Viet Nam

During his twenty-year tenure as a columnist for Vit Nam News, H Nis English-language newspaper, Hu Ngc charmed and invigorated an international readership hungry for straightforward but elegant entrees into understanding Vietnamese culture. The essays were originally collected in the massive Wandering through Vietnamese Culture. With Viet Nam: Tradition and Change, Ohio University Press presents a selection from these many treasures, which are perfectly suited to students of Vietnamese culture and travelers seeking an introduction to the countrys rich history, culture, and daily life. With extraordinary linguistic ability and a prodigious memory, Hu Ngc is among Vit Nams keenest observers of and writers about traditional Vietnamese culture and recent history. The authors central themethat all tradition is change through acculturationtwines through each of the books ten sections, which contain Hu Ngcs ideas on Vietnamese religion, literature, history, exemplary figures, and more. Taken on its own, each brief essay is an engaging discussion of key elements of Vietnamese culture and the history of an issue confronting Vit Nam today.