It's time to finally complete and end my research for this project, but that won't stop my interest in learning more about Vietnam. I can proudly say that this multi-genre project has taught me a lot about myself and my Vietnamese background. I want to go visit the Mekong River, rice terraces, and Ho Chi Minh City. I learned about the tourist attractions that I want to visit. I know the foods that I want to try when I visit. I hope to be a part of traditional Vietnamese ceremonies. I hope to visit Vietnam one day, and I know I will. 

So far I am learning a lot about Vietnam. The good and the bad. I heard of stories from my cousin where you were looked at as a dollar sign if you were a tourist in Vietnam. Local sellers would try to scam you of your money and charge you for higher prices than usual. What surprised me the most was that my cousin was Vietnamese and understood Vietnamese, but they still tried to scam him. Another bad thing that my cousin told me was crossing the streets/roads in Vietnam. There were no stop signs or streetlights; motor bikes and scooters were constantly moving. He told me that crossing the street was very dangerous because the road bikers had no mind that you were crossing the street. My cousin told me that he had to cross quickly in order to get across. 

Even though I researched the bad things about Vietnam, the good things outweigh the bad. Traditions, attractions, and especially the food. There are just too many things that are good in Vietnam that make me want to go there. It's where my family is from. I want to visit Vietnam before it gets too modern. I know it's a good thing for Vietnam,  but I want to experience the tradition and culture before it does. 

At this point I do not know much about Vietnam. I was born in America, but my family is from Vietnam. I know there are Vietnamese holidays and ceremonies, but most of the time I do not know what they are for. I just attend them and enjoy my time with my family and friends. At this point, the most I know about my Vietnamese culture is the food. Other than that, everything is a blur because as time goes on my whole family is adapting more and more to the American culture.


I want to learn about the history of my parents’ move to America. I want to learn about the culture back when they were in Vietnam. I want to know why we celebrate these holidays and why these ceremonies are being placed. I want to get back to my Vietnamese culture because this is the right time to learn about my background. I probably won’t have a chance to do this research and learn about my parents in the future. To sum it up, I want to know more about Vietnam and my Vietnamese background.


The origin of my research sparked when I thought about who I really am. What defines me in a cultural way? All I could think of was being born in America and doing American things, while being lost and having no knowledge of my Vietnamese background. As of right now, I feel that this is the best and most interesting research I want to do.