International University – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
School of Business Administration
BUSINESS RESEARCH METHOD REPORT 1
Topic: Vietnamese’s Perception of Veganism
Course: Business research method
Lecturer: Dr. Bui Quang Thong Members: Lâm Ái Vy BAACIU19031 Nguyễn Thị Kiều Tiên BABAWE18297 Trương Thế Tân BABAWE16350 Bùi Ngọc Khánh BABAWE19057 Võ Ngọc Thiện BABAWE19011 Trần Thị Hồng Quân BABAWE18662 Nguyễn Thành Long BABAWE17478 FINDINGS
Research question 1: The definition of veganism
Veganism has become a hot trend which has spread in many countries around the world in the
current year. It is a philosophy that people should not only eat all foods derived from
animals, such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, honey, white sugar, and cheese, and to use
animalderived products and cosmetics, but they also refuse to wear leather and fur clothing
and footwear, do not use animal-tested products, do not support animal circuses, and do not
participate in any activities that exploit, torture, or kill animals or other objects. Dogs, cats,
pigs, chickens, and monkeys are all safeguarded and adored in this process. Some our guests
also agree with our statement, they said:
“I can not agree more that vegetarian means people do not eat meat in their meal”
“It is not easy to define what a vegetarian is, its definition is very lengthy and
complicated. However, as a long-time Vietnamese vegetarian, I understand veganism
in the simplest way that we do not eat anything linked to animals in the any basic sense.”
“I remember that I had read in the electronic news that veganism is easily that we
devirved from animal and animal-relative products. It mean people can not consume
meat, beef, chicken, fish or milk, cheese …”
Following to all of the participants answers, they all agreed on the same thing that veganism is
the belief that animals should not be used for food or in any other way. Veganism has gained
popularity and support in a number of nations since its start. Interviewees discussed thinking about veganism for example:
“I think veganism is a lifestyle in which we can eliminate as much as possible things
such as exploitation on animals or vicious action on them in order to satisfy the needs
of humans for food, clothing or other purposes. And veganism it's extremely difficult in
the beginning because you have to cut off all kinds of meat you've ever had in your life.
Instead, you are only able to eat fruit, vegetables, seeds, and whole grains which is
boring. But overtime all of these things can be repaired in an unlimited combination
like you can create vegan dishes from curries or noodles to pizza and all kinds of dishes
that you like. Also, all of your favorite food and dishes can still stay true to their favorite
flavor and our vegan friendly if you cook them with healthy plant-based ingredients”
“Well, to me veganism is a plant-based lifestyle which means you can only eat
vegetables and fruit. But it is not only about food but also about the action like you have
to avoid hunting or any kind of action that is cruelty to animals in direct or indirect ways.”
All the participants seemed to define the meaning of the word “veganism” as lifestyle without
exploiting animal life by man to satisfy the need for food, commodities, work, hunting,
vivisection and all other uses in general. And interviewees also have a personal standing of the
difficulty in the beginning stage of becoming a vegan where they have to refrain from any kind
of animal ingredients and incorporate lots of whole grains, seed, vegetables and fruit to stay on a healthy vegan diet.
Research question 2: The categories of veganism based on religion
Each religion, each ideology, has its own set of values and rules that religious adherents must
obey. There are a variety of emotions to learning that you have decided to live a vegetarian
lifestyle without understanding whether or not it is inspired by religion. Some of the
interviewees disagreed about that statement:
"Vegetarianism is just for the sake of protecting the environment and animals, it has nothing to do with religion".
In the other hand, most participants positively believe with the finding, a Buddhist and a
Catholic respondents express their opinion:
“I believe that being vegan is to follow what their religion teaches because each
religion is unique, and each has its own "vegetarian way.". For example, like
Buddhism, if Buddhism is to be followed, being vegan means that they should avoid
all animal products and consume only plant-based foods.”
“ I am a Catholic who chooses to be a vegetarian because I wish to follow in Jesus's
footsteps. Moreover, our religion eats vegan on the last two Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.”
From some of the interviewees' viewpoints, veganism could be distinguished not only based
on the reason for selecting this way of life, it can also be based on religion. The Buddhist
interviewees added that Buddhism has a special month dedicated to fasting, which not only
symbolizes religious thought but also a unique cultural feature of followers of this belief.
At the same time, spending a whole month doing this ritual also generated a lot of discussion
on the issue. For Buddhists, according to the interviewee, the 7th month of the lunar calendar
is the month of ghosts. The underworld opens the door for ghosts to come to folk and
welcomes souls to come down. It is also a month so that grandparents can return to visit their
children and grandchildren, so it is necessary to fast in that month. Buddhist interviewees believe:
“ Fasting on the full moon day of the lunar calendar every month, and also on
Saturday, will bring good luck and prosperity. I have believed and I am applying that
because after a while I find that it helps me be more pure and also purify my body,
above all, be flexible from giving myself a religion as well as better in terms of health'.”
“I think it’s quite normal because according to me, and my family too, July is the
season of Vu Lan’s filial piety, it is a season when people fast to pray for their parents
and families and July is also a ghost month which is a month when a lot of horrible
things happen and that you should fast to avert bad luck. Plus, veganism will help me be more pure.”
For non-Buddhist interviewee, they also agree:
“During the month of Ramadan, Islam prohibits eating, drinking, smoking, and
engaging in sexual activity. Solid food is not allowed between meals but liquid food
like tea, juice, milk can still be consumed at any time.”
“Christians eat vegan during the Lenten season because I perform as Jesus did in the
past, fasting for forty days and nights.’’
Despite the differences in each religion, vegetarians may not eat or eat less than normal, be
more economical than usual, avoid snacking on fasting days and have a full meal, and eat a
little amount at the other two meals. Furthermore, this way of life may be distinguished based
on when individuals decide to live a vegetarian lifestyle. Interviewees also added that people
can also have an option to be vegetarian by month, with July in the Lunar Calendar being a popular choice in Buddhism.
Research question 3: The value of vegan
The first effect of a vegetarian diet is to lower cholesterol and lose fat. All of the respondents
shared the same idea that animal fats usually do not bring many health benefits because they
will increase the levels of cholesterol in the human body. Meanwhile, a vegetarian diet will
only provide enough cholesterol for the body to need each day. So, reduced intakes of animal
fat and cholesterol may explain why vegetarians have lower rates of heart disease than
meateaters because increasing the level of fat and cholesterol is associated with an increased
risk of heart disease. Our respondents has said that:
“Before I began to follow a vegetarian diet, the cholesterol content in my body was
always high due to the meat-based diet. After that I followed a vegetarian diet, my
body’s cholesterol had been adjusted and returned to balance which helped my body
feel so much healthier and reduced the fat in my body. Beside the physical health, my
metally healthy is also improve a lot because of the refreshing effect form vegan
foods, it help you to think more positive and reduce the symptoms of depression .”
“Vegetarian food is easy to digest so it helps me a lot in boosting my metabolism
system because the metabolic rate with a vegetarian diet is quite high so it helps me
burn more fat to lose weight. Plus, with a vegetarian diet, i can eat a lot of fruit and
vegetables which will eliminate all the toxins and chemical that had been built up in mine body”
The advantage of mental health is quite essential for veganism. Some our respondents said that
they feel more peaceful and happier:
“Vegetarians like me consume mainly vegetables, grains and fruit in daily meals so I
tend to have a more peaceful disposition. And, consumption of natural foods also
make me feel more peaceful and ease”
The second benefit is that a vegetarian diet helps strengthen bones. Our respondents believed
that the effect on bone health on their body had improve better and better when became a vegetarian diet:
“In my opinion, vegan diets are rich in many kinds of vitamins such as vitamin D, K,
potassium and magnesium as well as foods such as soy and fruits and vegetables
which are essential to help strengthen bones.”
“ I think that the high consumption on fruits and vegetable really help my body to
absorb the vitamin D, vitamin K and other nutrient like protein and calcium better to
help my bones become stronger”
The third benefit of veganism is healthy and stronger skin. All of the interviewees agreed that
the skin will be healthier and prettier when it is supplemented with enough amounts of
vitamins, minerals, and water. Many of our respondents, especially women indicated that:
“Fruits and vegetables are packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help
our skin be healthy and prevent many diseases that may be caused to the skin.”
“In my opinion, despite the rich vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables, purple
vegetables contain a lot of vitamin C, vitamin K, high antioxidant content, iodine and
sulfur that help skin become more soft, clean and give us bright and healthy skin.”
The next advantage is veganism helps people prevent some dangerous diseases such as
cancer, heart disease. Our participants had stated that this is their main concern when they
started to begin to become the veganism:
“In my opinion, vegetarians have lower serum cholesterol concentration, body mass
indices, diabetes incidence and blood pressure than non-vegetarians. This will help
our body on prevent the risk of heart disease”
“Vegetarians usually absorb whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits, …
This type of foods help our body to prevent the risk of various types of cancer and improve heart health.”
“The high intake of fruits and vegetables, which are in high fiber, folic acid and
phytochemicals is linked to lower blood cholesterol levels, a lower incidence of
stroke, and a lower risk of death from stroke and ischemic heart disease”
And the final advantage of veganism is the environmental benefit. Some of our participants
said that they really did not think about this benefit as first but the more they follow
vegetarian diet, they realized that being veganism is also contributed and brought a lot of benefit to environment:
“I know that the production of protein in meat could have wasted the amount of fossil
fuel used compared to a vegetable based protein. Also, producing the same amount of
animal protein can require the amount of water as producing vegetable protein even higher.”
“I think forestry and land-use structures have a high percentage in total global
greenhouse gas emissions. Well, because raising animals needs a lot of space and with
the increase in population in every year, I think company that produces meat also have
to make more space for increasing of animal to satisfy human needs and the only
space they can expand right now is in the forest which make deforestation and it lead
to an increase in gas emissions”
Some participants believed that being vegans can reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions
because emissions are mainly due to deforestation and expand the land to planting crops and
raising livestock. So, if the number of people who eat meat can be reduced and so will the
problems of deforestation. Furthermore, through the transportation, handling, and processing
of agricultural products, it can pollute the environment and have an impact on the ecosystem
around it like antibiotics and growth hormones used in livestock and the dairy industry.
Interviewees also seemed to understand that the resource like land and water used in
producing meat is higher than producing vegetables or legumes.
In conclusion, the advantages for veganism are relatively huge, it is a motivation for many
vegans to stay vegans and an attraction for more and more people to cut out animal foods
entirely and follow vegetarian diets. The benefits come mostly in three sections: body health,
mental health and environmental impact. Through our interview, our participants have a good
knowledge about the benefits veganism can bring to them.
Research question 4: The problems of veganism
The number of vegetarians is increasing day by day because human are beginning to see the
value of being a vegetarian as well as living a healthy lifestyle, which like a trend of times.
Although this may be a preference or belief of most modern person, vegetarianism has many
disadvantages that people are not aware of like stroke risk, damage to brain health, lower levels
of creatine and sometimes depression. Below its our finding due to conversation with twelve
interviewees about veganism’s issue. The first problems of veganism is osteoporosis problems,
respondents shared the following:
“I find that healthy bones also need to have enough protein, vitamin K, phosphorus and
magnesium. Vegetarians may be lacking the essential nutrients that I have mentioned as well
as others including the important vitamin B, iron and zinc if they do not pay close attention to their food choices.”
“In my opinion, being a vegetarian can lead to osteoporosis because you do not eat
enough calcium in vegetables and fruit and it also happens when you do not get enough
other nutrients like protein, vitamin K and minerals. Both my grandmother and
grandfather were also vegetarians, they were at a greater risk of total or site-specific
fractures, particularly hip fractures. "
The second problem of veganism is brain health and its issues. Based on the our interview,
most of the respondents said that brain health is the main problem that people consider to be
the most affecting health issue when being vegan, two interviewers discussed thinking about brain health for example:
“I think when being vegetarian, people will be lacking in protein which is an important
factor necessary for brain development. I read some research and figured that choline
is an important nutrient for brain health and other functions in human bodies. I also
think that women should not being vegan when they are with child because it may affect
to the baby’s heath as they grow”
“I see vegetarians often eat tofu. Eating a lot of tofu is associated with an increased risk
of cognitive and memory impairment because tofu contains phytoestrogens that can affect brain function.”
Some of the respondents said they know that lacking of protein is one of the causes of
gastrointestinal tumors and the nutritional components which is necessary for the development
of the brain. So that means being vegan can lead to memory loss and the brain can age faster
because a vegan can only eat legumes, vegetables and fruits and it is lacking of the needed
nutrients in meat. The development of the brain needs to be provided from animal food sources,
otherwise your brain can age and lead to memory loss.
The third problem of veganism is Cardiovascular risk. Some respondents indicated that:
“If the vegetarian diet is not correct, I think the body will seriously lack vitamins B6,
B12 and lead to cardiovascular diseases”
“When I became a vegetarian, my family and friends were all worried about me.
Especially in regards to heart problems. They say that when fasting, your body will be
severely deficient in vitamin B6, B12, causing anemia or demyelination of nerve fibers,
in addition to causing accumulation of the acids that are capable of breaking blood
vessels, causing heart disease and possibly stroke at any time. ”
“ I have a friend who is also a vegetarian. But because they use plants that contain a lot
of pesticides and are improperly grown. Besides that, my friend often eats fried foods
like french fries and eats a lot of sweet things like cakes or energy drinks which I think
this way of eating will soon lead to heart problems if he continues to eat improperly.”
Most of the interviewees know that plant-based diets have been related to a lower risk of
cardiovascular disease. However, being vegan makes them want to eat more carbohydrates like
fried potatoes and more sweet desserts in order to avoid eating meat which will lead them to
have a higher chance of having a heart attack.
The last problem of veganism is lower levels of creatine. Most people who are vegetarians are
quite disadvantaged compared to ordinary people that are not allowed to eat animals. Some participants believed:
“I really want to be a vegetarian but I don't know how to supplement creatine for my body.
When fasting, I feel weaker than before, which I think is due to the lack of creatine.”
One of the participants stated that her friend is an athlete and she chose to be vegetarian because
of her religion and beliefs. She has talked to my friend many times about creatine deficiency,
it will greatly affect her muscles and future career. She knows clearly that creatine is a
musclebuilding amino acid composed of the amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine.
People who work out typically take it as a supplement, but it may also be found in meat and
fish. Vegetarians' creatine levels may be lower than nonvegetarians since they do not consume
such nutrients. Despite the fact that creatine is a non-essential amino acid that is synthesized
from other amino acids, it has certain workout and muscular strength advantages. Athletes,
particularly sprinters and weightlifters, might consider adding creatine to their vegetarian diet.
In summary, vegetarianism is increasingly popular, but many people lack knowledge about
nutrition, leading to improper vegetarianism. There are several factors that have an impact on
the body based on science knowledge. This makes our body become weaker or having a higher
chance of increasing the risk of disease over time. Through the interview, it is a fact that people
now have the necessary and correct knowledge about vegetarianism.
Research question 5: The effect of veganism on daily lives
Veganism faces the general idea that a healthy diet requires animal proteins. So, when people
go vegan, their families and friends often feel worried and concerned for them about the impact
of this “extreme” diet. This is a kind of feeling that vegans felt was never directed at the
healthiness of their diets when they ate animals. Interviewees discussed about this for example:
“My family and friends were really worried, mostly my family when they heard I am
vegan because they believe this way of eating is not good for humans at all with so
many nutrients missing. They said it is ok to do it like that for a small amount of time
but not for a long period, so they usually give me extra care at home. Though I explained
to them many times that being vegan can improve my health in so many ways.”
“Well, it is not easy at all to say you are vegan to your family and it is the same to my
family. They were not supportive at all when I first told them because for them being
vegan is simply a way to lose weight faster than exercise. so it was very tiring at the
beginning but after I explained that it was because I do not want to hurt the animal not
only about the food I ate but also the things I wear and used. My brothers seemed to
understand about it but my parents still think I am crazy not eating any meat so we
decided not to talk about it anymore to avoid conflict”
Some of the respondents said although being vegetarian is challenging mentally and physically.
However, before entering a vegan lifestyle they did some research and asked someone they
know that is already a vegan about how being vegan can affect their health and all of the results
they receive is positive like it can reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some
types of cancer. So, after being a vegan and staying vegan overtime, it really helps make their
bodies feel so much better. For that reason, they still want to maintain a vegetarian habit, but
others share that they usually take a small break, have meat again to see if their bodies have
any adjustment and then come back to eat vegan food
Participants also confessed that because of families and friend’s worries, they felt extremely
uncomfortable when talking about this to other people. Besides worries, vegetarians also know
that not everyone has the same thought as them about health or animal rights, so they tend to
avoid saying anything about the topic as much as possible. An interviewee said she no longer
discuss about this topic to her close friends anymore:
“I have a friend who is an animal lover. But I think to myself that if you love animals,
why did you eat dead animals? It is like what you are doing right now is absolutely
opposite to what you said and I don't think a pig, a cow or any kind of animal is once
someone's friend or even family. But I can’t just say or talk about that because it sounds
very aggressive and it is kind of personal to discuss this topic, so I try to avoid it as
much as possible to not talk about it.”
Additionally, it is easy to understand why many participants felt it was really difficult to talk
about vegan topics, the reason is that the vegan community is still small and not well-known.
The evidence is most participants said that at their workplace events or school gathering, there
is no vegan food option or little option on the menu, vegetarians will tend to skip the foods and
drink. So, despite putting effort to fit in, vegetarians still felt left out and disconnected from
their old life. However, all participants had positive response when they knew KFC and
McDonald are experimenting with the inclusion of vegetarian dishes into their brands for
vegetarians, interviewees said that:
“I think it is very good because vegetarians can now eat at KFC and McDonalds with
their families or friends, and this will help these brands reach a wider range of customers.”
“I think the action of these two big fast-food chains like KFC and McDonald's is a big
and important step. Because if these two big brands offer a vegan optional for
vegetarians, then, I think that other restaurants in the world will also slowly add a vegan
optional. And with a vegan option, I can imagine standing next to my friend who is
eating a beef burger and I also can eat something that have the tastes of a beef burger
flavor and texture but I would not do any cruelty to any kind of animals”