ABSTRACT
The Vietnam-China relationship has intrigued many who study international relations. China and Vietnam have had a long historical relationship, especially considering the fact that a large part of today’s northern part of Vietnam had been ruled under the Chinese regimes. Albeit the fact that Vietnam is geographically considered to belong to Southeast Asia, it is culturally more East Asian than Southeast Asian. A large part of its ancient literati traditions and imperial system were modelled on the Chinese imperial court and Confucian culture. Chinese and Vietnamese celebrate the same New Year and a number of seasonal and religious festivals according to the Lunar Calendar. A large part of the population in both China and Vietnam follow Mahayana Buddhism. The Vietnamese language is most similar to the Chinese than any other languages. In many senses, China has cast an enormous ‘cultural shadow’ over Vietnam.
