Comparing Asian Nationalities | Asian American Poll

COMPARING ASIAN NATIONALITIES
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:39:09 AM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.

WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

It's so funny but this link also agreed with me that Quang Trung even tried to get the permission from the emperor of China to get the title "Vuong/Wang" of Annam. http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/ealc/faculty/dutton/TSHome.html

Tell me where did I when wrong? You're too funny Hafti (or whatever)...
The TraveLLer Friday, July 19, 2002 at 12:55:36 (PDT)

Ahhh

What's all this stuff about how Chinese and Vietnamese are related. It's the same to say that Chinese, Japenese and Koreans are related, but it's not. Well, who knows, all asian looks similar, so I guess there must be a link somewhere back then. But for now Chinese and Vietnamese are different, we look different. I like how vietnamese look like okay, I don't want to look like Chinese. Just in my opinion, I like being vietnamese, love the culture, and especially the food, and I like the way we look, I think vietnamese people are beautiful, but of course it's just my opinion. I don't want to be link to the Chinese, they are really different.
I don't care what anyone else says about vietnamese people, I think that vietnamese is among one of the most beautiful people.
Oh and I love vietnamese food, yummy, bun bo hue, pho, com, Oh gosh. It's both yummy and healthy, and I never get sick of eating viet food, it's not too greasy.

Well, that's just my humble opinion, just here to state that I'm a viet and I love being it.
Viet_girl Friday, July 19, 2002 at 12:28:04 (PDT)

TSJ wrote:
"5. Viets love Chinese music and movies, and even those HKTVB serial dramas. They watch it as religiously as HK people do."

Hafti wrote:
"Oh and HK is considered the Hollywood of asia. It's just like Canada, UK, and France watching Hollywood movies with exhileration. Doesn't mean they came from the same people..."
-Hafti

Elisa writes:
I agree with Hafti. I'd also like to add another thing to prove this point: Southern Chinese, especially people from Hong Kong absolutely love Japanese dramas, movies and music and most other things Japanese. They worship Japanese celibrities. They're crazy about Japan just the way some Vietnamese people are crazy about Hong Kong/China. So does that mean that Hong Kongers/Southern Chinese are the same people as Japanese? I don't think so.
Elisa Friday, July 19, 2002 at 10:39:16 (PDT)

Two of my brothers came to the U.S from Vietnam. The older one named DUNG and the younger one named PHUC. Well, they have to ask my parents for approval to change their names.
An Nam Guy Friday, July 19, 2002 at 09:54:01 (PDT)

Hi Hafti,

Thanks for mentioning my name. I thought you don’t like me (Just kidding).
I was so busy last two weeks. Are you sure your body G.V went back to Vietnam to study the Giao Chi toes thing? I think he went back there to look for a VBVW (Vietnamese Born Vietnamese Wife). Hahaha.

My budget is very tight right now:

I just attended a wedding last Saturday in northern California. The Groom is a Vietnamese American and the Bride is a Chinese princess born in Hong Kong. I’m not surprised, Chinese/Vietnamese have been married for thousand of years.

Next week I will attend another wedding which is more interesting. The Groom is a Korean American. I think of One Korean Man in this board (j/k). The Bride is one of my cousins, Vietnamese princess (descendant of Tay Thi, ancient Vietnamese woman, infamous for her beauty). I’m not surprised, the wedding banquet will be celebrated in a Chinese restaurant per my cousin request.

One Korean Man,

Would you exchange your Hyundai with my Vietnamese made tank? It’s rough to ride but it’s fun. (Just kidding).
An Nam Guy Friday, July 19, 2002 at 09:20:19 (PDT)

Hafti (or whatever):

You called me a liar, and stated that the the website you posted is correct. If that is the case, you prove my point, that's the Vietnamese were the Chinese. In fact, if the Vietnamese "Nguyen" surname were descendants of Ruan Cho, then it's simple logic to conclude that they were Chinese. Since the independence of Dai Viet was in 940 A.D. Ruan Cho ,a Chinese governor, governed the territory in ~600 A.D. How can I be a liar?
The TraveLLer Friday, July 19, 2002 at 08:21:06 (PDT)

Another thing I have noticed on body types...

Now, this is strictly observation, so I don't have any scientific facts or web links to back it up. I think Viets have a similar body type to Toi San people of Southern China. Traditionally, Toi Sans have been living a life of hardship, constantly working out on the field and doing what really amounts to slave labor. That's what brought them to America to become the first Asians here. Anyways, that's a different story.

So, what I'm trying to say is that Toi Sans have a lean, athletic build that has been sculpted from generations of grunt work. From what I've seen, Viets have this same type of body. They are absolutely RIPPED!!! At the gym I go to, there are hardly any Chinese there, but a bunch of Viets, and all of them are cut to shreds! I mean, even if they didn't ever work out, they would still be very solid. I hardly ever see a fat, out of shape Viet, just as it's rare to see a big Toi San person. Most will never get huge like a bodybuilder or anything, but many of them have that super cut Bruce Lee type of look.

Many Toi San people look Viet, and vice versa. Is there a connection there?
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Friday, July 19, 2002 at 00:57:50 (PDT)

Eye surgery is common practice in korea.
The majority of korean female stars have undergone eye surgery that is why they have big, round eyes. (koreans have the smallest eyes of all east asians). Some of these stars also had a nose job.
Kimchi Friday, July 19, 2002 at 00:49:46 (PDT)

"These are some scenarios, but there is every kind of reason. Just look at the US, for example, the weather is colder than Vietnam, many Vietnamese have language barrier upon arrival, but why do many Vietnamese in Vietnam want to migrate to the US?"

Hehe... that's why so many Viets move to Houston, Texas. Just like home! =P Other Viet enclaves like Orange County, San Jose, and Sacramento are all quite warm. The ones who get sent to Wausau, Wisconsin and Salt Lake City... brrrrr!!!

No, but, actually I agree. Weather is a very, very weak argument.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 23:26:07 (PDT)

To, the traveller;

"Please go back and read all my posts, would you? Man, what's wrong with these people."

It's just kind of funny, that your saying that. Because many have been complaining that you reply without reading. Ok i know it's old, but remember the muong thing where you accuse people of calling them dark, when all that person said was that some of his friends who are muong are dark, plus the part where you called that person ignorant, when in fact you were for replying without actually reading.

"In reality, there's still a debate whether the Dong Son are the "Yueh","

I've actually never heard of such debates, it is widely accepted that the Dong Son is a culture of people who are descendents to the Son Vi. Who were around the Red River Delta region since 22 000 BC. Of which also believed to have discovered early ways of agriculture as early as 14-16 thousand years ago.

"Why don't you asked that question to GV(or his other pseudonyms), he seemed to think that the "Yueh" were decrease in size?"

Actually i don't believe that the Yueh decreased in size, but as my other post stated. The dong son and yueh merged with eachother. The dong son WERE NEVER recorded to have perished, or even diminished (decrease in size), but instead to have thrived, as the other post states. Like i said, i will reply if it involves me, and in this cause you've included me in EVERY conversation between you and G.V. thinking that we are the same. But all i'm doing is replying with ideas already presented by other posters. Why would people say the dong son 'thrived' and at the same time describe them to have diminished? The words are total opposites, and if you can give me a site that proves what your saying then it would be much appreciated. The funny thing is that basically every post i've made is a recycle (i read basically all of your posts and G.V.'s post, also An Nam Guys) of ideas already presented, and it counters all your posts with precision, but you ignore it, without a reply then present your idea again. Try actually posting a rebuttal to them, stating why they are wrong. Instead of just replying to small insignificant details that doesn't even support you.

"There're ample evidences that the "Yueh" population from the Yangtze river" surpass the Dong Son population after they migrated there."

Can you provide some evidence please... I'll be waiting.
Hafti Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 23:21:01 (PDT)

"Wong = Vuong, not Huynh. Both Huynh and Vuong are uncommon names of Viets."

Hehe... I better tell those guys to change their tats.

"BUT all of those 'customs' were brought into the vietnamese custom by the thousand years of chinese rule."

Yeah, that makes sense. That's just like how so many regions of the world speak English and Spanish due to their conquering.

"The name chinese is a name the people of china named themselves, the vietnamese called themselves viet."

That is true, but the question is... who decided to name the Yueh, Han, Don Song, etc. races that you guys are talking about? And when on the timeline did each exist as separate entities? After all, if you go back far enough into time, all races were one. There has to be a difinitive date used to distinguish the races of the world as Han, Malay, Caucasoid, Negroid, etc. If not, it is all a moot point.

Hehe... the movie thing I mentioned was a bit of a stretch. I was pretty much grasping at straws with that.

Also, to the people who mentioned Asian features in Latin America. Ever notice how Mexican dresses look Chinese? That's because back in the day, many centuries ago, they brought over Chinese seamstresses to make their clothes. This is a fact. My Spanish teacher in HS told me this.
TSJ Eric@KristinKreuk.net Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 23:17:40 (PDT)

Hafti,

You posted:

"To, the traveller;

Can you outline the things that are "off" with viettouch. And please don't go to the legends section and say that we believe that to be true thus vietnamese scholars are weird. Becuase it clearly states as a header for legends as legends, not facts. So keep that in mind. I don't know what you can say that makes the information any bit 'off'."

The off mark was the historian during the 13th century could not establish a hard evidence on what they wrote. So they probably have to slide in a fairy tale. Could those legendary folks really be their ancestor? Or is this just a borrowed local legend to make an entity for their developed country? Who were the writers? Were they the Han Chinese who tried to set an independent state from their mother land?

It's for sure that the distance between the aristocrat and the peasant was enormously wide during that era. So the peasant could have been the "Yueh" and the ruling classes were the "Han". Or were they mix in the society? Who knows?

The fact is the "Dai Viet Su Ky" was originally written by Le Van Huu with the help of some Chinese philosophers. So basically, the main purpose of this writing seemed to gear more toward a political movement rather than for an educated interest, since there was no solid evidence to support a historical writing. The rebellions that were recorded in history served as a symbolism for an independence.

That's my point of view.
The TraveLLer Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 22:59:55 (PDT)

To, the traveller;

From site:
"Even though the original Vietnamese culture developed from a number of merging cultures in the area of the Red River, it is the Dong Son or Au Lac civilization which marks the beginning of the Vietnamese civilization which continues to thrive today."

And

"Many historians believe that it was not difficult for the Yueh to be incorporated into Lac society."

What's so hard to understand about those two sentences? The word thrive, isn't a synonym to DIMINISH! Historians didn't record the Dong Son to have been decreasing in size, diminishing, or even becoming a lesser power then the Yueh. But instead they describe the Dong Son civilization as to have THRIVED! And it is said by historians that the Yueh could have assimilated into the Dong Son, not vice verca. When you assimilate you don't get smaller, but you become part of another. No one said that the Yueh became less, but only that the Yueh became part of another.

Your telling me to mature when your the one throwing out the majority of the insults, how can that be a sign of you wanting ANY maturity?

The thing i notice is that whenever you post you don't reply to every single point that replies to yours. You say something, i reply to it about why it's wrong. Then your supposed to tell me right there why my speculation on why your wrong is actually incorrect. But instead you just pick up the little things that don't matter and continue on those instead. So here i am, i've posted these ideas before try posting a reply please...
Hafti Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 21:22:08 (PDT)

Hey LOL,

You posted,

>>>The Traveller:

You posted:"How can the Dong Son people speak when they cannot write or read? "
LOL!!!<<<<

Did you like my statement? I thought so... Seriously, how can the deaths tell their story if they cannot read or write?
The TraveLLer Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 21:21:04 (PDT)

To, the traveller;

"Every Vietnamese knows that the real "Viet" AKA "YUEH" comes from the Yangtze river, the Dong Son population could be a "Yueh"...not sure yet, this is sill in debate."

Actually, the real 'viets' are the people of vietnam today. The viet ancestors are unknown, or guesses passed down by historians. But through conclusion, it is logical that the Yueh and Dong Son mixed to make the modern viets today. The word viet can be translated into the chinese word Yueh. Yeah, but when i say viet, i'm talking about the people today, not of then. Vietnamese people ask are you viet or not, not are you vietnamese or not when asking of your ethnic. And the problem is that everyone DOES NOT KNOW, but GUESSES, or draws CONCLUSIONS to that.

"BTW, since one of you brought up, if all the Children were castrated in Vietnam by the Chinese, how do they produce offspring?"

Hmmm, i think that the vietnamese were castrated during the Ming dynasty, not throughout the millenium rule. The Ming only rules for a two decades, and even then people would stay away from the army and authorities and hide in the forest. What makes you think that the people would just walk up to an army man knowing that your son is going to be castrated as directed by the chinese emperor to try to assimilate the vietnamese? Of course they would try to stay clear. In attempts to do something, nothing has been absolute, only relative. Even with the Mings attempts there should have been more people who kept their manliness then there were people who where castrated.

"Every Vietnamese knows that the real "Viet" AKA "YUEH" comes from the Yangtze river, the Dong Son population could be a "Yueh"...not sure yet, this is sill in debate."

Yeah, and how does that make the vietnamese people chinese descendents? We both came from the same people called the Yueh. The Yueh lived at a time that was BEFORE the word chinese even existed, even the word HAN. Which was named after the Han dynasty, and from which most of chinese history actually starts. The earlier are just ancestors of which can be shared by many.

Uh, when i say that some asians come from a common ancestor that was once one and then split up i wasn't kidding. Like in the case of the Yueh, where the tribes did break up a bit. Some stayed in SE China, others went by boat to korea and japan, and most went south to northern vietnam. That migration actually happened BEFORE the chinese nation existed, happened at a time before the word Han even existed. People say 'original' han all the time, but i find that false because it was a term that was used during the Han dynasty, that stuck to today. Also an example is the group of people others call the 'original' han. Which also broke up and then later on created a name for themselves and giving themselves an identity. The 'original' han were said to have migrated to tibet and such. Also of which happened before the creation of china. Everyone has a right to claim lineage to an ancestor, like the Yueh, BUT if you do that doesn't mean your chinese, just because the chinese have ancestry to the same group. The Yueh had no idea what the word chinese meant, or even vietnamese. The Yueh lived in SE china, at a time before china was around, and when that territory was theirs, the people from the north came in attacked then they moved south, giving up their land. Yeah, that doesn't say that the Yueh were chinese. Only that the chinese are Yueh descendents, along with a whole bunch of other stuff.

"On the other hand, GV stated that he had different type of feet from the Giao Chi and claimed that his feet was nearly like the Dong Son people. From there he claimed that the Dong Son people are the real Vietnamese. In reality, there's still a debate whether the Dong Son are the "Yueh", as I noted on my previous post that was directed to you. Check out for yourself..."

Actually, those feet are said to be an attribute to the Dong Son. No one said that it's an attribute to the Yueh. The Yueh were said to have assimilated into the Dong Son, because it would have been easier, vice verca it would have been harder.

To, wondering;

"I have some inquiries: Why is it that most female korean celebrties in korea don't look very native? I know that the typical korean person has a very small, slanty eyes and button nose but why is it that most of their celebrities have big ROUND eyes and tall, bony nose and somehow they look mixed with caucasian blood? any thoughts?"

Ever heard of plastic surgery? It might be that, or they might even have caucasion blood.

To, An Nam Guy;

Actually, if your born on vietnamese soil your vietnamese. And your chinese when your born on chinese soil. But sometimes when people say chinese, they're talking about the farthest original ancestry they can think back too. But actually Han is an ethnic, Muong etc... Chinese is a word to describe the inhabitants of china.

Hafti Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 21:13:05 (PDT)

Looking away:

you have some good points. The truth is Vietnamese territory after seveal thousands years was reduced to a tiny size, it wasn't as powerful as 2000-3000 years ago. People tend to view Vietnam as merely a tiny version of China in terms of ethnic, culture,... In fact it was the remained proof of a civilization that once contributed greatly to the development of Chinese civilization as well as the racial component of China ethinicity as a whole.
So we easily stick to the notion that chinese invented evrything. A tiny, and much much less powerful country located right beside a colossal, gigantic and powerful empire, it is understandable Vietnam was ineluctably considered to be the underdog who copy it all. However, one has to extend his view further in this matter.

IMO Dwelling in the past and trying to prove your roots don't help a thing. What if you discover you have French blood, khmer blood or Malay blood? It certainly wouldn't change a thing about yourself. Your value wouldn't be hence increased or diminished.
hope i made some points.

peace.
k Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 20:22:10 (PDT)

>>>> i am chinese but overall chinese all over the world dont really want or like to be associated with Vietnamese or other Indo-chinese for that matter. so please telling everyone how much heritage we are sharing and all these bulls.
chinesis man Wednesday, July 17, 2002 at 20:14:37 (PDT) <<<<<

This “chinesis man” has an IQ<70. Educated Chinese man does not say something stupid like this.
Go get some human fundamentals courses now Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 19:13:47 (PDT)

"An Nam Guy",

Oh I forget, if you want to know how to write your surname in Chinese character, click on this: http://art-hanoi.com/toda/02.html
The TraveLLer Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 18:14:25 (PDT)

Hafti (or whatever your other pseudonyms):

My apologize for criticizing your last name, if it's Nguyen, since I was on the wrong verse when searching for the "Nguyen" last name. In the past, I kept searching for "Yuen" or Yuan" for the "Nguyen" last name. Instead of running into the Nguyen with accent, I found the Nguyen without accent when writing in Chinese character. So my impression was there may not be a "Nguyen" before 940 A.D.

The "Ruan" is the right way of writing your surname in Chinese romanization. If that website is correct, based on the "Nguyen" surname came from the "Ruan" kingdom, then the "Nguyen" were originated in the northern part or near the central plain of China since the Shang Dynasty was located on the northern provinces. So the "Nguyen" surname may have been the descendant of the northern Chinese.

Thank you for bringing this up to my attention. I will try to further look into it. There is little to nearly none information on the net, but I believe there is evidence.

***************************************

To "An Nam Guy":

"You asked me, "Do you think Nguyen is Chinese or Vietnamese last name?"

>>>>Based on the new found material of Hafti(or whatever), I believe that the "Nguyen" is a real Chinese last name.

"Do you consider yourself Chinese or Vietnamese?"

I'm Vietnamese. However, since I'm in the health field, my focus shifts mainly toward scientific literature rather than myths and/or legendary stories. So don't confuse me for trying to be a Chinese or being bias with the Vietnamese.

You posted, "That is contradictory to what I know from one of my Chinese Vietnamese friends who happen to have last name Tran. He explained to me that Tran could be Chinese or Vietnamese. Tran is Vietnamese spelling with Roma alphabet but when it is converted to Chinese character, it is the same as Chen in Chinese. He said Vietnam did not force his father who came from China, to carry that last name Tran. That is his father’s choice since Vietnam began to have the Roma alphabet language system in the late 19th century. At that time, China did not have a standard format system to convert Chinese character to Roma alphabet."

>>>>It doesn't matter how you romanization write your surname, the fact is the Chinese character is the unique and most specific way of writing your surname. Tran/Chen/Chan are all the same, they are pure Chinese surname, and one of the oldest last name. It was during the French colonization that forced everyone in Vietnam to romanization, based on Vietnamese Quoc Ngu writing, so that it would be easier for the French to check up on each individual identity. Therefore, your friend's wife had to change from the Chinese character to Vietnamese romanization of writing, even if she was born in China or in Vietnam. The Chinese Character of the surname is the same to every Chinese and Vietnamese. The Chinese stated that you can trace your ancestors with your surname, and it's the most noble institute for the Vietnamese and Chinese.<<<<

"Like I said in my previous post, many Vietnamese have Chinese ancestry. No Vietnamese deny this. But you are the only person I see so far want to be a Chinese. Unlike you, I consider myself Vietnamese since I was born in Vietnam and I don’t know Chinese language although I know I might have Chinese ancestry in my bloodline."

>>>I don't deny I am Vietnamese. However, in technical speaking, my last name "Trinh" is original from China. It could be written as "Zheng" in mainland China, "Chang" in Cantonese, and "Cheng" in Taiwanese when romanization. What I disagree with most Vietnamese is their arrogant and sometimes prejudice over the Chinese people who lived in Vietnam. Sometimes, they are ignorant calling the Chinese as "Ba Tau", not knowing that they came from the same ancestor or that they are Chinese who fled away from China earlier. If you look at this prospective, who do you think is more of an ignorance? I would tend to look at the Vietnamese of more an ingnorance, since he/she cannot read or write his/her ancestor language.

One incident that I encountered in the past was kind of funny. One of my good friend, who hated the Chinese to no extreme, didn't know that his grandparents were born in China. His father and mother were raised in the countryside in Vietnam, so they knew little to none Chinese language or tradition. His father became an officer in the Vietnam armed force and also married another person with the same background. His parents who could only speak Vietnamese are proud of being a Vietnamese, which they raised him to no knowledge of knowing any Chinese culture. To this, my friend, for some reasons, hated the Chinese. Just 3 years ago, he went back to Vietnam with his parent and finally realized that his grandparents of both side were Chinese. I've never heard him curse at any Chinese since.

There are many like him, as I witnessed in my clinic. My model of saying to every Vietnamese, you can hate the Chinese politic, but you cannot hate its people.

Take care.

***************************************

Looking away,

I have no hard feeling and still here conversing with you. However, I wish to leave my family out of the conversation, as I told you that was my final plot. About Vietnam royal family before the French colonization, there were some sources that I read in the past indicating that there were some royal/aristocrat intermarriages between China and Vietnam; however, I haven't found a website that address these types of relationship. This is no suprise since Vietnam was a vassal or territory to China.

Be well
The TraveLLer Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 18:08:44 (PDT)

Traveller:

Thank you very much for the links you've provided.

However, i couldn't find any part in which the roots of Vietnamese surnames was mentioned or any proof that Vietnamese surnames are the same as chinese.

For example, do you think SPike Lee is chinese origin because he has surname Lee?
k Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 15:57:28 (PDT)

"I know that the typical korean person has a very small, slanty eyes and button nose but why is it that most of their celebrities have big ROUND eyes and tall, bony nose and somehow they look mixed with caucasian blood? any thoughts?"

The korean look vary greatly. Most celebs in korea havve big round eyes? c'on, most don't have big round eyes, just average-sized. I know most of them do have facial surgeries, but from what i've seen, very little korean celebs have big wide eyes. Could you tell me who do you think look mixed w/ Caucasian? I hardly seen one who look like a hapa.

and for the record, koreans don't have button nose.

k Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 15:48:41 (PDT)

"If you want to be rude, I'll return that same favor. So let's start civilize if you want to have a discussion. "

I', sorry you feel this way. You're a bit too sensitive man....you won't have any friends if you can't receive criticism. I didn't insult you nor say anything outrageus. I might sound harsh but my words are to be pondered. Your origins don't mean a thing. I have no reason to actually go out of my wayto be rude to you, i just said what i actually felt after reading your posts.You were making a mockery of yourself, dude.
k Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 15:43:24 (PDT)

The way of Tao,

keep the Taoist philosophy away and look what will remain:
a mix of superstitions,Semitic magic and folk beliefs.

As for martial arts:
Martial arts are martial arts.Taoism is just a layer to cover the martial arts of East Asia.Originally martial arts were connected to dances and "animal cults" of the "primitive" tribes.This connection is still alive in its nearly original quality in large parts of Southeast Asia.

Check out an alternative perspective on East Asian (or maybe better: Central Asian) martial arts:

www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/chinatours/lijiang
or a shorter text:
victorian.fortunecity.com/churchnews/292/dance

or watch the movie "Encounter of the spooky kind".

You'll realize that the "animal style" martial arts were invented by priests of "animal cults".The eagle and leopard were worshipped by Northern and Western nomads,the crane and the dragon are typically Chinese while the snake is still worshipped in the South of Asia.
rare stuff Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 14:10:14 (PDT)

NEWEST COMMENTS | EARLIER COMMENTS