After studying the Vietnam War briefly last year in History and more in-depth this year, I came to know that the French previously occupied Vietnam and have left an impact that is still there today. I am really excited about this because I am travelling to Vietnam later this year with World Challenge, and it might give me the opportunity to try out my French!
You can find French cafes and cinemas along the boulevards, and a lot of the architecture has a French influence. Quite a bit of their food is similar too. Vietnam has a very well-known dish, Bánh Mì. Bánh Mì is a fresh baguette filled with lots of meat, vegetables and a pate. (I am really looking forward to eating this!)
While the language spoken in Vietnam is Vietnamese, there are still quite a few people who speak French. Which will be great while I’m over there, I think I might have more hope of speaking to someone in French than Vietnamese!
After researching the influence the French still have on the Vietnamese I came across this article which I found really interesting. I never knew there were similarities between Vietnamese and French words, I’m hoping it might make it easier to communicate while I’m in Vietnam!
None of the photos above are mine, the photographers can be found on the links below the images.
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