THE SPREAD OF THE BRITISH TEA-DRINKING CULTURE INTO THE VIETNAMESE ONE - THE REASONS BEHIND THIS PHENOMENON AND ITS RELATED RESULTS

Abstract

Tea and tea-drinking tradition are dispensable parts of daily life in both Britain and Vietnam. Two of these countries are geographically and culturally far away but there are British nuances in the Vietnamese tea-drinking habits. With the method of processing the online public media sources and hardcopy literature through anthropological illumination, it is discovered that the British features seen in the Vietnamese tea drinking way are blended teas, instant teas, tea bags, teacups, and afternoon tea mini-party. There are anthropological explanations for this phenomenon, among which the most fundamental is about bilateral diplomatic relations. These diplomatic connections push forward the exchanges in economy, education, tourism, and culture between UK and Vietnam. Tea culture, therefore, is also carried out from Britain to Vietnam. The Vietnamese taking these British habits in teatime are viewed as wealthier, busier, younger, socially classier, and more open-minded people. Despite the concern of the previous generations, those young people show a positive attitude toward learning about their traditional tea customs. On the whole, it can be concluded that the British tea-drinking style in Vietnam is not as massive as the other imported cultural products such as music, movie, and fashion but it has built up a social community, which is smaller-sized but niche with the strong qualities mentioned above.