Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads [Paperback]

Mark A. Ashwill (Author), Thai Ngoc Diep (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1931930090 | ISBN-13: 978-1931930093 | Publication Date: November 4, 2004

The country of Vietnam stands at a crossroads. Located in the geographical center of Southeast Asia, it is a complex mixture of ancient and modern culture as a Soviet-style legacy contrasts with an emerging Western-style market economy. Vietnam, faced with pressing political, social and economic challenges, is a country full of hope and potential.In Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads, Dr. Mark Ashwill and Thai Ngoc Diep paint a broad picture of Vietnam, past and present, and explore today's defining issues. Readers come to understand how a two-thousand-year history of foreign invasion, occupation and war has influenced the Vietnamese character. The Chinese, French and Americans have all left their imprint, and the struggle against opposition has infused the Vietnamese with a fierce spirit of nationalism and caution in their dealings with foreigners. Building relationships and trust as a prelude to doing business are critical to the Vietnamese, whether at home or abroad.Vietnam Today reveals the most prominent characteristics of the Vietnamese: their energy and drive, the dominance of group over individual and the paramount importance of maintaining harmony. Ashwill and Diep shed light on many sources of misunderstanding between Vietnamese and Western professionals, but ultimately show that, for those who are prepared to learn and appreciate its culture and history, Vietnam is becoming a land of promise and opportunity. Vietnam Today is an invaluable resource for businesspeople, social scientists, academics and tourists all at once. Ashwill has created a portrait of a misunderstood country and people. Not only does he challenge common perceptions of Vietnam, its citizens and its culture, but he also challenges the reader's own ways of looking at the world.-Christopher Brownlee, President and co-founder, Vietnamese Adoptee Network Vietnam Today provides a valuable picture of Vietnam, past and present, and defines the issues and trends of today. It is a very practical guide that captures the culture, politics and complexity of today's Vietnam...This book will not only change the way you think about Vietnam, it may cause you to reflect upon how you view the world.-R. Fitzpatrick, July 12, 2007. ContentsAcknowledgmentsTo the ReaderIntroduction1 Nation at a Crossroads2 Country Overview3 A Brief History4 Vietnam at Peace5 Core Cultural Dimensions6 Working with the Vietnamese7 How the Vietnamese See Westerners8 EpilogueAppendicesA Vietnam: A Statistical ProfileB Historical HighlightsC Recommended WebsitesReferences and Recommended ReadingsIndex

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book examines a nation and its heritage, its present, and its future, with the dispassionate look that renders objectivity to the analysis, yet manages to preserve the humanity at the core of such analysis -- MultiCultural Review, September 2005

This succinct guidebook is must reading for businesspeople interested in the Vietnamese market; it is also recommended for academics and tourists interested in Vietnam. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. --- J. W. Leonard, Miami University, ALA. -- CHOICE Review, June 2005

Who should read this book? Certainly those doing business with or in Vietnam...  students of international business and opportunity seekers. I would also recommend it for the slightly adventuresome tourist, for veterans of the war generation who would go back out of curiosity or contrition. -- Dr. George F. Simons at diversophy.com, 2005

The focus throughout the book is the Vietnamese people, their culture, and their reaction to Western ideals. The book does an excellent job of maintaining a critical yet constructive view of both Western and Vietnamese cultures as they meet and interact. -- Nilar A.Chit Tun, Intercultural Management Quarterly, American University, 2005

A practical and relevant guide that provides a deeper understanding of Vietnam's rich heritage and recent changes. In-depth and comprehensive. -- Asian Pages, January 15-31, 2005

Vietnam is opening to the Western world. Contains history, cultural overview, and contemporary facts to ease the way. -- AsianWeek, January 28, 2005

About the Author

Mark A. Ashwill is the Managing Director and Founder of Capstone Vietnam, a Hanoi-based human resource development company that offers a variety of education and training solutions for individual and institutional clients. From 2005 to 2009, he served as country director of the Institute of International Education in Vietnam.  Prior to moving to Vietnam, Ashwill was director of the World Languages Institute, adjunct lecturer and Fulbright program adviser at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo).  In 2003 Dr. Ashwill became the first U.S. citizen to be awarded a Fulbright Senior Specialists Grant to Vietnam. Thai Ngoc Diep assisted in researching Vietnam Today. She received her undergraduate degree in Vietnam and Master's and Ph.D. degrees from SUNY-Buffalo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (November 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931930090
• ISBN-13: 978-1931930093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on Vietnamese culture by a foreigner.., December 25, 2005

By 

David V. Vu (Oklahoma city,OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads (Paperback)

As a Vietnamese-American living in the US for 26 years, I consider this book one of the best ever written about Vietnam nowadays undergoing great changes. Very insightful,honest, fair,well balanced, non bias and not influenced by,for the better or worse, the American experience in Vietnam. Only a few corrections are recommended for next editions. First the Chams ( not Chans), are a malay group of minorities.The group living in Central Vietnam are mainly hinduist while the other group living in the Delta ( province of An Giang ) are mainly muslim.They never consider themselves as Vietnamese but Chams whose civilization was destroyed by the Vietnamese. The name of the late President of South Vietnam missed the middle name. He is Ngo "dinh" Diem, still highly revered by the majority of Vietnamese overseas. I appreciate very much the fact that the author use the abbreviation HCM City for Saigon instead of the full name which is anathema for many Vietnamese. Very clever and sensitive. The quotation about letting the windows open will let a few flies and mosquitoes flying in is one of the famous quotation of Deng Xiao Ping which changed the history of China. The sub title " a Guide " can mislead a few readers to think that this book is just another touristic travel book about Vietnam ( most of them not well written and superficial). This book is much more valuable and insightful than all the recent books about Vietnam. Congratulations !!!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique guide to modern Vietnam, January 28, 2005

By 

Allison Martin "Book Reviewer" (comeunity.com) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads (Paperback)

Vietnam Today, A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads is a unique guide to Vietnamese life and history for anyone who is interested in succeeding in a business or endeavor in modern Vietnam. If you are willing to spend a little time understanding the cultural influences on personal and business interactions in Vietnam, this book will be very helpful in your endeavors.

Much of Vietnam Today focuses on cultural interactions between Vietnamese people and Vietnamese and foreigners, especially Americans. It aptly explores the differences between societal expectations and unspoken rules between the two somewhat disparate cultures. Several chapters are devoted to explaining Vietnamese culture and manners in the context of business and society. Anyone working with Vietnamese people or staying long term in Vietnam will find these discussions and examples enlightening.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars captures the culture, politics & complexity of today's VietNam, July 12, 2007

By 

Richard Fitzpatrick (Henderson, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vietnam Today: A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads (Paperback)

VietNam is land full of promise and potential -- yet is faced with pressing political and economic challenges. VIETNAM TODAY provides a valuable picture of VietNam, past and present, and defines the issues and trends of today. It is a very practical guide that captures the culture, politics and complexity of today's VietNam - a nation of 80+ million - the thirteenth most populous country - with the second fastest growing economy.
It is significant to note that more than two-thirds of Vietnamese were born after the last American GI left in 1975. This book describes the 21st Century VietNam where, for the first time in more than 100 years, a generation has grown into adulthood not experiencing war or foreign domination.
VIETNAM TODAY was written for those who will visit VietNam on business, as well as for travelers who come on holiday also who want to know something about the country they are visiting. Furthermore, it should be read by Americans who want to understand VietNam as a country - not the name of a war.
It provides chapters on geography, demographics, politics, economy and business, history, changes since the war, cultural differences and offers invaluable tips for dealing with Vietnamese. It describes how to work with the fact that VietNam is a relationship-based society in which everyone is tapped into a network. It makes the observation that mavericks and lone wolves are likely to fail in making inroads here.
Particularly helpful is Chapter 7, "How the Vietnamese See Westerners." It presents impressions and reflections - positive, negative and constructively critical - from Vietnamese who have worked with foreigners for many years.
Don't let the subtitle "a Guide . ." mislead you into thinking that this book is simply your basic travel book (for that, I recommend The Rough Guide to VietNam and National Geographic Traveler's new VietNam guidebook).
VIETNAM TODAY offers a vivid, compassionate view of a people and a land that captured my heart two-and-a-half decades before Ashwill set foot in the country. It helped provide a context for me to understand numerous things that I had observed but hadn't been able to fully comprehend. This book will not only change the way you think about VietNam, it may cause you to reflect upon how you view the world. That's a lot to get from a travel guide!