HISTORICALLY SPEAKING VIETNAM PATCH PROGRAM
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1. Locate Vietnam on a map. What continent is it on? What is the capital city of Vietnam? Identify the flag for Vietnam.

2. One of Vietnam's oldest and recognizable landmarks is the Thein Mu Pagoda as shown on the front of the patch. Learn more about this pagoda or other buildings located in Vietnam. Some examples include: The Citadel, History Museum, Museum of Vietnamese Women, and Emperor of Jade Pagoda. For extra, create a diorama or model of one of the buildings located in Vietnam.

3. Say "hello" in Vietnamese, the official language in Vietnam. Words can have different meanings if you raise or lower your tone of voice. There is also more than 50 other languages also spoken in Vietnam. Learn to speak or write a couple words in Vietnamese.

4. The Vietnamese celebrate many holidays and festivals. Research a festival celebrated in Vietnam. Visit a cultural celebration or re-creation of one of these events OR learn why they celebrated the holiday. For extra fun, you can create a drawing, or art project, or food representing the festival. Some examples of celebrations are Teacher's Day, Vietnam Day, Tet, May Day, National Day, and Children's Day.

5. Noodles are a favorite food in Vietnam. The most popular dish being a special noodle soup called Pho [fuh] and spring rolls. They also eat rice every day and have become the largest rice exporter in the world. Find out other foods they make or enjoy. Try some Vietnamese food or research more about the ingredients in the foods prepared there. Some examples are: Sweet potatoes with peanuts, New Year's Cake, fruit salad, fried rice and vegetable stir fry.

6. The hill tribes in Vietnam live in villages and build their houses out of bamboo. Their traditional clothing different according to each region they live in. Overall, the most well-known clothing worn by the Vietnamese is the national costume called the Áo dài. It is worn mostly by women, though it can be worn by men on special occasions. It is a tunic worn over loose fitting pants. Learn more about a culture or clothing from a cultural group OR draw a picture of the clothing, OR view clothing, OR try on clothing or create an accessory or piece of clothing resembling the Vietnamn clothing. Examples of clothing are located in the manual.

7. Tet, New Year, is the most important the celebration of the year. Everyone celebrates their birthday on this day instead of changing their age on their individual birthdays. Research your zodiac animal sign according to your birth date. Does the meaning reflect your personality?

8. Vietnam has many traditional toys and games. One of the popular sports practiced in Vietnam is tae kwon do and thai cuc quyen, a pattern of slow gymnastics exercises. Some other games or sports are soccer, jump rope, badminton, swimming, chess, card games, and bicycling. There are several other games and pastimes enjoyed by the Vietnamese. Learn about other pastimes or toys in Vietnam OR Play a game they might play in Vietnam.

9. The hat cheo, popular opera, and hat tuong, Chinese Opera are performed in Vietnam. Puppet theater is a favorite especially water puppetry, where the puppeterrs stand in the water holding up the wooden puppets. Watch a show, listen to a story, create a puppet, make masks, perform a play, read a traditional story or myth from the Vietnam culture.

10. There are a variety of animals and plants in Vietnam due to the diverse land of forest and beaches. Choose three animals that reside in Vietnam to learn more about. Examples are: elephants, bear, panther, leopard, mongoose, jackal, otter, and marine life.

11. Vietnam has a variety of classical instruments and music that is played to lullabies, festivals, and folk melodies. Try to sing a Vietnamese song, dance to music, or learn more about a musical instrument played in Vietnam. Examples include: dan nhi (mandolin), dan tranh (zither with 16 strings), dan bau (single string guitar), dan tam (three string guitar), dan trung (bamboo xylophone) or the trongs (drums).

12. The Vietnam land stretches along the South China Sea filled will hick rain forests mangrove swamps, sandy beaches, rice paddies, and mountains. There are a variety of landforms to explore in Vietnam. Pretend you are exploring a place in Vietnam. What would you pack for your visit? Choose an area and talk about activities you could enjoy there, OR create a diorama, OR draw a picture, OR create a craft.

13. Old Quarter is an area in Vietnam designated to sell the art forms and merchandise. Some of their handicrafts include woodblock printing, pottery, weaving, painting, embroidery, silk painting, and lacquer art. Choose one handicraft to learn more about or create a craft of your own representing Vietnam.