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WHY DO VIETNAMESE PEOPLE EAT EVERYTHING?

Eat to Live, Live for Lightness A small note before we begin: This article is simply my personal perspective. I have no intention of criticizing or dismissing anyone’s choices. I believe in freedom of thought and the path each individual chooses for themselves. Whether you are vegan because it makes you feel light, or because your heart hurts at the sight of animals being harmed, I respect you more than anyone. In fact, I also lean towards a plant-based diet because it suits me—plants are easy to grow, easy to find, and easy to cook.

Thao mirror

1/25/20262 min read

1. "Omnivorous" – A Lesson in Survival and RespectHistorically, Vietnamese people lived in a lush yet harsh tropical environment. Eating a wide variety was how our ancestors adapted to survive. We appreciate every part of a plant or animal to ensure nothing is wasted.
- Plants: With a pumpkin, we eat the vines, the flowers, the fruit, and even the seeds.
- Animals: We honor the sacrifice by consuming everything from the skin and bones to the internal organs. To us, throwing any part away would be a lack of respect for the life that was given.

2. The "Humanity" Trap and the Veganism Illusion
- Ancient Vietnamese wisdom holds that: To live, we must borrow life from other species. Instead of hiding slaughter behind closed doors, we performed it as a public ritual of gratitude. Rituals like the buffalo or cow sacrifice are not acts of violence, but a fair exchange and community bonding. One life is offered to nourish the entire village—a beautiful way of sharing.
- Many argue that eating plants is "gentler" because they can regenerate. But from a biological standpoint, plants also have a fierce will to survive, deep roots for water and reaching leaves for light. To me, the argument of "regeneration" is often just a story we tell to soothe our own ego. No meal is free of sacrifice. Instead of searching for "guilt-free" food, I choose to eat with deep gratitude.

3. "Eat to Live" – The Philosophy of Moderation
- The Vietnamese saying goes: "Illness enters through the mouth." We rarely die from lack of nutrients, but from excess. Eating less is the most practical form of "spiritual practice."
- However, this philosophy sometimes clashes with love. I still finish the overflowing meals my mother cooks. For her, feeding us is the only way to express love—to make up for the years of poverty when she suffered seeing her six children go hungry. I eat out of gratitude for her love, then I rebalance myself by fasting the next day.

4. My Personal Realizations
- I have experimented with many lifestyles:

  • Fruitarianism: Left my body "yin-cold," with freezing limbs and aching joints.

  • Veganism: I found it mentally exhausting to label and categorize every sauce or spice.

  • Fasting (11 days): It taught me that my body is much healthier when it rests.


My final thought: Don't let dogmas about "what to eat" stop you from understanding the essence of life. I respect your choice, whatever it may be. My journey has led me to a simple truth: Eat according to your body's true needs, live with moderation, and be grateful for every life that sustains you. That is the path to true freedom for both Body and Mind.