What is the relationship between Vietnam and Hainan? (place, people, culture)
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Hainan is so close to Vietnam, yet it seems the two are fairly oblivious to each other, as far as I know. I asked a Vietnamese friend about Hainan, what most Vietnamese thought of it, and most seem rather oblivious. I know in China itself it was seen as an ignored backwater until recently.
I don't know if there is cultural connection between Vietnam and Hainan - it seems the Li in Hainan would be closer to the Dai, speaking a Tai-Kadai language, while Hainanese is in the Southern Min family of languages. Do Vietnamese think much of Hainan or is it a mysterious place to them?
No obvious relations besides being neighbors. Vietnam does not claim Hainan Island proper.
There are different groups on Hainan Island, with the Han originally from Southern Min and Li people being Non-Han. There is little interaction between the 2 through history. Guangxi and Northern Vietnam has a lot of interaction instead. There is little interaction between Vietnam and the Phillippines too.
No obvious relations besides being neighbors. Vietnam does not claim Hainan Island proper.
There are different groups on Hainan Island, with the Han originally from Southern Min and Li people being Non-Han. There is little interaction between the 2 through history. Guangxi and Northern Vietnam has a lot of interaction instead. There is little interaction between Vietnam and the Phillippines too.
What interraction between VN and PI? I haven't heard of much. I've heard some Cham are living in Malaysia though.
Hainan is so close to Vietnam, yet it seems the two are fairly oblivious to each other, as far as I know. I asked a Vietnamese friend about Hainan, what most Vietnamese thought of it, and most seem rather oblivious. I know in China itself it was seen as an ignored backwater until recently.
I don't know if there is cultural connection between Vietnam and Hainan - it seems the Li in Hainan would be closer to the Dai, speaking a Tai-Kadai language, while Hainanese is in the Southern Min family of languages. Do Vietnamese think much of Hainan or is it a mysterious place to them?
It would be interesting to know what respective Vietnamese or Chinese thought of the other.
As a person with an American passport, they seem world's apart! Both China and Vietnam charge high visa fees, making a trip including them to be quite a bit more expensive than they'd be otherwise.
It would be interesting to know what respective Vietnamese or Chinese thought of the other.
As a person with an American passport, they seem world's apart! Both China and Vietnam charge high visa fees, making a trip including them to be quite a bit more expensive than they'd be otherwise.
How would you compare Vietnam and China in general, like when visiting?
Vietnam obviously has many differences. It's cities are less developed, but in some ways it felt like a small tropical China with the Communism. The culture is very similar, and I feel better preserved than in China in some ways. The tropicality of Vietnam is obviously a big thing, from tropical fruits to ingredients in the food like lemongrass...Beijing feels pretty different, although southern China feels more similar. The people in both seem sort of similar, too, lots of hawkers and people trying to scam you. Tons of people selling stuff and little shops everywhere. For being Communist (in name) they actually seemed the most capitalistic countries I'd ever been to! Everyone seems to be trying to make a buck somehow.
How would you compare Vietnam and China in general, like when visiting?
I went from a month in Hanoi, and then upward into Kunming, Chengdu, etc.
Granted this was about 10 years ago, but the Vietnamese were extremely hungry for tourist money. So, I felt like I could not walk anywhere without a constant 'give me' or 'sir, a moment' every few feet that I was walking around. Whereas the moment I stepped into China, that element vanished, and I was just free to walk around with people following me, asking for something, trying to sell something, etc. That was very refreshing to me, at that time.
Outside of that, I remember Vietnamese people laughing a lot and making fun of this or that, which is strange in retrospect, as I would ordinarly think of Vietnamese as quite serious compared to other Southeast Asians. But, I felt that in China, the laughter dried up quite a bit more, and was quite a bit more grim-faced.
I went from a month in Hanoi, and then upward into Kunming, Chengdu, etc.
Granted this was about 10 years ago, but the Vietnamese were extremely hungry for tourist money. So, I felt like I could not walk anywhere without a constant 'give me' or 'sir, a moment' every few feet that I was walking around. Whereas the moment I stepped into China, that element vanished, and I was just free to walk around with people following me, asking for something, trying to sell something, etc. That was very refreshing to me, at that time.
Outside of that, I remember Vietnamese people laughing a lot and making fun of this or that, which is strange in retrospect, as I would ordinarly think of Vietnamese as quite serious compared to other Southeast Asians. But, I felt that in China, the laughter dried up quite a bit more, and was quite a bit more grim-faced.
Hmmm, interesting. Vietnam and China have changed a lot in ten years. I was there in 2011, and in China in 2006. I didn't really interact with the people as much in China because I largely went with tours or with a friend who guided us around, and my mum was there to speak Mandarin.
That was still the case in 2011...well moreso xe om drivers and touts, not as many beggars as in Sri Lanka...
Maybe because Kunming isn't so touristy? Some parts of Beijing and Xian are pretty bad for hawkers as well. I remember being chased by them at the Great Wall lol.
Haha, yes well...when I wore my traditional historic Vietnamese shirt I got tailored in Hoi An the people thought it was funny. Also when i ate too many chillis in my bun bo hue the vendor thought it was hilarious, I must have gulped down 2 litres of water no joke! I found it funny too in retrospect and actually sort of thought it was endearing lol. I've heard folk in Hanoi are more reserved and less friendly than other parts of Vietnam, though. I would say the cyclo/motorbike drivers actually seem a lot more persistent in Ho Chi Minh. I was asked if I wanted girls there countless times, but not in Hanoi.
Well we travelled with a group of Chinese on a local tour and they seemed happy and laughing and joking a lot. Maybe they were happy because they were on vacation, though. Neither place seemed to have as many smiling faces as other parts of SEA.
Hainan was part of Guangdong before it became a province of its own. Even before that, Hainanese is considered a bit differently from the rest of the Guangdong. Hainanese do not speak Cantonese, so they could not be considered as the typical cantonese people.
Hainan is much poorer than the other coastal chinese provinces. Tourim is boasting the economy.
For the Chinese, Vietnam closely resembles China a few decades ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Postman
How would you compare Vietnam and China in general, like when visiting?
Vietnam obviously has many differences. It's cities are less developed, but in some ways it felt like a small tropical China with the Communism. The culture is very similar, and I feel better preserved than in China in some ways. The tropicality of Vietnam is obviously a big thing, from tropical fruits to ingredients in the food like lemongrass...Beijing feels pretty different, although southern China feels more similar. The people in both seem sort of similar, too, lots of hawkers and people trying to scam you. Tons of people selling stuff and little shops everywhere. For being Communist (in name) they actually seemed the most capitalistic countries I'd ever been to! Everyone seems to be trying to make a buck somehow.
Hainan was part of Guangdong before it became a province of its own. Even before that, Hainanese is considered a bit differently from the rest of the Guangdong. Hainanese do not speak Cantonese, so they could not be considered as the typical cantonese people.
Hainan is much poorer than the other coastal chinese provinces. Tourim is boasting the economy.
Hainanese is a Min language, oddly enough. Some Hainanese do speak Cantonese actually. I'm now curious to see what the Li is like.
What are some local cultural features about Hainan? Both the Li and Hainanese Min? Is there a lot of syncretism?
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