<b>Contrastive Analysis of Similes with Dog Image in English and Vietnamese and Implications</b>

Studies on dog images in idiomatic languages ​​in different languages ​​always receive a lot of attention from researchers. The present study examines the similarities of 21 English-Vietnamese dog similes and tries to account for the differences based on Hofstede’s model (2001). The analysis results show that the image of the dog in each language has unique cultural characteristics due to the influence of factors such as geographical circumstances and customs. While the image of a dog appearing in English similes has both positive meaning (38%) and negative meaning (62%), Vietnamese similes record a full dominance in negative meanings (100%). Besides, the semantic symbols of similes with dog elements in Vietnamese and English have interesting similarities. Understanding the semantic characteristics of words for dogs in English and Vietnamese similes contributes to discovering new things about the life, customs, practices, culture, and thinking of British and Vietnamese people.