The compare and contrast essay

Gifts in America and Vietnam

For a long time, people have been using gifts for different purposes. Some people use gifts to share or show off wealth; whereas, others give gifts to offset misfortune. However, the prime purpose is that a gift is not only an expression of love or friendship of givers but also can be an expression of gratitude for a gift received. As a result, in both the USA and Vietnam, giving a gift is an important part of life. Some of their gift customs are very similar, but many are quite different.

First, let us look at some of the things they have in common. The first similarity is that both Vietnamese and American people like to give gifts for special occasions such as births, marriages and special days of the year. Moreover, in the US, people also give presents simply because they feel like it, even when there is no special occasion, and Vietnamese people do this too. For instance, many Vietnamese and American students often receive gifts from their parents when passing an examination. These gifts, such as new laptops, cell phones, and the iPods, are considered worthy rewards and encourage their children to learn better. Finally, in the past, neither America nor Vietnam celebrated Valentine’s Day, but now you will find lovers exchanging flowers and chocolates, which have become a symbol of love, in both countries.

On the other hand, there are some differences between the Americans and the Vietnamese people when giving gifts. In Vietnam, the most important time for exchanging gifts is New Year, but in the US, it is Christmas. The Vietnamese and other East Asian people often give children and exchange each other lucky money, a red pocket, which is expected as a good luck and to avoid evil spirits in the New Year. Unlike Vietnamese people, most of Americans consider Christmas is the most important time of the year to give and exchange gifts each other. Another difference is that American people usually take some gifts, usually food, fruits, a bottle of wine or some flowers when they visit the host’s family. However, Vietnamese people don’t do this. Although the Vietnamese could be happy to accept your offer, they could express that they already had it or don’t need it, so they usually refuse guest’s gifts in the first time or even the second time. Finally, for Vietnamese people, gift giving is an important part of doing business, but in America it is not so important. In fact, many Vietnamese people or companies give gifts, which could be considered as bribery, to others because of individual interest or private benefits.

In conclusion, there is no gift custom that everyone completely agrees will be the best. Some people might like the Vietnamese gift customs and others might like the American gift customs. In my opinion, although Vietnamese and American people come from very different cultures both express their love and respect for others through giving presents.