Hey guys, probably you are curious about Chinese community in Vietnam right?

China is always one of the biggest and strongest nations in the world all times. We can see Chinese everywhere in the world and Vietnam is not exceptional.

This article will provide you basic information about the Chinese in Vietnam, actually they are Chinese-Vietnamese. In Vietnam, we have 54 ethenic groups, Kinh people usually known as Viet people accout for  nearly 90% population of the country and Chinese is currently one of 54 tribes in Vietnam. They contridte to the developent of Vietnam in many diffrent aspects including ecomemic and culture, so on...

This article brings you 4 aspect of the Chinese-Vietnamese and i hope you will find usefull information that enrich your travel experience. 

 

Hisotry 

I separate Chinese migration to Vietnam into 4 periods.

Chinese immigrated to Vietnam from 3 century BC

In the 17th century in China, the collapse of the Nam Minh Dynasty led to a wave of Chinese people loyal to the Ming Dynasty and not submitting to the Qing Dynasty, leaving their homeland to migrate to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam by their children. They were called Chinese by the native South Vietnamese people. This is also the largest migration of Chinese people to Vietnam. The Chinese settle mainly in the western provinces of Vietnam such as Ha Tien, My Tho, Bien Hoa, Soc Trang, Saigon ... (old name), Among them, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) is a place with a large concentration Chinese people and was the busiest trading place at that time (besides, there were islets of Lao Pho and My Tho, but through the ups and downs of the war, these two places were no longer the same). We can see traces of the Chinese in many places, but in Saigon, there are still many of the most distinctive features of the Chinese. Specifically, we can go to District 5 or District 10 in Ho Chi Minh, we can see a lot of Chinese people here and this is also called China Town in Vietnam.

In the nineteenth century, the French created favorable conditions for the Chinese to settle in Saigon and Cho Lon. During this period, the Chinese came to Vietnam according to the recruitment waves of the French plantation workers.

During the period from 1939-1945, there was a number of Chinese people from Guangdong who fled to Vietnam when the Japanese empire invaded China. In 1949, more Chinese fled to Vietnam when the Kuomintang lost the mainland.

Culture

Chinese culture is very rich and diverse, but in this article I only introduce a few features of the Chinese in District 5 of Saigon.

Coming to reside and establish a business in Cho Lon area, the Chinese have brought in their luggage the customs, practices, religious beliefs, festivals, literature and art to create a cultural life. The spirit is very diverse, rich, unique and unique in the foreign land.

Especially the art of lion-dragon dance, a very popular and long-standing street art form, associated with traditional customs, practices and festivals, especially on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. , Mid-Autumn Festival, because for the Chinese, these are the three mascots symbolizing luck, prosperity, prosperity, success and happiness.

In the spiritual and cultural life of the Chinese in Cho Lon, the worship of human gods and natural gods have become two systems of gods in faith and belief, deeply rooted in the mind for generations.

The saints (human gods) such as: Quan Cong, Bao Cong, Bon Dau Cong, Thien Hau, Quan Am Bodhisattva and natural gods such as: Jade Emperor God, Tho Cong, Tao Quan, Than Tai, Maitreya Buddha They are all worshiped in a sacred way, at home and at spiritual architectural works of pagodas and temples on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Nguyen Tieu, Thanh Minh, Han Thuc, Doan Ngo, Thuong Nguyen...

Tieu singing appeared in the South in general and Cho Lon in particular in the early 20th century, by touring troupes from the South China provinces. During the tour, a number of actors from Trieu Drama troupes, for various reasons and circumstances, stayed in Vietnam and then remembered their profession and established Tieu troupes in the South and Cho Lon. Like some other art forms of the Chinese people in Cho Lon, Tieu singing is classified into two types: luxury and popular. For the popular type, performances are often held in temples and shrines; and the more luxurious type, the theater troupe rents out the theater to perform.

Architecture

 

Although we know that nowadays, with the development of the architecture industry and we can build and copy any program we want, there is a truth that nothing can replace the real value. the fact of history. When going to the ancient buildings, we can feel the footprints and even the breath of the ancestors, everything is still intact there, there is a slight difference that time has covered. it's a color layer of time.

It is not difficult to see pictures of Chinese houses with outstanding red paper. If you look closer, you will see that the tiled roofs are arranged very cleverly, helping visitors feel like they are in the land. China is far away, not in the inner city of Saigon. Along the streets of Tran Hung Dao, Chau Van Liem or Luong Nhu Hoc ... visitors will see the rows of ancient houses with distinctive Chinese and French architectural influences. These works are about 100 years old and promise to give you special unforgettable emotions.

To see more clearly the unique architectural features in the Chinatown in Saigon, you should visit some typical architectural works such as:

Thien Hau Pagoda or Ba Thien Hau pagoda, also known as Tue Thanh Hoi. The restaurant is chosen by a group of Chinese people in Guangdong as a meeting and gathering place. Over 200 years of history, through many times of restoration and repair, Ba Thien Hau Pagoda still retains the traditional Asian style, the typical architecture of the Chinese people with the three-way, stylized architecture in Vietnam. main gate and two wide corridors open to the side.

The On Lang Assembly Hall is named On Lang because it is a place in Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. In the 18th century, there was a large-scale migration of the Chinese in Fujian province to Vietnam and settled in the Cholon area. Today

On Lang Assembly Hall still preserves many valuable historical artifacts. Points can be mentioned the wooden reliefs carved with gold cards; drum set, cast iron top dating from Quang Tu (Thanh Dynasty), cast bell with many diaphragms, couplets…

Ha Chuong Assembly Hall

Like Nhi Phu Temple or On Lang Assembly Hall, Ha Chuong Assembly Hall is a work typical combination of three characteristic materials. It is wood, stone and brick. With a wooden bearing frame, pipe-roofed roof tiles, green roof tiles along with unique Fujian architecture, this assembly hall is considered one of the architectural masterpieces in the Cho Lon area.

Tam Son Assembly Hall

Originally, the Tam Son assembly hall was a place to worship Kim Hue, the mother of the Thai princess, who ruled the birth issue according to the Chinese folk concept. Therefore, the people who come here on pilgrimage are often infertile couples who come to pray. Later, the Vietnamese-Chinese community here moved Kim Hue Thanh Mau to worship along with Phuoc Duc Chanh Than on both sides of the temple and Thien Hau Thanh Mau was honored as the main worshiped deity.

Nghia An Assembly Hall

As the only assembly hall of the Trieu Chau people in Saigon, Nghia An Assembly Hall is considered a typical architectural work of the Vietnamese of Trieu Chau origin according to the worship of Quan Cong.

Called Ong Pagoda, or Quan De Temple, Nghia An Assembly Hall located at 676 Nguyen Trai Street, Ward 11, District 5 worships Quan Cong, a typical figure of the Three Kingdoms period. In the beliefs of the Chinese people, the Quan Cong shrine represents loyalty and reverence; always remember the ancestral homeland of the expatriates.

Food

  Dumplings

When it comes to traditional Chinese dishes, it is indispensable. Dumplings are increasingly diverse in shape, color and even the filling inside. You can see dumplings appearing at many restaurants in Saigon with many kinds of fillings such as meat, shrimp and vegetable fillings.. Dumplings are usually served with broth, steamed or fried. crispy. Dumplings are a dish that has a natural, sweet taste, delicious without creating a feeling of being sick when eating. Address 193-195 Ha Ton Quyen, District 11, is Thien Thien Dumpling Restaurant known for its delicious dumplings. Ngoc Y dumpling shop at 187 Ha Ton Quyen, District 11; Dai Nuong dumpling shop at 125 Chau Van Liem, District 5; Or try the dumplings right away at 409 Nguyen Trai, District 5,... With each bowl ranging from 50,000 - 60,000 VND

 Chinese fish porridge

 You can try to make the famous Chinese fish porridge, fish porridge is made with 2 important parts with special symbolic meanings including: mountains and sea. The "mountain" part is made up of the main ingredient of rice, porridge seeds are located on top. The "sea" part, which is the broth included in the porridge, is located at the bottom, both parts must be separate from each other. When eaten, it is often served with eggs and fish intestines and absolutely indispensable satay for delicious dishes! You can refer to some popular addresses selling fish porridge in Saigon such as: 273 Kenh Tan Hoa, Tan Phu District, HCMC; 174/1 Tran Binh Trong, Ward 3, District 5, City. Ho Chi Minh; 3 Nguyen Van Ba, Phuoc Long B, Thu Duc, City. Ho Chi Minh,... These porridge shops all have affordable prices ranging from 30,000 - 100,000 VND/bowl

.   Tieu Soup

Tieuporridge is quite similar to Vietnamese heart porridge, the porridge is full of heart, liver, pheo, kidney, .. also has more straw mushrooms, delicious fresh squid, and lots of chopped green onions to make it taste good. increase the aroma, sliced ​​ginger creates a mild spicy flavor to make the porridge more attractive. Some famous restaurants where you can try this special porridge like the porridge shop of Ms Ut at 51/33, Cao Thang, District 3; Co Phi porridge shop at 85, Dinh Bo Linh, ward 26, Binh Thanh, .. each bowl costs about 50,000 VND.

Banh Mi Pha Lau     

Banh Mi Pha Lau   is quite popular right here in Saigon when the dish has a slightly sweet taste from the water, served with delicious crispy pork ears, fatty panties, .. dotted with pieces. Bread sandwiched with a few slices of chili, some slices of cucumber is great. Pha Lau dishes are quite diverse in terms of ingredients, you can see dishes like breaking

Language

The Chinese community in Vietnam consists of five main language groups: Cantonese (speaking Canton, accounting for about 50%), Chaozhou (speaking Chaozhou, accounting for about 30%), Hakka (speaking Ha Ha, accounting for about 30%). 5%, the rest are Hokkien and Hainanese languages.

 

 Thank you for reading!

Hopefully, it is usefull for you guys!