Today's Viet Nam looks radically different from just fifteen years ago. There are no more long queues in front of food stores, a hundred times fewer power blackouts, no more uniformly dark-coloured clothes, and a much greater openness in people's attitudes.
After undergoing thirty years of war and an additional twenty years of Western embargo, Viet Nam made astounding progress in the 1990s. One explanation for this transformation becomes clear through comparison with other countries. For example, traditional development theory attributes Japan's twentieth-century emergence as an economic and technological powerhouse to its strong effort at "modernisation," which is assumed to be equivalent to Westernisation. However, this argument fails to explain why countries like the Philippines, South Africa, or Brazil, which have also pursued Western-style policies, have not achieved Japan's success.
Many analysts accept that cultural influences as well as economic factors have played a central role. Many of the fastest-growing areas of Asia, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, share a common "chopstick culture" of Chinese origin,adapted to local conditions.
The teachings and values of Confucius (551-479 B.C.) lie at the heart of this Sinitic heritage. For several thousand years, Confucius (Khong Tu) has been honoured at schools as the pillar of learning in the region.
A respect for positive aspects of Confucian teaching continues in these cultures despite other outside influences and Confucianism's limitations, including its conservatism and discrimination against women. Students in East Asia often memorise the following axiom, the first sentence in the Analects of Confucius:
To study and then apply what you've learned
what greater source of pleasure?
To discuss with friends from distant quarters
what greater source of delight?
Learning and tolerance are central to Confucian teaching. These attitudes undergird a common readiness among East Asian peoples to adopt good ideas, whatever their source. This principle helps explain why Confucians have been able to co-exist peacefully with Taoists and Buddhists, without any major religious wars among the three groups.
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Intentionally or not, East Asian nations have used the best aspects of their Confucian heritage as a filter to select portions of Western culture and technological development yet combine them with their own traditions. As a result, the development of these East Asian countries, including Vi't Nam, has acquired a distinct style.