Vietnam - so little known, mysterious and contrasting. At first glance, it is simple, “like two pennies”, however, if you look at it with wide-open eyes, then something opens up that you could not even imagine before. The smiles of the locals are imbued with sincerity, like the South China Sea with s alt, a tropical landscape that synthesizes mountain ranges and rice fields, a cuisine that maddens with aromas that mix sweetness and piquancy in itself, beautiful Vietnamese walking in pajamas in broad daylight and seemingly eternally resting Vietnamese men - all this is Vietnam, which cannot be compared with any other Asian country. The illusory simplicity of being covers everything everywhere, including the main thing in the life of any person - the name. But is everything as simple as it seems at first glance?
Call me softly by my name
In Russia, everything is clear, the widely used abbreviation of the full name includes three important identifying features: last name, first name and "by father".
What is a full name in Vietnam?
Vietnamese full name in totalconsists of three constituent elements:
- First is the father's surname.
- Middle name.
- Proper name.
The East Asian naming structure is to use the above in the order presented, with each part written separately and capitalized.
It is not accepted in Vietnam to address by the surname, as in Russia, but the name is used separately.
How Ivanov/Petrov/Sidorov sound in Vietnamese
The surname is adopted from the father of the family, while there are also cases when the mother's surname is used, which is the fourth component of the full Vietnamese name. The first mention of the surname (King Ngo) in Vietnam, as such, is found in the records of 939.
If Russia is characterized by the formation of a surname from a craft or special characteristics inherent in a family, then in Vietnam surnames traditionally come from the dynasty that rules at one time or another. Despite the fact that in total the number of Vietnamese surnames exceeds the 100 mark, basically only about 14 are used. At every turn in Vietnam, the surname "Nguyen" (the current ruling dynasty) is found, and it is used not only as part of full names, but also replete on the signs of shops, hairdressers, cafes. Moreover, after the general use of the surname "Li" (the previous dynasty), when the power changed, a forced change to "Nguyen" was inherent. The second most popular surname is Chan, the third is Le. Therefore, when meeting a Vietnamese, you can even try to play the game "guesseach other's last names. Some of the surnames are borrowed from the Chinese and are inherent in those families in which the Chinese are distant relatives.
Special surname - Thich is adopted by people who decide to dedicate their lives to Buddhism, they are monks inside and out.
Vietnamese names
Let's continue our acquaintance. As noted above, Vietnamese names come in neuter and proper names.
The middle name previously indicated the sex of the child, the woman - Thi (translation - the market and the household), the man can denote several variations, for example, Van (literature), Viet, Shi, Ngoc. At the present stage, this division has gone out of use, and now it is typical for the middle name to reflect the relationship between direct relatives (brother-sister), that is, it symbolizes the generation, thereby helping to determine who is who and who is related to whom.
Personal name is the basic name used by the Vietnamese when referring to a person. A personal name is given by parents for a reason, but with a deep meaning: for girls, through the word, a wish for beauty is meant, for boys - those qualities that are especially significant for men.
To determine the name, simple nuances are taken as a basis: year of birth, geography (place of birth), time of year, flowering season of certain trees.
Great importance is attached to the sound of the name. For girls, descending tonality and softness of letters and syllables are expected, boys' names should be strong, sonorous and firm.
What's in my name to you: the meaning of the name of Vietnamese women
Femininity and beauty in all manifestations: nature, weather, flora, fauna, space, poetry, culture and art - all this and not only is reflected in female Vietnamese names.
Popular names are:
- Basic Virtues: Beautiful (Zung), Skillful (Kong), Polite (Ngon), Submissive (Han).
- Mythical creatures: Li, Kui, Long, Phuong.
- Seasons, elements.
What do you call a Vietnamese
As for male Vietnamese names, the first thing that matters when determining the name of a boy is how his parents want to see him in terms of character and human qualities: endurance, courage, experience, determination, power and others. In addition, parents invest a special purpose for male Vietnamese names and surnames, it is believed that by giving the name of a boy, you can direct him to success and victory in life. Hero, mountain, luck, ruler, wind are some of the most popular male names. Together with the surname, the given name is aimed at preserving and strengthening family and national values.
Other Features
The three components of a Vietnamese full name described above can grow to four/five digits under certain conditions.
Thus, proper names are often doubled (to enhance nuances).
Given that the wife does not take her husband's surname in Vietnam, it is possible for a child to have a double surname. If there is no father at all, then the surname becomes the only surnamemother.
Talking to a Vietnamese, as noted earlier, is not accepted through the surname. More acceptable in the use of "Mr./-Ms.".
Changing the name and surname is possible, while one of the good reasons is a one-on-one coincidence, which interferes with the normal life of a person. At the same time, the meaning that was originally laid in a person when he was named is desirable to be preserved and reproduced, because the full name for the Vietnamese means fate and carries a certain mystical note.
It's no secret that a person's name carries great meaning throughout a person's life. Perhaps this explains such a strong and sincere smile, goodwill and humanity of the Vietnamese people. After all, a bad person will not be called the Sea (Hai).
