minutes after the ceremony. Therefore, people can come late and still can eat.
3. Personal space
The Vietnamese are not too close to each other, but they are not too far away. It is normal for people to stand and talk together in a reach of an arm, but it is considered weird that a stranger just come talk to you and start to hug or put their arms around your shoulder like they are close.
As I am a little distant from the other, some people said that I am cold and distant from the group. But it is not like that, I just fell comfortable the way I am and prefer not being to close to anyone except my close friends and family.
4. Nature
Most Vietnamese are subjugated to the environment. If they sense or feel something bad or be in a bad situation, they will first try to escape that situation rather than try to fight back or try to continue living in harmony with it.
I am not in line with my culture because it is my motto to fit in every environment that I am living in. It is better to be flexible than to be rigid on any problem.
5. Orientation
For the Vietnamese, keeping harmony and a friendly, positive workplace is very important. There are companies which have relatives working together, even in the same firm or the same branch. In their workplace, the Vietnamese like to make friends with their fellow workers. Moreover, they always want to please the staff of the higher position, therfore they mostly do not tell negative things to their bosses even if there is something is not going well.
The reason I am not in line with the people from my country is that I work and learn to achieve my goals. It is good to have the good relationship with others in a workplace, but it will not have a significant effect on my mood and my work. What I expect it just my fellow employees can finish their work effectively and efficently on time so that I can work on my part properly. It is harmful for my work and for the company itself if people are only focusing on relationship but not getting their jobs done.

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Visible symbols and behaviours of the Vietnamese.

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Burnt votive offerings are meant to be sent for the dead to use in the afterlife. Usually, votive items represent valuable objects (money, clothes, houses, cars…). It’s as if the deceased could still enjoy material life in his new state of being. Votive papers actually symbolise the link between life and death.

Votive papers can also be used and burned for the sake of living people or for daily matters like better results to your exams, better revenuesfor your business, to get rid of some disease or more generally to bring safety, happiness and good luck to your loved ones.

Yes, the picture below is the votive paper of a laptop and a massage chair

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In Vietnam, until 20-30 years ago, people with tattoos are viewed as uneducated, rebellious or gangster-like. However, as people are more open, tattoos have been taken less and less serious. . It also depends on what your tattoo is about. If it's a disgusting or offending, I think you will not be welcomed, in Vietnam, as in anywhere else.

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The value that the Vietnamese placed on the concept of “good name," cannot be underestimated. To the Vietnamese, a good name is better than any material possession in this world. By securing a good name for himself, a man can command respect and admiration from his fellow countrymen. A rich and powerful person with a bad reputation is looked down upon while a poor man with a good name is respected.

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At home, a person should show respect to his parents, older siblings, and older relatives. This is expressed by obedience in words and action. Respect is part of the concept of filial piety.

Outside the family, respect should be paid to elderly people, teachers, clergymen, supervisors and employers, and people in high positions. Learned and virtuous people enjoy special respect and admiration. But respect is not a one-way behavior. The Vietnamese common man also expects other people to show respect to him, by virtue of his age, status, or position. Special respect is gained by leading a virtuous life, by accomplishing certain heroic deeds or by achieving a high degree of intellectuality.

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Spiritual life, sometimes, plays more than a passing role in Vietnamese society. By the time a boy is old enough to marry, for example, he may not be able to marry the girl he loves because she was born in the wrong year. Besides, the hoot of an owl is regarded as a bad omen announcing death or illness. According to ancient tradition, the bird must be chased away and those who heard his cry should be extremely cautious about their personal safety.

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Vietnamese values, basic assumptions and belief

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Vietnamese life revolves around the family.

It is not uncommon for three generations to be living together under one roof.

In Confucian tradition, the father is the head of the family and it is his responsibility to provide food, clothing and shelter and make important decisions.

Within the same tradition it is believed that after someone dies their spirit lives on. Descendents will "worship" their ancestors to ensure their good favour. On the anniversary of a person's death, ceremonies are held in their memory.

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Wait to be shown where to sit.

The oldest person should sit first.

Pass dishes with both hands.

Meals are typically served family-style.

Try to finish everything on your plate.

When you are finished eating, rest your chopsticks on top of your rice bowl.

Cover your mouth when using a toothpick.

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In Vietnam, the boss is considered as the big, powerful man, always in the center of attention

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Different from the Westerner, Vietnamese's families tend to see the youngest member of the family as the center of the family. The youngest always have the best from the olders

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Vietnamese society has a fair amount of public etiquette. The following are some of the more common points:

Do not touch someone's head.

Pass items with both hands.

Do not point with your finger - use your hand.

Do not stand with your hands on your hips when talking to elders .

Do not cross your arms on your chest.

Do not pass anything over someone's head.

Do not touch a member of the opposite sex.

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Ha Long bay (dragon descending bay in Vietnamese), is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the most popular attration of Vietnam. Well-known for the beauty of nature there.

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Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay ( Vietnamese: Vịnh Hạ Long, IPA: [vînˀhâːˀlawŋm] ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long city, Cẩm Phả city, and is a part of Vân Đồn district. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes. Hạ Long Bay is a center of a larger zone that includes Bai Tu Long Bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà Island to the southwest. These larger zones share a similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate, and cultural characters.

Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km ² (600 sq mi), including 1,960-2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km ² (129 sq mi) with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem and a seashore biosystem. Hạ Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.

Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago. The successive ancient cultures are the Soi Nhụ culture around 18,000-7,000 BC, the Cái Bèo culture 7,000-5,000 BC and the Hạ Long culture 5,000-3,500 years ago. Hạ Long Bay also marked some important events in Vietnamese history, with many artifacts found in Bài Thơ mountain, Đầu Gỗ cave, and Bãi Cháy.

Nguyễn Trãi praised the beauty of Hạ Long Bay 500 years ago in his verse Lộ nhập Vân Đồn, in which he called it "a rock wonder in the sky". In 1962, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of North Vietnam listed Hạ Long Bay in the National Relics and Landscapes publication. In 1994, the core zone of Hạ Long Bay was listed as a World Heritage Site under Criterion VII, and was listed for a second time under Criterion VIII.

The name Hạ Long ( chữ Hán: 下龍) means "descending dragon".

Before the 19th century, the name Hạ Long Bay had not been recorded in the old books of the country. It has been called An Bang, Lục Thủy, Vân Đồn ... In the late 19th century, the name Hạ Long Bay appeared on the Maritime Map of France. The French-language Hai Phong News reported "Dragon appears on Hạ Long Bay".

According to local legend, when Vietnam had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders. To assist the Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. Under magics, numerous rock mountains abruptly appeared on the sea, ahead of invaders' ships; the forward ships struck the rocks and each other. After winning the battle, the dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth, and then decided to live in this bay. The place where the mother dragon descended was named Hạ Long, the place where the dragon's children attended upon their mother was called Bái Tử Long island ( Bái: attend upon, Tử: children, Long: dragon), and the place where the dragon's children wriggled their tails violently was called Bạch Long Vĩ island ( Bạch: white-color of the foam made when Dragon's children wriggled, Long: dragon, Vĩ: tail), present-day Tra Co peninsula, Móng Cái.

The bay consists of a dense cluster of some 1,600 limestone monolithic islands each topped with thick jungle vegetation, rising spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Dau Go (Wooden Stakes cave) is the largest grotto in the Hạ Long area. French tourists visited in the late 19th century, and named the cave Grotte des Merveilles. Its three large chambers contain large numerous stalactites and stalagmites (as well as 19th-century French graffiti). There are two bigger islands, Tuần Châu and Cát Bà, that have permanent inhabitants, as well as tourist facilities including hotels and beaches. There are a number of beautiful beaches on the smaller islands.

A community of around 1,600 people live on Hạ Long Bay in four fishing villages: Cua Van, Ba Hang, Cong Tau and Vong Vieng in Hung Thang ward, Hạ Long city. They live on floating houses and are sustained through fishing and marine aquaculture (cultivating marine biota), plying the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of their unusual shapes. Such names include Voi Islet (elephant), Ga Choi Islet ( fighting cock), Khi Islet ( monkey), and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given names. Birds and animals including bantams, antelopes, monkeys, and lizard also live on some of the islands.

Almost all these islands are as individual towers in a classic fenglin landscape with heights ranging from 50-100 metres (160-330 ft), and height/width ratios of up to about six.[clarification needed ]

Another specific feature of Hạ Long Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands. For example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

Hạ Long Bay is located in northeastern Vietnam, from E106°55' to E107°37' and from N20°43' to N21°09'. The bay stretches from Quang Yen town, past Hạ Long city, Cẩm Phả city to Vân Đồn District, is bordered on the south and southeast by Lan Ha Bay, on the north by Hạ Long city, and on the west by Bai Tu Long Bay. The bay has a 120-kilometre-long (75 mi) coastline and is approximately 1,553 km ² (600 sq mi) in size with about 2,000 islets. The area designated by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage Site incorporates 434 km ² (168 sq mi) with 775 islets, of which the core zone is delimited by 69 points: Dau Go island on the west, Ba Ham lake on the south and Cong Tay island on the east. The protected area is from the Cái Dăm petrol store to Quang Hanh ward, Cẩm Phả city and the surrounding zone.

The climate of the bay is tropical, wet, sea islands, with two seasons: hot and moist summer, dry and cold winter. The average temperature is from 15-25 °C (59-77 °F), and annual rainfall is between 2 and 2.2 metres (6.6 and 7.2 ft). Hạ Long Bay has the typical diurnal tide system (tide amplitude ranges from 3.5-4 metres or 11-13 feet). The salinity is from 31 to 34.5MT in the dry season and lower in the rainy season.

Of the 1,969 islands in Hạ Long, only approximately 40 are inhabited. These islands range from tens to thousands of hectares in size, mainly in the East and Southeast of Hạ Long Bay. In recent decades, thousands of villagers have been starting to settle down on the pristine islands and build new communities such as Sa Tô Island (Hạ Long City), Thắng Lợi Island (Vân Đồn district).

The population of Hạ Long Bay is about 1,540, mainly in Cửa Vạn, Ba Hang and Cặp Dè fishing villages (Hùng Thắng Ward, Hạ Long City). Residents of the bay mostly live on boats and rafts buoyed by tires and plastic jugs to facilitate the fishing, cultivating and breeding of aquatic and marine species. Fish require feeding every other day for up to three years, when they are eventually sold to local seafood restaurants for up to 300,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram. Today, the lives of Hạ Long Bay inhabitants have much improved due to new travel businesses. Residents of the floating villages around Hạ Long Bay now offer bedrooms for rent, boat tours, and fresh seafood meals to tourists. While this is an isolating, back-breaking lifestyle, floating village residents are considered wealthy compared to residents of other Hạ Long Bay islands.

At present[when? ], the Quảng Ninh provincial government has a policy to relocate the households living in the bay to resettle, in order to stabilize their life and to protect the landscape of the heritage zone. More than 300 households living in fishing villages in Hạ Long Bay have been relocated ashore in Khe Cá Resettlement Area, now known as Zone 8 (Hà Phong Ward, Hạ Long City) since May 2014. This project will continue to be implemented. The province will only retain a number of fishing villages for sightseeing tours.

Soi Nhụ culture (16,000-5000 BC)

Located within Hạ Long and Bái Tử Long are archaeological sites such as Mê Cung and Thiên Long. There are remains from mounds of mountain shellfish ( Cyclophorus), spring shellfish ( Melania, also called Thiana), some freshwater water mollusc and some rudimentary labour tools. The main way of life of Soi Nhụ's inhabitants included catching fish and shellfish, collecting fruits and digging for bulbs and roots. Their living environment was a coastal area unlike other Vietnamese cultures, for example, those found in Hòa Bình and Bắc Sơn.

Cái Bèo culture (5000-3000 BC)

Located in Hạ Long and Cát Bà island its inhabitants developed to the level of sea exploitation. Cái Bèo culture is a link between Soi Nhụ culture and Hạ Long culture.

Hạ Long culture (2500-1500 BC)

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Hạ Long Bay was the setting for historical naval battles against Vietnam's coastal neighbors. On three occasions, in the labyrinth of channels in Bạch Đằng River near the islands, the Vietnamese army stopped the Chinese invaders from landing. In 1288, General Trần Hưng Đạo stopped Mongol ships from sailing up the nearby Bạch Đằng River by placing steel-tipped wooden stakes at high tide, sinking the Mongol Kublai Khan's fleet.

Hạ Long Bay was the site of the first ever raising of the new national flag of the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam on 5 June 1948 during the signing of the Halong Bay Agreements ( Accords de la baie d'Along) by High Commissioner Emile Bollaert and President Nguyễn Văn Xuân.

During the Vietnam War, many of the channels between the islands were heavily mined by the United States Navy, some of which continue to pose threats to shipping routes in the present day.

Karst formations

In 2000, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee inscribed Hạ Long Bay in the World Heritage List according to its outstanding examples representing major stages of the Earth's history and its original limestone karstic geomorphologic features. Hạ Long Bay and its adjacent areas consist of a part of the Sino-Vietnamese composite terrane having its development history from pre-Cambrian up to present day. During Phanerozoic, terrigenous, volcanogenic and cherty-carbonate sediments containing in abundance graptolites, brachiopods, fishes, corals, foraminiferans, radiolarias, bivalves and flora, separated from one from another by 10 stratigraphic gaps, but the boundary between Devonian and Carboniferous has been considered as continuous. The limestone karstic geomorphology of the bay was developed since Miocene, especially the cone-shaped hills (fengcong), or isolated high limestone karst towers (fenglin) with many remnants of old phreatic caves, old karstic foot caves, marine notch caves form magnificent limestone karst landforms as unique on the world. The Quaternary geology was developed through 5 cycles with the intercalation of marine and continental environments. The present Hạ Long Bay, in fact, appeared after the Middle Holocene maximum transgression, leaving ultimate zone of lateral undercutting in the limestone cliffs bearing many shells of oysters, having the 14C age as 2280 to >40,000 y. BP. Geological resources are abundant: anthracite, lignite, oil shale, petroleum, phosphate, limestone and cement additives, kaolin, silica sand, dolomite, quartzite of exogenous origin, and antimony, mercury of hydrothermal origin. Besides, there still are surface water, groundwater and thermal mineral water on the shore of the Hạ Long - Bái Tử Long Bays and other environmental resources.

In terms of marine geology, this area is recorded as an especially coastal sedimentary environment. In the alkaline seawater environment, the chemical denudation process of calcium carbonate proceeds rapidly, creating wide, strangely shaped marine notches.

The bottom surface sediments are various from clay mud to sand, however, silty mud and clay mud dominate in distribution. Especially, the carbonate materials originated from organisms make up 60 to 65% sedimentary content. The surface sediments of coral reefs are mainly sand and pebbles, of which the carbonate materials account for more than 90%. The intertidal zone sediments are various, from clay mud to sand and gravel, depending on distinguished sedimentary environments such as mangrove marshes, tidal flats, beaches etc. At the small, but wonderfully beautiful beaches, the sand sediments may be dominated quartz or carbonate materials.

The sediment layers of intertidal zone, the upper sea bed with a plain surface conserving ancient rivers, systems of caves and its sediments, traces of ancient marine action forming distinctive notches, beaches and marine terraces, mangrove swamps are important evidence of geological events and processes taking place during Quaternary.

Hạ Long Bay has experienced at least 500 million years in various geological states of orogeny, marine transgression and marine regression. During the Ordovician and Silurian periods (500-410 million years ago), Hạ Long Bay was deep sea. During the Carboniferous and Permian periods (340-250 million years ago), Hạ Long Bay was at shallow sea level.

The dominated uplift movement of neotectonisc and recent tectonisc influenced deeplytheraphy of this area, and the present landscape of sea-islands was formed around 7 or 8 thousand years ago by the sea invasion during Holocethe ne transgression begun, whichobegan 17-18 thousand years ago. Particularly from the Holocene time, from about 11,000 years ago Cat B, thea - Hạ Long area has much archaeological evidence connecting variations in sea levels with the development of ancient cultures such as the Soi Nhu and Hạ Long cultures.

Due to a simultaneous combination of ideal factors such as thick, pale, grey, and strong limestone layers, which are formed by fine-grained materials; hot and moist climate and slow tectonic process as a whole; Hạ Long Bay has had a complete karst evolution for 20 million years. There are many types of karst topography in the bay, such as karst field.

Hạ Long Bay is a mature karst landscape developed during a warm, wet, tropical climate. The sequence of stages in the evolution of a karst landscape over a period of 20 million years requires a combination of several distinct elements including a massive thickness of limestone, a hot wet climate and slow overall tectonic up lift. The process of karst formation is divided into five stages, the second of which is the formation of the distinctive do line karst. This is followed by the development of fengcong karst, which can be seen in the groups of hills on Bo Hon and Dau Be Inland. These cones with sloping sides average 100m in height with the tallest exceeding 200m. Fenglin karst is characterized by steep separate towers. The hundreds of rocky islands that form the beautiful and famous landscape of the Bay are the individual towers of a classic Fenglin landscape where the intervening plains have been submerged by the sea. Most towers reach a height of between 50 and 100m with a height to width ratio of about 6. The karst dolines were flooded by the sea, becoming the abundance of lakes that lie within the limestone islands. For example, Dau Be island at the mouth of the Bay has six enclosed lakes including those of the Ba Ham lakes lying within its fengcong karst. The Bay contains examples of the landscape elements of fengcong, fenglin and karst plain. These are not separate evolutionary stages but the result of natural non - uniform processes in the denudation of a large mass of limestone. Marine erosion created the notches which in some places have been enlarged into caves. The marine notch is a feature of limestone coastline but, in Hạ Long Bay, it has created the mature landscape.

Within Hạ Long Bay, the main accessible caves are the older passages that survive from the time when the karst was evolving through its various stages of fengcong and fenglin. Three main types of caves can be recognized in the limestone islands (Waltham, T. 1998):

Remnants of old phreatic caves

Old karstic foot caves

Marine notch caves

The first group consists of old phreatic caves which include Sung Sot, Tam Cung, Lau Dai, Thien Cung, Dau Go, Hoang Long, Thien Long. Nowadays, these caves lie at various heights. Sung Sot cave is on Bo Hon Island. From its truncated entrance chambers on a ledge high on the cliff, a passage of more than 10m high and wide descends to the south. Tam Cung is a large phreatic fissure cave that developed in the bedding planes of the limestone dividing the fissure cave into three chambers. Lau Dai is a cave with a complex of passages extending over 300 meters on the south side of Con Ngua Island. Thien Cung and Dau Go are remnants of the same old cave system. They both survive in the northern part of Dau Go Island at between 20 and 50m above sea level. Thien Cung has one large chamber more than 100m long, blocked at its ends and almost subdivided into smaller chambers by a massive wall of stalactites and stalagmites. Dau Go is a single large tunnel descending along a major set of fractures to a massive choke.

The second group of caves is the old karstic foot caves which include Trinh Lu, Bo Nau, Tien Ong and Trong caves. Foot caves are a ubiquitous feature of karst landscapes which have reached a stage of widespread lateral undercutting at base level. They may extend back into maze caves of stream caves draining from larger cave systems within the limestone. They are distinguished by the main elements of their passages being close to the horizontal and are commonly related to denuded or accumulated terraces at the old base levels. Trinh Nu, which is one of the larger foot caves in Hạ Long Bay with its ceiling at about 12m above sea level and about 80m in length, was developed in multiple stages. Bo Nau, a horizontal cave containing old stalactite deposits, cuts across the 25o dip of the bedding plane.

The third group is the marine notch caves which're a special feature of the karst of Hạ Long Bay. The dissolution process of sea water acting on the limestone and erosion by wave action creates notches at the base of the cliffs. In advantageous conditions, dissolution of the limestone allows the cliff notches to be steadily deepened and extended into caves. Many of these at sea level extend right through the limestone hills into drowned dolinas which are now tidal lakes.

A distinguishing feature of marine notch caves is an absolutely smooth and horizontal ceiling cut through the limestone. Some marine notch caves had not been not formed at present sea level, but old sea levels related to sea level changes in Holocene transgression, event to Pleistocene sea levels. Some of them preserved the development of old karstic foot caves in mainland environments or preserved the remnants of older phreatic caves. One of the most unusual features of Hạ Long Bay is the Bo Ham lake group of hidden lakes and their connecting tunnel - notch caves in Dau Be Island. From the island's perimeter cliff a cave, 10m wide at water level and curving so that it is almost completely dark, extends about 150m to Lake 1. Luon Cave is on Bo Hon Island and extends 50m meters to an enclosed tidal lake. It has a massive stalactite hanging 2m down and truncated at the modern tidal level. It has passed through many stages in its formation.

The karst landscape of Hạ Long Bay is of international significance and of fundamental importance to the science of geomorphology. The fenglin tower karst, which is the type present in much of Hạ Long Bay, is the most extreme form of limestone landscape development. If these karst landscapes are broadly compared in terms of their height, steepness and number of their limestone towers, Hạ Long Bay is probably second in the entire world only to Yangshou, in China. However, Hạ Long Bay has also been invaded by the sea so that the geomorphology of its limestone islands are, at least in part, the consequence of marine erosion. The marine invasion distinguishes Hạ Long Bay and makes it unique in the world. There are other areas of submerged karst towers which were invaded by the sea, but none is as extensive as Hạ Long Bay.

Some of the most remarkable geological events in Hạ Long Bay's history have occurred in the last 1,000 years, include the advance of the sea, the raising of the bay area, strong erosion that has formed coral, and, pure blue and heavily salted water. This process of erosion by seawater has deeply engraved the stone, contributing to its fantastic beauty. Present-day Hạ Long Bay is the result of this long process of geological evolution that has been influenced by so many factors.

Due to all these factors, tourists visiting Hạ Long Bay are not only treated to one of the natural wonders of the world, but also to a precious geological museum that has been naturally preserved in the open air for the last 300 million years.

500,000,000-400,000,000

Ordovician and Silurian periods

The area of north-east Vietnam was akin to deep sea, subjected to the constant activity of tectonic plates.

340,000,000-240,000,000

Later Carboniferous and Permian periods

The formation of the limestone layer more than 1,000 m thick. A shallow and warm sea reformed, which existed for approximately 100 million years. It created two kinds of limestone: the Cát Bà layer of the early Carboniferous period (450 m thick); and the Quang Hanh layer of the middle Carboniferous and the early Permian period (750 m thick). These two layers constitute the majority of the islands of the Bay.

2,000,000-11,000

Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary period

The process of erosion began dissolving the limestone-rich region of Hạ Long, after that, forming the limestone plain was most active.

Two ecosystems coexist in Ha Long Bay: a tropical, moist, evergreen rainforest ecosystem and a marine and coastal ecosystem. Livistona halongensis, Impatiens halongensis, Chirita halongensis, Chirita hiepii, Chirita modesta, Paraboea halongensis, and Alpinia calcicola are among the seven endemic species found in the bay. There is also some bioluminescent plankton.

The many islands that dot the bay are home to a great many other species, including (but likely not limited to): 477 magnoliales, 12 pteris, 20 salt marsh flora; and 4 amphibia, 10 reptilia, 40 aves, and 4 mammalia.

Common aquatic species found in the bay include: cuttlefish ( mực); oyster ( hào); cyclinae ( ngán); prawns (penaeidea ( tôm he), panulirus ( tôm hùm), parapenaeopsis ( tôm sắt), etc.); sipunculoideas ( sá sùng); nerita ( ốc đĩa); charonia tritonis ( ốc tù và); and cà sáy. A new species of sponge, Cladocroce pansinii, was discovered in underwater caves attached to the bay in 2023.

With an increasing tourist trade, mangroves and seagrass beds have been cleared and jetties and wharves have been built for tourist boats.

Game fishing, often near coral reefs, is threatening many endangered species of fish.

Local government and businesses are aware of the problems and many measures have been taken to minimise the impact of tourism on the bay environment for sustainable economic growth like introducing eco-friendly tours and tight waste control on resorts.

In 1962, the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism designated Hạ Long Bay a 'Renowned National Landscape Monument'.

Hạ Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000, the World Heritage Committee additionally recognised Hạ Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value, and its World Heritage Listing was updated.

In October 2011, the World Monuments Fund included the bay on the 2012 World Monuments Watch, citing pressure from tourism and associated developments as threats to the site that must be addressed.

In 2012, the New 7 Wonders Foundation officially named Hạ Long Bay as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Hạ Long Bay is also a part of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World.

In writings about Hạ Long Bay, the following Vietnamese writers wrote:

Nguyễn Trãi: "This wonder is ground raising up into the middle of the high sky".

Xuân Diệu: "Here is the unfinished works of the Beings...Here is the stones which the Giant played and threw away".

Nguyên Ngọc: "...to form this first- rate wonder, nature only uses: Stone and Water...There are just only two materials themselves chosen from as much as materials, in order to write, to draw, to sculpture, to create everything...It is quite possible that here is the image of the future world".

View of the bay

Ho Chi Minh: "It is the wonder that one cannot impart to others".

Phạm Văn Đồng: "Is it one scenery or many sceneries? Is it the scenery in the world or somewhere?".

Nguyễn Tuân: "Only mountains accept to be old, but Hạ Long sea and wave are young forever".

Huy Cận: "Night breathes, stars wave Hạ Long's water".

Chế Lan Viên:

"Hạ Long, Bái Tử Long - Dragons were hidden, only stones still remain
On the moonlight nights, stones meditate as men do..."
Lord Trịnh Cương overflowed with emotion: "Mountains are glistened by water shadow, water spills all over the sky".

The inhabitants of the bay and its adjacent city have transmitted numerous ancient tales explaining names given to various isles and caves in the bay.

Đầu Gỗ cave ("the end of wooden bars" cave): these wooden bars in this cave are the remnants of sharped wooden columns built under the water level by the order of Trần Hưng Đạo commander in order to sink Mongolian invaders' ships in the 13th century.

Kim Quy cave ("Golden Turtle" cave): it is told that the Golden Turtle swam toward the Eastern Sea (international name: South China Sea) after returning the holy sword which had assisted King Lê Thái Tổ in the combat against Ming invaders from China. Next, with the approval of the Sea King, Golden Turtle continued to fight against monsters in this marine area. The turtle became exhausted and died in a cave. Consequently, the cave was named after the Golden Turtle.

Con Cóc islet (Frog islet): a frog-like isle. According to ancient tales, in a year of severe drought, a frog directed all animals to the Heaven and protested against the God. They demonstrated in favour of making rain. As a result, the God must accept the frog as his uncle. Since then, whenever frogs grind their teeth, the God has to pour water down the ground.

Hang Trống and Hang Trinh Nữ (Male cave and Virgin cave): the tale's about a beautiful woman had fallen in love with a fisherman whom must sail to the sea not so long after their engagement, the landlord saw this beautiful girl and captured her, but with her resistance, the landlord exiled the girl to remote island. After being left to starve, the girl died and turned into a statue people called Hang Trinh Nữ (Virgin Cave). Her betrothed ran to the girl's island and when he found out what had happened, he turned into an islet situated nearby called Hang Trống (Male cave).

Thiên Cung cave (literally: Paradise cave): this cave is one of the places associated with the ancient dragon king. It told that Thiên Cung cave was the place where the Dragon King's seven-day marriage took place. To congratulate the couple, many dragons and elephants visited to dance and fly.

Ha Long, Hai Phong, and Hanoi are significant urban centers driving the economic development in northern Vietnam. The economic growth in these urban areas, coupled with the rapid rise of the southern regions in China, including Hong Kong, have led to increasing human pressures on Ha Long Bay. The coastal areas of Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong City have experienced rapid growth in infrastructure development, particularly in transportation, shipping, coal mining, and tourism-related industries. Since 1999, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that constructing new ports in the Hạ Long Bay area could lead to increased maritime traffic in the region, posing threats to the bay's infrastructure and the social infrastructure supporting tourism. Pollution from industrial waste, overexploitation, and overfishing also pose significant threats. Some argue that there is a need for cautious consideration of development in the bay area through effective management structures, given its crucial environmental significance for the entire region.

Currently, the expansion of urban areas and population growth, construction of ports and factories, tourism and service activities, household and industrial waste, fishing and aquaculture practices, have not only become threats but have also caused alarming levels of environmental pollution and landscape changes in Ha Long Bay. Due to pollution, the once thriving coral reefs in the deep sea of Ha Long Bay are deteriorating. The formerly clear waters of the bay are increasingly becoming turbid and sedimented, prompting scientists to warn of the possibility of Ha Long Bay becoming "swamped." Additionally, as Ha Long Bay is surrounded by thousands of limestone islands, which are mostly good construction materials, they are susceptible to private exploitation, leading to landscape distortion.

On another aspect, global climate change with rising sea levels will strongly impact the landscape, island systems, caves, and biodiversity of Ha Long Bay. Vietnam currently lacks the necessary human and material resources to adequately respond to these challenges.

In terms of community culture, an issue that many International tourism have complained about is the lack of environmental awareness among both tourists and local communities. The modern, civilized, and courteous image of Ha Long tourism has not been fully established as desired. There are still instances of beggars harassing tourists, which affects the tourism environment of the heritage site. Efforts in education and propaganda to raise awareness among the local population, restrictions on resort development on islands, and the implementation of eco-tourism standards and heritage conservation regulations for the surrounding waters of the heritage site are significant challenges for the local government. The stalactites in the cave system of Ha Long Bay have been vandalized, cut, and taken away for use in decorating artificial landscapes (2016). Some caves have even been covered with concrete to serve as banquet venues. Moreover, the activities of fishing boats and tourists also generate significant amounts of waste pollution that the authorities have yet to effectively manage.

In an effort to prevent the negative impact of human activities on the natural environment of Ha Long Bay, the authorities of Quang Ninh province have prohibited high-speed motorboats serving tourists in the bay area to protect the environment and biodiversity. Additionally, the province has relocated fishing households living on floating villages to the mainland to protect the water environment of Ha Long Bay. Furthermore, the extraction of coal and stone within the heritage area has been banned to prevent coal and mud pollution in the bay as advised by UNESCO. In the bay area, some local residents have voluntarily taken action to preserve the landscape by organizing volunteer groups to collect and handle waste. Starting from September 1, 2019, the People's Committee of Ha Long City strictly banned the use of single-use plastic products in the bay area. This is a resolute and significant step towards conserving the bay's environment.

The similarity in landscape, geology, biodiversity, as well as cultural and archaeological values of the entire region, including not only Ha Long Bay but also Cat Ba Archipelago and Bai Tu Long Bay, has led to scientific research in geology, archaeology, culture, and tourism, as well as fishing activities, extending beyond the boundaries of Ha Long Bay. Some experts suggest considering the expansion of the conservation area, not only limiting it to the small area of Ha Long Bay but also encompassing the surrounding sea area, including the areas close to the Vietnam-China border. With a length of about 300 km and a width of about 60 km, the entire area can be seen and conserved as a unique marine ecosystem of Vietnam.

1. ^ Vịnh Hạ Long. Archived 7 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine Website chính thức của Ủy ban tổ chức Đại lễ Phật đản Liên Hiệp Quốc 2008 (in Vietnamese)

2. ^ Bảo tồn đa dạng sinh học vịnh Hạ Long" Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Tuổi Trẻ Online. Truy cập ngày 29 tháng 10 năm 2007, 17:26GMT (in Vietnamese)

3. ^ "Master plan for Ha Long city to 2040 approved". www.quangninh.gov.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 25 July 2023.

4. "Có một nền văn hóa Hạ Long" Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Tuổi Trẻ Online (in Vietnamese)

5. ^ "Từ hơn 500 năm trước, vịnh Hạ Long đã được tôn vinh là kỳ quan" Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Tuổi Trẻ Online (in Vietnamese)

6. ^ "Official website of Communist Party of Vietnam - Introduction of Ha Long City". Archived from the original on 1 November 2013.

7. "Report of Twenty-fourth session of the World Heritage Committee, Cairns, Australia". UNESCO World Heritage Committee. 27 November 2000.

8. Réalités vietnamiennes (Les réalités permanentes), ^ Saigon, 1969, p. 52 (in French).

9. Tran Duc Thanh; Waltham Tony (1 September 2001). "The outstanding value of the geology of Ha Long Bay". Advances in Natural Sciences. 2 (3). ISSN 0866-708X.

10. ^ Waltham, Tony (1998). "Limestone karst of Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam" (PDF). Engineering Geology Report (806): 1-41 - via Nottingham Trent University. UK.

11. Trần Văn Trị, Trần Đức Thạnh, Tony Waltham, Lê Đức An, Lại Huy Anh, 2003. ^ The Ha Long Bay World Heritage: Outstanding geological values. Journal of Geology, Series B. No. 22/2003. p.1-18

12. ^ Aspen Pflughoeft (29 June 2023). "'Massive' creature found lurking in underwater tunnel and discovered as new species". Miami Herald - via Yahoo! News.

13. ^ Charles Sturt University. "HSC Online - Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - a coastal ecosystem in Vietnam". csu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008.

14. ^ "Report of the 18th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Phuket, Thailand, 12-17 December 1994". UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

15. ^ "What is Vietnam preparing for the scenario of Ha Long Bay being affected by climate change?" (Press release). Radio Free Asia. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023.

16. ^ Quang Ninh Newspaper (18 November 2007). "Volunteering to Collect Waste for the Love of Ha Long". Tuoi Tre Online (repost).

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Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay ( Vietnamese: Vịnh Hạ Long, IPA: [vînˀhâːˀlawŋm] ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means "descending dragon". Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long city, Cẩm Phả city, and is a part of Vân Đồn district.

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Ao dai is known as the national costumes of Vietnam. Often worn by women, the ao dai emphasizes the way the dress ties feminine beauty to Vietnamese women. "Ao dai" is one of the few Vietnamese words that appear in English-language dictionaries, along with "Pho"

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Known as "The Marching song" . The lyrics is about sacrificing oneself to protect the nation, for the people.

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Vietnam National Anthem (Olympic Version)

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Pho is known as the traditional dish of Vietnamese. It is usually cooked and added from well-done or medium rare beef as the wish of the customers. In some place, Pho also be served with boiled chicken.

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Vietnamese tends to love the vintage literary works. With different types and styles of literature for each period of time, most of the works are about life style, love and family. Noteworthy, "the tale of Kieu", one of the Vietnamese's story which was written as a long poem, has been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity.

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Visible symbols and behaviours of the Vietnamese.