10 Questions pg. 69
1) Vietnam and Laos are both Communist States, Cambodia is a multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.
4) Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, and Thai are the dominant tongues. Other languages are spoken in these countries. There's the Hmong tribe in Vietnam and Laos, Khmer in Vietnam and Cambodia, and Thailand has the Akha people and all of them speak their own dielects. The elite of Thailand speak English as a second language.
5) The predominant religion in all of these countries is Buddhist. Yes it is a state religion. There is a (as always) a smattering of Catholics and other missionaries. There are also those who practice animism and magic.
12) Bargaining is a sport in mst third world countries. In all of these areas, I believe it is a expected in the markets, but not at homestays, hotels, or restauraunts.
14) I believe rice is the main staple of all these countries. Various forms of rice are prepared, steamed rice, Noodle soup, rice noodle dishes like Phad Thai, and so on.
16) Taboos in all of these countries consist of not pointing the bottoms of your feet at an alter or at another person. Women cannot touch Buddhist monks. It is uncooth to touch another's head or fiddle with your hair in public.
24) Tet is the new year in Vietnam. It follows the same pattern as the Chinese new year. In Thailand there's the Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL), 5 December (1927) though I don't know how it is celebrated. Cambodia celebrates Independence Day, 9 November (1953). Laos has Republic Day, 2 December (1975).
29) I would and am considered moitarily well to do. Even as a student. Even though I have debt, I have access to resources that simply don not exist in third world countries.
30) Little kids are allowed to be kids, e.g. they can squat and poop wherever they please until a certain age. As they grow older, depending on ahich country you are in, they gain more responsilbility. The pecking oreder in families is prevelent, for example, the oldest child acts as a parent to the younger kids.
37) The history of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia with the U.S. is one of utter destruction through war. Our Government invaded and destroyed Vietnam from 1965-1975 with lasting effects you can still see today. We used the Hmong from Laos to invade North Vietnam without any rcognition or compensation for their alliance. We also used eastern Laos as a "dumpsite" for our unexploded ordinance (UXO). Today there are still children being blown to bits by UXO's they find in the fields. In Eastern Cambodia, we air bombed and planted landmines in and attempt to destroy the activitieson the HoChi Minh Trail which lay in Western Vietnam bordering Cambodia. We also left son many unuesd weapons in S.E. Asia that in 1975 when the Khemr Rough stormed Phnom Penh, Pol pot and his army of death were able to commit geonocide killing 25% or 2 million Cambodians between the years 1975 and 1978. Today, Cambodia is still littered with landmines. There are more landmines per square foot in Cambodia than any other country in the world.
Thailand is a shining image of what neo-colonialism and do for the world. The German Riviera is what I have heard it referred to as. My friend who just got home from there says she felt like she never left the U.S because there was so much Western influence there.
4) Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, and Thai are the dominant tongues. Other languages are spoken in these countries. There's the Hmong tribe in Vietnam and Laos, Khmer in Vietnam and Cambodia, and Thailand has the Akha people and all of them speak their own dielects. The elite of Thailand speak English as a second language.
5) The predominant religion in all of these countries is Buddhist. Yes it is a state religion. There is a (as always) a smattering of Catholics and other missionaries. There are also those who practice animism and magic.
12) Bargaining is a sport in mst third world countries. In all of these areas, I believe it is a expected in the markets, but not at homestays, hotels, or restauraunts.
14) I believe rice is the main staple of all these countries. Various forms of rice are prepared, steamed rice, Noodle soup, rice noodle dishes like Phad Thai, and so on.
16) Taboos in all of these countries consist of not pointing the bottoms of your feet at an alter or at another person. Women cannot touch Buddhist monks. It is uncooth to touch another's head or fiddle with your hair in public.
24) Tet is the new year in Vietnam. It follows the same pattern as the Chinese new year. In Thailand there's the Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL), 5 December (1927) though I don't know how it is celebrated. Cambodia celebrates Independence Day, 9 November (1953). Laos has Republic Day, 2 December (1975).
29) I would and am considered moitarily well to do. Even as a student. Even though I have debt, I have access to resources that simply don not exist in third world countries.
30) Little kids are allowed to be kids, e.g. they can squat and poop wherever they please until a certain age. As they grow older, depending on ahich country you are in, they gain more responsilbility. The pecking oreder in families is prevelent, for example, the oldest child acts as a parent to the younger kids.
37) The history of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia with the U.S. is one of utter destruction through war. Our Government invaded and destroyed Vietnam from 1965-1975 with lasting effects you can still see today. We used the Hmong from Laos to invade North Vietnam without any rcognition or compensation for their alliance. We also used eastern Laos as a "dumpsite" for our unexploded ordinance (UXO). Today there are still children being blown to bits by UXO's they find in the fields. In Eastern Cambodia, we air bombed and planted landmines in and attempt to destroy the activitieson the HoChi Minh Trail which lay in Western Vietnam bordering Cambodia. We also left son many unuesd weapons in S.E. Asia that in 1975 when the Khemr Rough stormed Phnom Penh, Pol pot and his army of death were able to commit geonocide killing 25% or 2 million Cambodians between the years 1975 and 1978. Today, Cambodia is still littered with landmines. There are more landmines per square foot in Cambodia than any other country in the world.
Thailand is a shining image of what neo-colonialism and do for the world. The German Riviera is what I have heard it referred to as. My friend who just got home from there says she felt like she never left the U.S because there was so much Western influence there.