When it comes to bamboo, people often think that is a kind of tropical tree which is very tall and ugly. However, it is definitely opposite with the thinking of Vietnamese people. For every Vietnamese person, especially for people living in the countryside, the symbol of bamboo has not only become an indispensable part of life but also has been ingrained in the subconscious. Truthfully, values of bamboo trees stick with the Vietnamese culture because of its functionalism in society, such as bamboo connects people together; bamboo as a friend that helps economics of country developed; not only that, bamboo is an image for the morale, lessons from the old generation that passed onto the next generation, etc. Therefore, the ensign of values of bamboo is frequently seen in education, economy, and family in Vietnam because these are the most important values that can springs out this country’s beautiful cultural tradition.
From a sociological perspective, cultural values are collective conceptions of what is considered good, desirable, proper or bad, undesirable, and improper in a culture (Schaefer, 2014). That’s the reason why people in Vietnam usually use the image of bamboo to educate their children. Indeed, because of straightforwardness, even when it is just being a new sprout, the symbol of bamboo is used to enlighten student to be candid in life. Moreover, strong bamboo stalks, which can stand straight after a storm or a strong wind, are metaphorical to teach students indomitable spirit and resilience. It is demonstrated by the Vietnamese war history. Bamboo has been used as a weapon with soldiers, such as bows and arrows, dart, swords, towers, houses etc. There were many times bamboo saved Vietnam from invasion of enemies. And especially the protection of bamboo from the invasion of the Han aggression, which made many neighbor countries surprised. As stated by history documentary, the Han was a Chinese dynasty, which had a very powerful army. Because of having a strong army, the Han wanted to expand the power and land by invading small countries, in which have Vietnam. And in order to stop Han’s target, Ngo Quyen, who is a king of Vietnam, was too wise to make bamboo as a large spike to stab the boat by a hundred thousands of enemy’s army (Hoa, 2016). Truly, bamboo has been associated with people's lives since ancient times. It has played significant role in cultural mental for Vietnamese people. Without these traditional values, “Vietnam will never be the Vietnam as today” (Hoa, 2016).
It is important to realize that besides being seen in education, bamboo symbolizes the simplexes and diligence of the people here. Accurately, bamboo is easily found in hand made or agricultural products. For example, bamboo stems are made into objects for cultivation purposes such as rolling hoes, bamboo shovels, bamboo buckets, and bamboo basket, etc. Moreover, because some Vietnamese people like relaxation by simplexes, bamboo is used in interior design as well, such as bamboo house, bamboo door, bamboo sofa, bamboo chopsticks etc. These features of bamboos are very meaningful for people here because in their minds, bamboo is like a friend that can give them a feeling of peacefulness and simpleness in a complex society. According to Nguyen Duy, who is the foremost Vietnamese poet, he said “bamboo roots are never picky to choose the poor plan, day by day work hard to get a good result” (Nguyen, 2012). Once again, the author has shown two traditional characteristics of the people living here through bamboo.
Next, as a fact, Vietnam is a country whose economy is being promoted highly nowadays. To contribute to that promotion, people cannot deny the economics value of bamboos. Truly, one of the benefits should be mentioned: bamboo contributes actively to protect the land environment. Hence, in areas damaged by overgrazing or poor agricultural conditions, people often grow bamboo as a way to start to recover land. And as a species with strong vitality, bamboo does not need high technique or care. Even without fertilizers or pesticides, bamboo grows vigorously in natural conditions. Therefore, people don’t need to spend too much to grow bamboo. Research shows that unlike wood, bamboo has a relatively low initial cost, reducing the investment burden for farmers. Because bamboo grows up very quickly and every part of bamboo are of economic value, so it is quick to recover capital. Functioning as bamboo shoots have high nutritional value, very popular in western countries. Fresh bamboo leaves serve as raw materials for baking, and dried bamboo leaves for organic compost. Bamboo stems are used as building materials, handicraft products for foreign export. Bamboo roots are used as fuel (BambooBuild, n.d.). In addition, according to BambooBuilt, “Bamboo products are clean and environmentally friendly products, so many customers are willing to pay a premium of 15% to buy them. Despite rustic material, the delicate rattan products are still worth thousands of dollars”. Also the company commented “bamboo only need 3-5 years to mature. After harvest, bamboo is regenerated without new planting. As such, bamboo brings economic value almost year round” (n.d.). Furthermore, Vietnam has a large bamboo forest area, which is around 1.4 million hectares. As a result, the government always encourages farmers here to grow bamboo instead of wood trees which have been being exhausted (BambooBuild, n.d.). In general, growing bamboo has a lot of benefits for the Vietnamese economy in general and farmers in particular.
Lastly, bamboo functionalism in Vietnamese family is very meaningful as well. It symbolizes ‘Feng Shui’, which is a doctrine that studies the influence of geography, wind direction, air direction, and water flow to predict the life of the person (Feng Shui, n.d.). Consequently, it is very necessary for human life here. First, growing bamboo at home means attracting fortune, health, and luck. According to experience here, bamboo stems are hollow inside, so it looks like a place to save and hide potential wealth (Le, n.d.). Furthermore, bamboo can symbolize all the five elements in nature: fire, metal, wood, water, and earth. In consequence, at the end and beginning of the year, Vietnamese people usually grow bamboo in their house in order to overcome failure in the old year and hope for good things will come to them next year. The second reason is equally important, which is chasing evil spirits, although there is no evidence in science that can demonstrate bamboo chases the evil spirits. However, as a belief by Vietnamese people, plan bamboo in home that can save family members from the evil spirits or unwanted things. This belief of people shows that bamboo is not only a friend but also a protector who will try its best to protect its friends. Briefly, this value of bamboo is very important to Vietnamese people.
To sum up, in the land of Vietnam, bamboo and people and have been attached, together with the same suffering, supporting each other through the years of history of great value and eternity. The image of bamboo has become a crucial image in the immortal culture of the nation, and it is the great friend of the nation's honor. And certainly, it always will be a symbol in education, family, and the economic of Vietnam. Vietnamese culture will never be as beautiful as today without the appearance of bamboo.