Family

While Western culture promotes individuality, the family unit is very

important in Vietnamese culture. This emphasis on collectivity includes an
obligation to provide for the welfare of family members. Family members
are expected to work and behave for the good of the group. Families may
publicly denounce a member who is ill behaved; they may also pronounce
family achievements. Each member has a designated kinship term, and
these are used when addressing one another.

Even though the family is viewed as a unit, the father or an older male has
the ultimate responsibility and acts as an authority leader while delegating
tasks and involving others in the decision making. (See Gender Roles
section). From a very young age the father and other family members
educate the children on “filial piety,” a key part of Vietnamese culture
which requires that children give parents and elders respect, love, and care.

In Vietnam, the family is patriarchal, patrilineal, and patrilocal, often with

two to four generations under one roof. There is the immediate family
(nha) and the extended family (ho). In Vietnam, the immediate family is the
nuclear family plus the husband’s parents and the grown sons’ spouses and
children. The extended family is the immediate family plus family members
of the same name and relatives residing in close proximity. Grandparents
help with childcare and children help with chores. Younger siblings are to
respect and obey older siblings, and aunts and uncles are treated as
parents.

There are few nursing homes in Vietnam. If elderly relatives need care they
will live with the younger generation. Only in rare situations will a senior
citizen reside in a nursing home, such as when they do not have a family to
support them. In the U.S. it is not common for elderly relatives to live in a
nursing home if they have children they can live with, but it is more
common than in Vietnam. Many of the older generation do not speak
English fluently and would not be comfortable in a nursing home where
Vietnamese is not spoken.
The saying “The Empire on which the sun never sets” has been used to
explain the vastness of the British Empire. Between the 18th and 20th
century, the British Empire acquired more territories making it the largest
empire in history. The Empire had establishments in Africa, Asia, Europe,
America, and numerous Islands across the globe. Historians established
that roughly 25% of the earth landmass was in control of the British. The
region was so extensive that at any one time there was daylight in one of
the territories.
Who came up with the phrase?

The phrase was first made by Fray Francisco de Ugalde, Spanish, to King
Charles 1. The phrase was later used when Britain acquired other
territories. In 1852, Alexander Campbell used the phrase to express the
dominion of Britain and America.
How big was the British Empire?

The British Empire was made up of colonies, protectorates, dominions, and

mandates administered by the United Kingdom. By 1913, the Empire had
more than 412 million people. This was almost a quarter of the global
population. The total area covered was estimated to be 13.7 million square
miles.
Formation of the Empire

The foundation to conquer the world was laid between 1497 and 1583. In
1496, the king of England Henry VII commissioned the first explorers. Led
by John Cabot, the explorers began the journey in 1497 with the mandate
to discover a shorter route to Asia through the North Atlantic Ocean. Queen
Elizabeth 1 encouraged exploration leading to conquering more lands and
acquiring treasures from the new world.
Though Spain and Portugal were the first to conduct global explorations
through voyages, Great Britain overtook them as buccaneers and forcefully
proceeded from the established overseas posts. The British soldiers were
more organized and attacked trade forts and posts of the other Europeans.
The notable conquers occurred between 1583 and 1783. This was during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and the heir James VI when Britain took over
North America and some Caribbean islands. In 1651, the parliament passed
a law that stated that only English ships would be allowed to trade in the
English colonies. The decree ensured that trade routes were under their
control.
Expansion of the Empire

The empire experienced rapid expansion between 1815 and 1915. More
than 10 million square miles and about 400 million people were added.
This period also saw the conquering of Napoleon who was the main
challenger. Britain was also unrivaled in the sea and became the first nation
to experience industrial revolution hence dominated world trade. The
steamship as well as the telegraph technology made Britain to become a
world-leading superpower.
Challenges Faced by the Empire

The constant war in the sea and on land as well as a rivalry with Spain,
Portugal, Russia and French weakened the empire. Towards the 20th
century, the United States which had now achieved independence from the
British began challenging Britain’s economic power. The tension between
Britain, Germany, and France led to the First World War in 1914. Despite
Britain achieving more territories from the first and Second World War, the
financial, military, and manpower was greatly strained. Some countries had
started gaining independence making the empire lose on valuable
resources. The Cold War in later years weakened Britain.

UK viewing habits
Ofcom figures from 2016 show that the average television viewer in the UK watched a
total of 3 hours, 32 minutes of TV a day. People aged 16-24 watched an average of 1
hour 54 minutes of digital terrestrial TV a day, whereas, in stark contrast, viewers aged
over 64 watched an average of 5 hours 44 minutes a day. Overall, 76% of people aged
16-24 were found to use a subscription TV service like Netflix or Amazon Prime,
compared to 19% of people aged over 65. But, how do these statistics affect the viewing
numbers for terrestrial TV providers like the BBC?

TV licence cost
With the annual cost of a TV licence sitting at £147 for UK citizens, it’s easy to see why
audiences may be turned off by the classic digital terrestrial TV viewing experience and
head online instead. Subscription viewing sites, such as Netflix, do not require a TV
licence but still provide quality programming and cost significantly less, with the simplest
package costing £71.88 per annum. However, the 2016 viewing habit statistics for the
UK contradict this theory and actually reveal that UK audiences are remaining loyal to
terrestrial TV… but why?

The BBC vs Netflix

The BBC has been a driving force across the UK since 1922 and sits atop its throne as a
national treasure. It is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation and the
largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It’s fair to say that it rests
dearly in all of our hearts.

Firstly, we need to bear in mind that the BBC’s television game is strong, they produce
fantastic quality programming that relates to a variety of people. They keep the UK
public on their toes with eye-catching adverting, the use of highly regarded actors and
generally gripping programming.

This Top Tens of 2016 report from BARB proves how dominant the BBC’s programming
is across the board in the UK.

SPORTS
The first major similarity is the popular sports in these countries.  Both nations share a
passion for the 'King of Sports' football.  In parks all around England you will find children
and teenagers playing football using jumpers for goal posts.  Similarly, in Vietnam,
everywhere is a potential football pitch.  There are specific 'soccer' facilities and stadiums,
the motorbikes and pedestrians often share the roads and pavements with budding
footballers and badminton and volleyball courts are often usurped as football arenas.  Not
only is this sport played, it is also viewed by millions of fans in both countries with the
English Premier League being the most popular league.