Actually, there are a lot of hearsay and misunderstandings about Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. We list some here and explain our point of view about them.
Related: Things Vietnamese people do
There is no war happening in the country at the moment
Overseas Vietnamese often recount their encounters with the opinion that Vietnam is all about wars. This should be understood that the only thing many foreigners know about Vietnam is the Vietnam War which was ended decades ago. In reality, the country has gained peace and Vietnamese people love peace and even have their capital a title “city of peace”. There is no political conflict inside the nation. To Americans, Vietnamese hold no grudge against, Saigonese even admire them. There is also no overt discrimination against any race and gender minorities. You can expect some prejudice about skin’s beauty because Asians LOVE pale skin but it’s endurable. Vietnam is also a safe place for solo female travellers.
We speak Vietnamese
We have our own native language with a distinct Latin alphabet which is unusual for Asian languages. Throughout history, Vietnamese used two different systems of language – the writing system we borrowed and modified Mandarin while the speaking system we maintained our Mon-Khmer native tongue. Vietnamese grammar is easy but the speaking is very difficult because of the 6 tones. For beginners, to understand what Vietnamese people say in normal speed is impossible. Vietnamese also has regional accents which just make everything even harder. Take an example; the northerners and the southerners have difficulties when speaking to each other and everyone almost can’t understand what Hue people say most of the time.
Ho Chi Minh (or Sai Gon) is not the capital
Ho Chi Minh City is often mistaken as the capital of Vietnam for its larger population and more dynamic industries. Hanoi, in general, has a more conservative culture than Ho Chi Minh City. This can be seen in the allergy toward PDA – Hanoians don’t really like a show or being shown PDA in public. The nightlife in Hanoi is quite poor: everything is closed before midnight, there are only a few night bars, clubs, dance floors which again are under the control of the government. But on the other hand, Hanoi is safer, rich in cultural charms. Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon is very westernized due to the deep influence of the USA during the Vietnam War. Saigonese is open, laid-back, less judgmental, easy-going, and speak more English than Hanoians. Nightlife in HCMC is exciting and vibrant. There is only one annoying thing about Saigon that is the pick-pocketing and robbery which can be very dangerous sometimes.
The traffic is CRAZY
No matter what where you stay, you can find the traffic erratic at some point like Da Lat – a famous touristy destination – has no traffic lights or the number of motorcycles in Hanoi and HCMC combined is well over 10 million (and 36 million national wide). In rush hours, things get worse. If you are on foot, it’s a survival challenge to cross the roads when thousands of bikes, cars and buses leave you no space and hints where and when to cross. In this situation, just look for some locals to find help, they are experts in this.
If you decide to try riding a motorbike in Vietnam, make sure you do it legally with full licenses, a qualified helmet and rules knowledge. North highland Vietnam is the best place for motorbiking with winding roads superb scenery.
Some of us eat dogs and cats
Yes, some of us still eat dogs and cats both in cities and the countryside. Even though there are a lot of campaigns to raise awareness, large numbers of dogs and cats are still be killed each year. Actually, both dog and cat are traditional dishes of not only Vietnamese culinary but also some other countries’ so it’s difficult to erase this age-old custom. Vietnamese do see dog and cat as friends but they are just as good as the food, like any other animal else (except for whale because Vietnamese fishermen consider Whale as a sea god). Many westerners are offended by this fact but please bear in mind that there is an animal that is forbidden to eat in every country, and in Vietnam, that’s not dog and cat.
Personal questions are part of conversations
Vietnamese people have an interesting personality, or in other words, we are very curious. Tourists from America and Europe find this very annoying when they try to have a friendly talk with locals. Especially, when older people talking to you they tend to go very specifically on your personal life. If in your country, it’s rude to ask women their age or marital status, but it’s very normal with Vietnamese people. Other questions are about your education background, salary, occupation, love life, spouses…. We barely ask about sexual orientation because most of the people have little knowledge about LGBT and often are shy about that. We also don’t ask for your opinions that frequently because opinions are not what we really care about. Vietnamese people love stories and information. So our advice is to try not to argue with a Vietnamese when you disagree, most of us get pissed easily.
We kind of don’t expect you to speak our language at all
There are two reasons for this. First, Vietnamese is too hard so when a foreigner tries to speak a phrase, it’s really unexpected and hard for us to decipher what he or she is saying. We would be taken back for a little while and when we finally get it, we often laugh because of the wrong pronunciation which led to wrong (and funny) meaning. Many foreigners have been offended by this attitude. Second, Vietnamese like to speak a foreign language to foreigners and we think it’s a good chance to practice our speaking skills. So if you want to improve your Vietnamese listening and speaking with a local, say straight up that you want to practice Vietnamese and they will be more than glad to help you.
Fiona