Vietnamese...?

Question

I just read this discussion that, 30% of Vietnamese have Chinese blood, 20% have Cham or Khmer blood, and 50% are authentic Vietnamese, but then they said that Southern Vietnamese are not authentic, but mixed, is there a way that I can tell if I have mix blood in me, or not, because both my parents are from south vietnam. Serious answers please.

They also said, darker skinned are because of intermarriage. My moms side has dark skin, and so do me, my brother and sister.

Answer 1

"Robber and 40" has answered your question very well, but let me add to it.

I visited both the North and South during my last trip to Vietnam. I'm a con lai (half-breed American) born in America. I have physical characteristics representing both American and Vietnamese. I am muscular and my face is 'fatter' than most Viets. I'm short for an American (5' 4"). My eyes are brown and, for lack of a better term, "slanted." My hair is dark brown.

Vietnamese originate in the North along the Red River, it's tributaries and delta regions. You can distinctly see Vietnamese physical characteristic roots by walking through Hanoi. They Hanoi Viets have almost cookie-cutter physical characteristics. Women: 4' 10" to 5' 1" tall, weight about 85lbs - 95-lbs. Men: 5' 0" tall, weight about 130-150lbs. All: jet black hair, very dark brown eyes, usually fair skin, skinny. I stuck out like a sore thumb wherever I went in the North, and was immediately pegged as an American. .

The Viet physical characteristics change as you go South. The difference is so much that I easily blend in when I was in Saigon. The only way most of the Viets would know that I'm an American is when I couldn't speak Vietnamese. I was a dead giveaway when I tried to speak to them in Spanish (dumb afterthought).

The differences has a lot to do with Saigon and surrounding regions being more cosmopolitan than most all of Southeast Asia. The South as a whole has been influenced by Cham and Khmer, who established themselves there before the Viets. There is hundreds of years of history with foreign cultures influencing the South too. The village of Hoi An is one of the best examples of this. Let's not forget the millions of North Vietnamese who immigrated South after the Geneva accord and after the war ended in 1975.

There are many distinct cultures spread throughout Vietnam. The Cham are predominantly Muslim, while the rest of the Vietnamese are mostly Buddhist. The Hmong and other cultures found in the mountain areas of Vietnam tend to live as if they are a separate society from the rest of the country. Most all of these cultures have subtle physical characteristics that could distinct them from the Viets originating from the North.

To say that the South Vietnamese are not authentic could be correct. However, the definition of an authentic Viet needs to be stated to correctly answer the question. I am half Vietnamese as far as I care. I just happen to be taller and fatter than those who are full Vietnamese (My Spanish is better too).

Too bad for me that Vietnam doesn't have a basketball team or play American football.

Answer 2

dont worry about that at all, if you know that 100% of Chinese have Vietnamese blood.
If your parents are Viet and live in Southern Vietnam, then surely they are 100% Vietnamese. Because the South Vietnamese were acctually the North Vietnamese migrated to the South about 400 years ago, and they lived saperately and with the local like Cham, Khmer, etc...the Vietnamese were very racist at that time.

Answer 3

Vietnam was a colony of China's for 800 years and borders on China Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam was also a colony of China for eight hundred years. I doubt anyone could tell you what a "pure" Vietnamese is. There isn't a "pure race" in the world. I would say if you feel you are pure Vietnamese, then you are pure Vietnamese. Why let someone else label you, even if they are a friend.

Answer 4

Ask your parents about your grandparents and your family root; ex. last name, where were they born, etc.