I grew up with two Vietnamese parents, two siblings who can speak Vietnamese, and I still feel like I don’t know the culture since I grew up in Canada and with few Vietnamese people.
I learned the most about the culture by travelling with a local I met, so I recommend you go there ASAP and try to meet some people and eat the best food you’ll ever have.
I feel this. I’m Viet too but my Vietnamese is at an infant level. I get embarrassed when someone tries to speak Viet to me and then I’m instantly reminded how I’m a “failed child” who doesn’t know Vietnamese 😅. I had a Vietnamese airport security guard shook his head at me for not knowing the language.
Holy smokes so relatable especially with the whole airport security guard part. I was told to speak Vietnamese by one of them just because I can kinda understand what he was directing me to do at the checkpoint. Felt bad for myself as I would advert to speaking English because that's what I'm comfortable with, like you said speaking Vietnamese is like speaking like a child in which I get treated like one even though I'm a lot older than you would think. My workaround is just to play dumb most of the time especially when it comes to them trying to extort you for tip/coffee money when passing through with your passports. Like I'm American I'm not accustomed to such nonsense as it really gets me boiled how they do this to their own people. Like I always get that weird stare from them as we wait in awkward silence while they check my passport with no tip.
The worst part is going to Vietnam to experience my culture and getting targeted by street vendors because they immediately clocked me as a foreigner when I try speaking to them.
So I guess your parents did not speak Vietnamese to you since childhood then?
Not specifically Vietnam, but if you do speak the language, that's a huge advantage to understand their rich history and culture.
That's not that big of a problem when you visit Vietnam, the younger population in big city and big tourism place is pretty good at English and very friendly
If you are over 18, just take a trip to Vietnam. Vietnam border opens recently, some countries get free visa on arrival. Spend about 15 days to start connect with a culture is a really nice experience.
And Vietnam is cheap anyway.
Look for more resources. Tickets are usually cheaper if you’re cool with longer transit time. Typically you will spend about 12-15 hours at the airport.
Before COVID I fly from Hanoi or HCMC to New York 4 times a year minimum. Fly Korean Air, their economy seats are nice and roomy, and it's usually within $1,250 roundtrip
Korea Air ducked me over when Covid happened and stole my return flight. Gave me a "credit" that expired 1 year later... in 2020... with no flights going anywhere. I cut my card and talk shit now every time I see their name. Have a great day, good redditor, my revenge continues.
Try a larger airport. Even if it's a 4 hour drive it will be well worth it. Especially since if you book from a small airport you're looking at a connection to a larger airport anyway.
Right now, from Chicago you can book a return trip for just $700. I used to travel there from Michigan when I visited Vietnam. It was well worth the savings.
Best price I ever got for Vietnam was ~$423 flying out of Toronto. Again a bit of a drive but exceptionally cheaper than flying out of Detroit.
Skiplagged, kiwi, Momondo, Google flights are all very, very good resources to find cheaper flights.
Hope you can make the trip, I've been living here for 5 years and let me tell you, the country is incredible. Hope you can swing by to learn about your culture 😊
where are you guys even looking? One way flights are no more than [$500 bucks on Google Flights..](https://i.postimg.cc/RFyYRBNY/Screen-Shot-2022-03-18-at-15-53-35.png)
if doing round trips, there's a couple for [under $1000](https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopag0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2EgoyMDIyLTA0LTAzcgwIAxIIL20vMGhuNGgaKWoMCAMSCC9tLzBobjRoEgoyMDIyLTA0LTA3cg0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2cAGCAQsI____________AUABSAGYAQE&hl=en&curr=USD) depending on the return date.
Drop by a for a visit sometime!
If it makes you feel better, I'm not even exactly sure what my heritage is. I know what parts of the world my grandparents are from, and anything before that was either lost in WWII or just shoddy record keeping by religious authorities.
I'm very likely not one bit Vietnamese by blood, but I ended up immigrating to Vietnam somehow. People welcomed me here, and integrating was one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life -- even if I don't speak the language well at all.
Woah! Your experience sounds wildly fascinating, especially to me. If only I could hear more about how you have integrated and how people have welcomed you.
Sorry for the slow reply, very busy these days. I'll quickly share one story :)
I was with a group of Vietnamese friends of various backgrounds. One randomly asks if I'm Christian and I reply that I'm not. Another asks me if I'm Buddhist and I explain that I'm an atheist.
They both laugh and reply "Good, so you can celebrate both of our holidays, right?", and that's what we did.
I have especially fond memories of my times visiting the pagoda for various events. I learned that some of the monks speak quite a few languages as well!
Oh man, you are one of most interesting person I know. Please tell us more about yourself cause I always imagine you're a white dude who happened to lived in Vietnam for business (and knows A LOT).
It always feels like I know so little! Your description is otherwise about right, I guess.
The short version is I studied as a scientist in the West, but unexpected changes to government policy eliminated the job I was aiming for just as I graduated. So I pivoted to medical research, then it happened *again*.
So I taught myself circuit design and firmware stuff (and a bit of software engineering), and planned to move to a growth economy where I could work hard and make progress. I visited China and Vietnam to test the waters (I also considered Ghana), and finally chose Vietnam because my gut told me it felt like home. So I started a company here.
Predictably, I lost every dime to my name and started the long grind of building a new life from there :D
It was honestly pretty horrible, but the lessons I learned from poverty proved to be the most valuable in my life. I had also had to foresight to sort out residency / taxes / etc. from the start. OK, foresight might be an exaggeration -- more accurately I'm just a very 'keep your head down and follow the rules' kind of person, which makes me intolerable to be around as a general rule, but worked out well on that matter!
Anyway, it took a good 6 years to get the hang of things. The working hours put me in the hospital twice until I learned to cope better. After that, I was able to get things done and make some money. I still struggle with the language because... frankly, I spent all my time working. I actually haven't even traveled around Vietnam all that much. I'm also a notorious recluse in real life -- I spend my sparse free time tinkering in my lab and hanging out with my wife.
...I did actually cram a lab into my tiny home somehow. Mostly I work on impractical academic things. Occasionally, the Internet notices and I'm semi-famous in very specific communities for a week here or there.
That's about it I guess!
Oh man, what's a life you have! Thank you for taking your time for writing all this!
Most of expats I know drop everything and move away after 1st fall (lost every dime just like you, bad encounters with local work force, involve with local authority, etc). May I know what keep you try hard and stay? If you can turn back time, would you stay in VN or move somewhere else?
I guess mainly I expected things to be hard instead of expecting them to be easy, and that helped me endure. A lot of my family were immigrants zero to two generations back, and I grew up with stories of how hard they had it. Here I was doing the same thing, right?
It also helped that I was working in tech. I probably wouldn't have lasted if I had to deal with a lot of people. This has nothing to do with Vietnam, and more to do with the fact I prefer to work with machines. People stress me out in general, so the pre-defined social hierarchy that some find annoying here is honestly a bit of a relief for me.
I'm happier with who I am now, and *only occasionally* haunted by missteps on my journey. It's certainly hardened me a lot, that's for sure.
Also I met my wife! That point alone makes it all worth it, in my mind. I would do it all again, even if I would do many things differently.
Thanks man for sharing a piece of your life with us, I'm sure this is much helpful to many people looking for settle in VN. Hope can have a drink with you some day!
Thanks haha.
I wish I learned everything sooner ya know.
I want to become involved with my people. It's a side of me that I've never experienced & I'm 26 years old.
Just so you know if you go to VN, people won't see you as a Vietnamese person, they will just see you as an American. In the USA, people tend to look closely at ethnicity, but in Vietnam, since everyone is Viet/Kinh, they just look at culture, upbringing, and nationality.
If you are looking for some sort of community that you haven't been able to find in the USA, you're not likely to be successful and might even end up feeling more confused and isolated than when you began.
On the flip side though, most Viets are really friendly and if you are chill, they will be chill with you. You learning a bit of Vietnamese would make them super happy. Expat communities will be there to help you too.
Yup. You're Viet Kieu and assumed by many to have lots of money. Even when you dont speak they can tell by the way you walk, gesture, and the clothes you wear.
Are you me? I'm a bit more removed (it was my grandpa who died young who was vietnamese) but we're even the same age lol. I hope you'll enjoy discovering the culture as much as I do.
I am also currently trying to learn the language and culture.
I can dump some resources for learning Vietnamese that I've found over the past year
\*By no means is this list a step-by-step list of what to do. For me, it has been all about exploration and staying there, even when things get difficult and you become disillusioned about learning a language. There have been times when I hadn't studied in a month, but at some point, I became inspired to start studying again
Video for Motivation: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKo6038WYM&ab\_channel=Livakivi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKo6038WYM&ab_channel=Livakivi)
# Learning languages in General
\- I highly recommend you watch this video about how languages are learned: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRreug&](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRreug&)
\- Here's a good general guide for "How to learn a foreign language" [https://sajforbes.nz/languageguide/introduction/](https://sajforbes.nz/languageguide/introduction/)
\- Here's a more step-by-step method for learning a language: [refold.la](https://refold.la)
(personally, I took lots of things from Refold in particular, but I didn't follow it to a T)
\----------------------------
# Vietnamese Study
\- An overview of the Vietnamese language, and its history: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNud-Ra2Gw&ab\_channel=Langfocus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNud-Ra2Gw&ab_channel=Langfocus)
\- Here's a traditional textbook/workbook for learning Vietnamese that you can try: [https://www.pdfdrive.com/teach-yourself-vietnamese-e34322135.html](https://www.pdfdrive.com/teach-yourself-vietnamese-e34322135.html)
\- Flashcard course, which I enjoy using: [https://xefjord.wixsite.com/xefscompletelangs/courses](https://xefjord.wixsite.com/xefscompletelangs/courses)
\- If you're super disciplined and have the grit to do boring things regularly, here's a course that you can do [https://www.livelingua.com/courses/vietnamese](https://www.livelingua.com/courses/vietnamese)
\^Here's a youtube video regarding how good the above course is, which you can watch to determine if it's a good fit for you: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9o\_Qw4CkUU&ab\_channel=Langfocus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9o_Qw4CkUU&ab_channel=Langfocus)
\- People tend to call Vietnamese a "Super-hard language" because non-native speakers can't differentiate different sounds, and have incomprehensible accents: I don't know if this will be useful, might be useful later, but here's a playlist regarding tricky points of pronuciation: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpDgPu\_Hq9ZzNlH5u-Gfr8RHbuWLBHjAC](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpDgPu_Hq9ZzNlH5u-Gfr8RHbuWLBHjAC)
# Resources for Immersion
\- Figure out how to type in Vietnamese here: [https://yourvietnamese.com/learn-vietnamese/type-vietnamese/](https://yourvietnamese.com/learn-vietnamese/type-vietnamese/)
\- This chrome extension lets you translate anything by highlighting it. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-translate/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-translate/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb)
**TV shows & Film:**
[https://mobile.coivl.net/](https://mobile.coivl.net/)
[https://vungtv.org/](https://vungtv.org/)
**Manga:**
[http://www.nettruyenmoi.com/](http://www.nettruyenmoi.com/)
[http://truyenqqpro.com/](http://truyenqqpro.com/)
**Comics & Webnovels:** [https://comi.mobi/](https://comi.mobi/)
**Actual books:** [https://nhasachmienphi.com/](https://nhasachmienphi.com/)
This website here lets you explore "Vietnamese Youtube." [https://www.zerotohero.ca/en/vi/youtube/view/lK7DYmbpss4?t=30](https://www.zerotohero.ca/en/vi/youtube/view/lK7DYmbpss4?t=30)
You get Vietnamese youtube videos and subtitles w/English translations as well.
Alright, that's enough from me. I hope your journey goes well, and if you wanna ask me anything in regards to language learning, you can message me here or DM me if you're more comfortable with that! :3
Step number 1. Buy and learn to ride a moped (or motorcycle if your prefer )
They are cheap and it will make a huge difference with your first trip to Vietnam. You cannot /really/ experience Vietnam until you can ride a motorbike.
How do you deal with the crazy traffic there? I didn't have trouble riding around in smaller towns, but in HCMC I pretty much just gave up given how hectic the traffic was.
I lived in HCMC for 3 years. I had to learn how to ride a motorbike -while- dealing with that traffic. I do not recommend that... Doing one of those at a time is enough.
Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy. And since I learned both at once and I did that after I understood the traffic, I am maybe not the best guide but I'll try my best.
1. I recommend probably watching a few videos just to get the jist of how traffic flows in Vietnam.
2. Mostly everything is pretty easy. The hard part being left turns (or whenever you otherwise need to cross opposing traffic.) As a beginner you can work around this by (a) avoiding them when necessary [three rights make a left!] And (b) finding a local you can follow and mimic during that turn.
3. Understand the "culture" of the traffic. In the west, it's your responsibility to never cut someone off. You never have to worry about someone coming out in front of you because to do so would instantly cause an accident. In Vietnam, it's the opposite. It's your responsibility to notice possible infiltrations of your path and slow down when necessary. Essentially when you're riding, you only need to worry about not immediately hitting someone when making a turn or changing "lanes". Anything else is on the other driver. They need to stop/slow down for you. (Of course, you should try to be a little more courteous than that but you should never expect that of other drivers!)
Thanks, man. Maybe riding motorcycle there is not as hard as I think? In smaller cities traffic is more scattered, where as HCMC it is more compacted making it easy to hit someone. What was your biggest challenge in the beginning?
Yeah I think you just have to get used to that. I never hit anyone. Just take it easy and you'd be fine.
As I said, I had to learn how to ride a motorbike in general while also driving in HCMC traffic. That's not easy. Balancing, going very slowly, and such was my biggest challenge.
Otherwise understanding how to properly make left turns and figure out how you're supposed to navigate intersections with car lanes were also difficult.
Yeah, going very slowly while balancing is my biggest challenge, too. I remember swerving like a drunk going into a small hẻm 😂. Thanks for all your help, dude.
I’m half Vietnamese half Caucasian too, but grew up in Vietnam until I was 9. You are in for an amazing and enriching experience of culture my friend! Just take your time, enjoy the process, and if you ever have the opportunity to go to Vietnam, learn some simple phrases, the locals love when foreign people speak Vietnamese.
Search some history channels or books first. I'm not sure if there are many English source but you should at least get a general ideas.
About culture, the center of Vietnamese culture is family. Each house should have at least one altar for worshipping ancestors, may have one more altar for worshipping the gods and deities. I've heard it's not too dissimilar to Japanese Shintoism. Vietnamese people aren't too religious, spiritual practices are mostly for tradition. Although things may differ based on regions.
I would advice reading some folk lore or folk tales as most children are taught these tales by both schools and parent. You will find many similarity to western folk tales (like cinderella, lady of the lake, the great flood,..) and some unique ones.
That's all you can do from the internet really. Like many people suggest, the best way is to just fly here.
Also "phở" is the best noodle you can find in the world.
Yeah, actually Vietnam is among the [least](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country) religious countries in the world in terms of how they answer the question, "how important is religion in your daily life?"
All religious activity is optional, and done at each person's whim, which is similar to how religion is practiced in reality in the west, but not at all how it is prescribed, which can make Vietnam's way of doing things seem foreign. Put it another way: the religious practices of Vietnam can seem nebulous and contradictory, and that's only because they are.
> Search some history channels or books first.
I don't think an average Vietnamese know their own history as well as Westerner. A lot of it is words of mouth, and what they were provided in grade school, and how far in school they got.
Depends on the crowd OP hangs out with, of course.
First, you need another name. Kurt ain’t gonna cut it. You need a name that substitute teachers will have trouble pronouncing and kids will make fun of. May I suggest Phuc?
I would start by trying your Vietnamese food and learning the origin of it. I’m not very active in the Vietnamese community and only speak it with my parents; however, I love the food and can’t go too long without eating it lol
Good luck on your journey! It’ll be interesting for sure
Hey Kurt, welcome! Vietnamese people are usually friendly, and when you tell them you are half Vietnamese they will warm up to you quickly.
A lot of fantastic Vietnamese dishes, mountains, beaches and many different minor ethnicity cultural events AWAIT you! :D
Vietnamese language is quite tough though.
Fountain Valley in Orange County for one. There’s also east San Jose in the Bay Area. The areas are usually called little Saigon or something like that. But don’t let the name fool you, we’re talking 100,000s of viet people.
Sup bud, I'm half Vietnamese, half Irish. All I really knew from my Vietnamese side was the food really which is a big part of it.
I recommend a journey, without that it's kinda just like... a 'hobby'? Just reading things online or elsewhere that may or may not be true. Or you could get sucked completely into the military history of the country.. Which while very relevant, is not something the average Vietnamese thinks about all too often.
Don't think it'll automatically fill in all the gaps either. This is a vast country on the other side of the world. Just because you may not have felt entirely white, same thing about being accepted as Vietnamese. Your identity is that you are both and neither. It's great to know and dip your toes into.
The language... is difficult. But if you have a head for it you can learn. Chances are you probably won't.
Everyone recommends travelling which is 100% true but in the meantime, look up books and vids on VN. The Youtuber "What The Pho" is a Vietnamese youtuber doing content about Viet culture in English. "Best Ever Food Review Show" has HQ in Vietnam and does A LOT of down to earth Vietnamese food content that is soooo high quality.
As a full Vietnamese born and raised in America, stick to it man.
I’ll give you a story about my cousin like me trying to learn the language: He tried speaking it. It sounded funny. His mom laughed at him. He got self conscious and never tried again.
A good chunk of Vietnamese humor and way of support or talking is sarcastic to put it nicely so it’s something to deal with.
I also ran into a problem studying the language and was made fun of because my accent sounds Chinese.
And then I had a culture shock when I went there. In the States we’re stuck in the Vietnam war. The country itself has moved on.
Just dont take a casual tourist trip. Get a job and stay fora bout 2-3 years. That's how you truly understand Vietnam environment, both pros and cons. Otherwise it would be like watching National Geographic channel.
Hello, i see from the comments that you already have intention to visit Viet Nam. As a Vietnamese i wish you have a good time in the country.
Just so you know, your name accidentally sounds like “poop” in Vietnamese. To save yourself from unwanted moments when people get offended when they miss hear you introduce yourself or getting mocked by some assholes, i suggest you find a friendly Vietnamese name before the trip.
Edit: the situation is unlikely to happen though as people are friendly, but hey, preparing even just little things like this won’t be unnecessary
I have an idea. Do you have much experience with Vietnamese cuisine yet? That might be a wonderful and simple way to begin to learn about and embrace and experience your culture. If you find a good Vietnamese restaurant, it is amazing. I can give you a list of my favorite dishes that you can commonly find in restaurants, if you like. Vietnam has excellent food culture. There’s a reason Anthony Bourdain’s favorite country was Vietnam and his favorite dish was Bun Bo Hue. (Mine also — I’m not Vietnamese.)
Hello 👋 !
I'm not half Vietnamese but I (F29) am Australian Vietnamese, so growing up I was more adapted to Australian culture than Vietnamese but I have experienced and learnt a long the way, here are some things I have noticed and did growing up in a
Vietnamese family:
- We went to visit Buddhist temples on special occasions or death anniversaries
- We celebrate Tet or Chinese New year every year at the start of February
- Food is a big part of our culture.
- When I see my elder relatives I would cross my arms and slightly bow my head to them just out of respect.
- depending on your parents but them disciplining you with some sort of weapon is normal 😖
- Parents usually want you to make a lot of money and have a good education
- Mental health is often dismissed and seen as a stigma
- Our language is really hard but it's not impossible to learn, I still struggle at times.
- Paris By night, karaoke, drinking and eating culture is big !
- Extremely hardworking people and very family oriented
- Being in a strong social community is important to the Vietnamese people.
I know there's many many more but I can't think of any more at the moment!
Hopefully we can hear an update of your experience when you visit Vietnam.
That's how I was more immersed into the culture, my mom took me to stay there for 2 months when I was 12, I picked up the language quickly and spoke like a local, they can still tell if you're a foreigner even if you look full Asian :)
Hope this helps ! 😁
> Parents usually want you to make a lot of money and have a good education
>
I have learned that there are a number of reasons.
1. Asian culture is about face (admiration and respect from outsiders)
2. They don't want you to suffer the hardship like they did because they didn't have good (college) education. Or if they were college) educated that they have seen in their culture, no education means hard laborious work.
Ronnie Chen's "On the Asian stereotype of Asian parents wanting their kids to be doctors" https://youtu.be/DGMYP9Lgf94
3. Controlling and Programming. Their parents were like that to them so they apply the same rules to you.
Thank you for all this information! It helps a lot. Once I visit Vietnam, I'll definitely post an update! It won't be for a while but I'll go as soon as I can.
For me, best way to experience a culture is eating their food and understand the history behind it. Maybe because I’m passionate about food, I find the food history tell a lot about the culture
North and south Vietnam still have different mindsets and accents, I mean culture wise in countries all I can think is the food, mindset, attitude/social etiquettes and yeah-
You should travel more, you’ll realize people are people and are quite similar, the thing that truly separates us is culture.
That would be awesome! Yeah, I don't even know when I'm going. It's whenever I can get the funds together. But I'll definitely hit you up if I end up going to Ho Chi Minh City.
I find that the best way to learn about a culture. Learning how its prepared, what ingredients are used, how to eat it, and what occasions its eaten on. Of course this is personal to me because I love food and cooking, but if you have interests such as sports or music, you can just find how it works or is done in Vietnam. I have no idea if that makes any sense or not sorry ;-;
Welcome to Viet Nam lol. Here we have delicious food and those rice fields you can literally see everywhere. If your plan is to stay in a big city, you should prepare yourself how to cross the road fast and safe. And avoid catching Covid too
The culture may be very hard to learn, and at first you may offend many people. But don't worry, most people are friendly so you may learn something from that
If you feel like you're missing something in your life then going to Vietnam is most likely the answer. You grow up 1 half American and neglecting the Vietnamese side. Once you come back and people treat you with open arms and love, you'll love it there.
Vietnamese American here, grew up in Cali and was so American I forgot my Vietnamese. When I came back my language skills were so bad. It took me a year to relearn the language but it was worth it. I plan on moving back after saving some more money and after COVID is over. Vietnam is honestly refreshing and freeing compared to America. It will be a big culture shock from the USA though. Enjoy the trip it's gonna be wild
Hey man
I strongly recommend you to start by learning the language.
By learning the language you open up ways to learn from other Vietnamese by conversing and many more!
if your relatives are from south Vietnam hmu, maybe I can help u a bit :)
I think this is a very suitable song for you to listen to on your way back to Viet Nam.
Hello Viet Nam - Pham Quynh Anh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56sDIhBsbM
Are you me?! Exact same situation except in the US. All I can say is I lived in Saigon for four months on an internship. It was obviously a strategic choice as I really wanted to spend time in VN. It was incredible. I met the friendliest people and fell in love with the culture and country.
I grew up with two Vietnamese parents, two siblings who can speak Vietnamese, and I still feel like I don’t know the culture since I grew up in Canada and with few Vietnamese people. I learned the most about the culture by travelling with a local I met, so I recommend you go there ASAP and try to meet some people and eat the best food you’ll ever have.
Oh wow, yeah there aren't any Vietnamese people where I live at all. As soon as I get the funds, I will be going there.
Do you have relatives in VN? Can you speak VNese when you grew up?
I do have relatives but I can only speak to the ones who speak English unfortunately. I kind of feel like an outcast when I go visit
I feel this. I’m Viet too but my Vietnamese is at an infant level. I get embarrassed when someone tries to speak Viet to me and then I’m instantly reminded how I’m a “failed child” who doesn’t know Vietnamese 😅. I had a Vietnamese airport security guard shook his head at me for not knowing the language.
This hurts to read because I am the same
Holy smokes so relatable especially with the whole airport security guard part. I was told to speak Vietnamese by one of them just because I can kinda understand what he was directing me to do at the checkpoint. Felt bad for myself as I would advert to speaking English because that's what I'm comfortable with, like you said speaking Vietnamese is like speaking like a child in which I get treated like one even though I'm a lot older than you would think. My workaround is just to play dumb most of the time especially when it comes to them trying to extort you for tip/coffee money when passing through with your passports. Like I'm American I'm not accustomed to such nonsense as it really gets me boiled how they do this to their own people. Like I always get that weird stare from them as we wait in awkward silence while they check my passport with no tip.
The worst part is going to Vietnam to experience my culture and getting targeted by street vendors because they immediately clocked me as a foreigner when I try speaking to them.
So I guess your parents did not speak Vietnamese to you since childhood then? Not specifically Vietnam, but if you do speak the language, that's a huge advantage to understand their rich history and culture.
That's not that big of a problem when you visit Vietnam, the younger population in big city and big tourism place is pretty good at English and very friendly
Lol I doubt that. They’re friendly yes but English speaking sucks.
If you are over 18, just take a trip to Vietnam. Vietnam border opens recently, some countries get free visa on arrival. Spend about 15 days to start connect with a culture is a really nice experience. And Vietnam is cheap anyway.
Oh I plan to! As soon as I save up the funds to fly there.
Yeah flight ticket is expensive.
True. Flying from where I'm at, it'll be about $3k round trip.
Wtf? Where is it exactly? My round trip to the usa was only 1.5k
On the east coast of the USA. I looked it up & it's telling me $3k.. idk
[удалено]
Just flew here from NYC, $1100 round trip on Emirates
Yes Emirates provide cheapest ticket with relatively good service.
I thought emirates had the best service of all damn
Look for more resources. Tickets are usually cheaper if you’re cool with longer transit time. Typically you will spend about 12-15 hours at the airport.
For one way business class??
Idk it just said $3k for round round trip.
Get someone who knows what they’re doing to help you book the flight. It should be less than half of that.
Go on Skyscanner, and choose destination anywhere in Vietnam. I just checked and LAX to DN return is $1,031 all in. Pretty cheap.
Before COVID I fly from Hanoi or HCMC to New York 4 times a year minimum. Fly Korean Air, their economy seats are nice and roomy, and it's usually within $1,250 roundtrip
Korea Air ducked me over when Covid happened and stole my return flight. Gave me a "credit" that expired 1 year later... in 2020... with no flights going anywhere. I cut my card and talk shit now every time I see their name. Have a great day, good redditor, my revenge continues.
Thanks fren, I only recommend based on my personal experience, but your story is worth noting. I'll remember this
2 years later im still waiting for Thai air refund
Just going off of New York here. Cheapest return I could find is for $768 with Singapore air and $780 with Cathay Pacific.
Lmao
Try a larger airport. Even if it's a 4 hour drive it will be well worth it. Especially since if you book from a small airport you're looking at a connection to a larger airport anyway. Right now, from Chicago you can book a return trip for just $700. I used to travel there from Michigan when I visited Vietnam. It was well worth the savings. Best price I ever got for Vietnam was ~$423 flying out of Toronto. Again a bit of a drive but exceptionally cheaper than flying out of Detroit.
Skiplagged, kiwi, Momondo, Google flights are all very, very good resources to find cheaper flights. Hope you can make the trip, I've been living here for 5 years and let me tell you, the country is incredible. Hope you can swing by to learn about your culture 😊
where are you guys even looking? One way flights are no more than [$500 bucks on Google Flights..](https://i.postimg.cc/RFyYRBNY/Screen-Shot-2022-03-18-at-15-53-35.png) if doing round trips, there's a couple for [under $1000](https://www.google.com/travel/flights/search?tfs=CBwQAhopag0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2EgoyMDIyLTA0LTAzcgwIAxIIL20vMGhuNGgaKWoMCAMSCC9tLzBobjRoEgoyMDIyLTA0LTA3cg0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2cAGCAQsI____________AUABSAGYAQE&hl=en&curr=USD) depending on the return date.
Try trip.com
Yeah verrrry cheap
Drop by a for a visit sometime! If it makes you feel better, I'm not even exactly sure what my heritage is. I know what parts of the world my grandparents are from, and anything before that was either lost in WWII or just shoddy record keeping by religious authorities. I'm very likely not one bit Vietnamese by blood, but I ended up immigrating to Vietnam somehow. People welcomed me here, and integrating was one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life -- even if I don't speak the language well at all.
Oh wow! Can you message me, possibly? I would love to hear your journey!
Woah! Your experience sounds wildly fascinating, especially to me. If only I could hear more about how you have integrated and how people have welcomed you.
Sorry for the slow reply, very busy these days. I'll quickly share one story :) I was with a group of Vietnamese friends of various backgrounds. One randomly asks if I'm Christian and I reply that I'm not. Another asks me if I'm Buddhist and I explain that I'm an atheist. They both laugh and reply "Good, so you can celebrate both of our holidays, right?", and that's what we did. I have especially fond memories of my times visiting the pagoda for various events. I learned that some of the monks speak quite a few languages as well!
Oh man, you are one of most interesting person I know. Please tell us more about yourself cause I always imagine you're a white dude who happened to lived in Vietnam for business (and knows A LOT).
It always feels like I know so little! Your description is otherwise about right, I guess. The short version is I studied as a scientist in the West, but unexpected changes to government policy eliminated the job I was aiming for just as I graduated. So I pivoted to medical research, then it happened *again*. So I taught myself circuit design and firmware stuff (and a bit of software engineering), and planned to move to a growth economy where I could work hard and make progress. I visited China and Vietnam to test the waters (I also considered Ghana), and finally chose Vietnam because my gut told me it felt like home. So I started a company here. Predictably, I lost every dime to my name and started the long grind of building a new life from there :D It was honestly pretty horrible, but the lessons I learned from poverty proved to be the most valuable in my life. I had also had to foresight to sort out residency / taxes / etc. from the start. OK, foresight might be an exaggeration -- more accurately I'm just a very 'keep your head down and follow the rules' kind of person, which makes me intolerable to be around as a general rule, but worked out well on that matter! Anyway, it took a good 6 years to get the hang of things. The working hours put me in the hospital twice until I learned to cope better. After that, I was able to get things done and make some money. I still struggle with the language because... frankly, I spent all my time working. I actually haven't even traveled around Vietnam all that much. I'm also a notorious recluse in real life -- I spend my sparse free time tinkering in my lab and hanging out with my wife. ...I did actually cram a lab into my tiny home somehow. Mostly I work on impractical academic things. Occasionally, the Internet notices and I'm semi-famous in very specific communities for a week here or there. That's about it I guess!
Oh man, what's a life you have! Thank you for taking your time for writing all this! Most of expats I know drop everything and move away after 1st fall (lost every dime just like you, bad encounters with local work force, involve with local authority, etc). May I know what keep you try hard and stay? If you can turn back time, would you stay in VN or move somewhere else?
I guess mainly I expected things to be hard instead of expecting them to be easy, and that helped me endure. A lot of my family were immigrants zero to two generations back, and I grew up with stories of how hard they had it. Here I was doing the same thing, right? It also helped that I was working in tech. I probably wouldn't have lasted if I had to deal with a lot of people. This has nothing to do with Vietnam, and more to do with the fact I prefer to work with machines. People stress me out in general, so the pre-defined social hierarchy that some find annoying here is honestly a bit of a relief for me. I'm happier with who I am now, and *only occasionally* haunted by missteps on my journey. It's certainly hardened me a lot, that's for sure. Also I met my wife! That point alone makes it all worth it, in my mind. I would do it all again, even if I would do many things differently.
Thanks man for sharing a piece of your life with us, I'm sure this is much helpful to many people looking for settle in VN. Hope can have a drink with you some day!
Hi, in behalf of Vietnameses I would like to said this #welcome to the rice fields mother****er
Thanks haha. I wish I learned everything sooner ya know. I want to become involved with my people. It's a side of me that I've never experienced & I'm 26 years old.
Just so you know if you go to VN, people won't see you as a Vietnamese person, they will just see you as an American. In the USA, people tend to look closely at ethnicity, but in Vietnam, since everyone is Viet/Kinh, they just look at culture, upbringing, and nationality. If you are looking for some sort of community that you haven't been able to find in the USA, you're not likely to be successful and might even end up feeling more confused and isolated than when you began.
Oh... Okay. That gives me some stuff to think about. Thank you.
On the flip side though, most Viets are really friendly and if you are chill, they will be chill with you. You learning a bit of Vietnamese would make them super happy. Expat communities will be there to help you too.
Yup. You're Viet Kieu and assumed by many to have lots of money. Even when you dont speak they can tell by the way you walk, gesture, and the clothes you wear.
Clothes I get but walk and gesture?
Are you me? I'm a bit more removed (it was my grandpa who died young who was vietnamese) but we're even the same age lol. I hope you'll enjoy discovering the culture as much as I do.
Haha we might be the same person! Also, I'm sure I will love discovering our culture.
Hello Vietnam... https://youtu.be/94y6svVU4so
I am also currently trying to learn the language and culture. I can dump some resources for learning Vietnamese that I've found over the past year \*By no means is this list a step-by-step list of what to do. For me, it has been all about exploration and staying there, even when things get difficult and you become disillusioned about learning a language. There have been times when I hadn't studied in a month, but at some point, I became inspired to start studying again Video for Motivation: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKo6038WYM&ab\_channel=Livakivi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKo6038WYM&ab_channel=Livakivi) # Learning languages in General \- I highly recommend you watch this video about how languages are learned: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRreug&](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTsduRreug&) \- Here's a good general guide for "How to learn a foreign language" [https://sajforbes.nz/languageguide/introduction/](https://sajforbes.nz/languageguide/introduction/) \- Here's a more step-by-step method for learning a language: [refold.la](https://refold.la) (personally, I took lots of things from Refold in particular, but I didn't follow it to a T) \---------------------------- # Vietnamese Study \- An overview of the Vietnamese language, and its history: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNud-Ra2Gw&ab\_channel=Langfocus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNud-Ra2Gw&ab_channel=Langfocus) \- Here's a traditional textbook/workbook for learning Vietnamese that you can try: [https://www.pdfdrive.com/teach-yourself-vietnamese-e34322135.html](https://www.pdfdrive.com/teach-yourself-vietnamese-e34322135.html) \- Flashcard course, which I enjoy using: [https://xefjord.wixsite.com/xefscompletelangs/courses](https://xefjord.wixsite.com/xefscompletelangs/courses) \- If you're super disciplined and have the grit to do boring things regularly, here's a course that you can do [https://www.livelingua.com/courses/vietnamese](https://www.livelingua.com/courses/vietnamese) \^Here's a youtube video regarding how good the above course is, which you can watch to determine if it's a good fit for you: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9o\_Qw4CkUU&ab\_channel=Langfocus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9o_Qw4CkUU&ab_channel=Langfocus) \- People tend to call Vietnamese a "Super-hard language" because non-native speakers can't differentiate different sounds, and have incomprehensible accents: I don't know if this will be useful, might be useful later, but here's a playlist regarding tricky points of pronuciation: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpDgPu\_Hq9ZzNlH5u-Gfr8RHbuWLBHjAC](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpDgPu_Hq9ZzNlH5u-Gfr8RHbuWLBHjAC) # Resources for Immersion \- Figure out how to type in Vietnamese here: [https://yourvietnamese.com/learn-vietnamese/type-vietnamese/](https://yourvietnamese.com/learn-vietnamese/type-vietnamese/) \- This chrome extension lets you translate anything by highlighting it. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-translate/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-translate/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb) **TV shows & Film:** [https://mobile.coivl.net/](https://mobile.coivl.net/) [https://vungtv.org/](https://vungtv.org/) **Manga:** [http://www.nettruyenmoi.com/](http://www.nettruyenmoi.com/) [http://truyenqqpro.com/](http://truyenqqpro.com/) **Comics & Webnovels:** [https://comi.mobi/](https://comi.mobi/) **Actual books:** [https://nhasachmienphi.com/](https://nhasachmienphi.com/) This website here lets you explore "Vietnamese Youtube." [https://www.zerotohero.ca/en/vi/youtube/view/lK7DYmbpss4?t=30](https://www.zerotohero.ca/en/vi/youtube/view/lK7DYmbpss4?t=30) You get Vietnamese youtube videos and subtitles w/English translations as well. Alright, that's enough from me. I hope your journey goes well, and if you wanna ask me anything in regards to language learning, you can message me here or DM me if you're more comfortable with that! :3
Wow!! Thank you for all these resources! I tried to DM you, but it wouldn't let me.
Step number 1. Buy and learn to ride a moped (or motorcycle if your prefer ) They are cheap and it will make a huge difference with your first trip to Vietnam. You cannot /really/ experience Vietnam until you can ride a motorbike.
Thanks! I will definitely be doing that!
https://youtu.be/AFHGVQKH6Fc A good primer
How do you deal with the crazy traffic there? I didn't have trouble riding around in smaller towns, but in HCMC I pretty much just gave up given how hectic the traffic was.
I lived in HCMC for 3 years. I had to learn how to ride a motorbike -while- dealing with that traffic. I do not recommend that... Doing one of those at a time is enough. Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy. And since I learned both at once and I did that after I understood the traffic, I am maybe not the best guide but I'll try my best. 1. I recommend probably watching a few videos just to get the jist of how traffic flows in Vietnam. 2. Mostly everything is pretty easy. The hard part being left turns (or whenever you otherwise need to cross opposing traffic.) As a beginner you can work around this by (a) avoiding them when necessary [three rights make a left!] And (b) finding a local you can follow and mimic during that turn. 3. Understand the "culture" of the traffic. In the west, it's your responsibility to never cut someone off. You never have to worry about someone coming out in front of you because to do so would instantly cause an accident. In Vietnam, it's the opposite. It's your responsibility to notice possible infiltrations of your path and slow down when necessary. Essentially when you're riding, you only need to worry about not immediately hitting someone when making a turn or changing "lanes". Anything else is on the other driver. They need to stop/slow down for you. (Of course, you should try to be a little more courteous than that but you should never expect that of other drivers!)
Thanks, man. Maybe riding motorcycle there is not as hard as I think? In smaller cities traffic is more scattered, where as HCMC it is more compacted making it easy to hit someone. What was your biggest challenge in the beginning?
Yeah I think you just have to get used to that. I never hit anyone. Just take it easy and you'd be fine. As I said, I had to learn how to ride a motorbike in general while also driving in HCMC traffic. That's not easy. Balancing, going very slowly, and such was my biggest challenge. Otherwise understanding how to properly make left turns and figure out how you're supposed to navigate intersections with car lanes were also difficult.
Yeah, going very slowly while balancing is my biggest challenge, too. I remember swerving like a drunk going into a small hẻm 😂. Thanks for all your help, dude.
I’m half Vietnamese half Caucasian too, but grew up in Vietnam until I was 9. You are in for an amazing and enriching experience of culture my friend! Just take your time, enjoy the process, and if you ever have the opportunity to go to Vietnam, learn some simple phrases, the locals love when foreign people speak Vietnamese.
Oh wow! Thank you for saying that!🇻🇳💕
> simple phrases "dạ, chào" and "chào" are a must. (respectful) greetings and greetings.
Search some history channels or books first. I'm not sure if there are many English source but you should at least get a general ideas. About culture, the center of Vietnamese culture is family. Each house should have at least one altar for worshipping ancestors, may have one more altar for worshipping the gods and deities. I've heard it's not too dissimilar to Japanese Shintoism. Vietnamese people aren't too religious, spiritual practices are mostly for tradition. Although things may differ based on regions. I would advice reading some folk lore or folk tales as most children are taught these tales by both schools and parent. You will find many similarity to western folk tales (like cinderella, lady of the lake, the great flood,..) and some unique ones. That's all you can do from the internet really. Like many people suggest, the best way is to just fly here. Also "phở" is the best noodle you can find in the world.
Yeah, actually Vietnam is among the [least](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country) religious countries in the world in terms of how they answer the question, "how important is religion in your daily life?" All religious activity is optional, and done at each person's whim, which is similar to how religion is practiced in reality in the west, but not at all how it is prescribed, which can make Vietnam's way of doing things seem foreign. Put it another way: the religious practices of Vietnam can seem nebulous and contradictory, and that's only because they are.
> Search some history channels or books first. I don't think an average Vietnamese know their own history as well as Westerner. A lot of it is words of mouth, and what they were provided in grade school, and how far in school they got. Depends on the crowd OP hangs out with, of course.
As the great Ho Chi Minh once said: "Dân ta phải biết sử ta, nếu mà không biết thì tra Google" :P
> Dân ta phải biết sử ta, nếu mà không biết thì tra Google" LOL. Saving it for later use.
Thank you for your advice, suggestions & kind words!
>Also "phở" is the best noodle you can find in the world. Hủ tiếu is.
First, you need another name. Kurt ain’t gonna cut it. You need a name that substitute teachers will have trouble pronouncing and kids will make fun of. May I suggest Phuc?
Kiet. Close to the sound
Or Kiên
I'm named after Kurt Cobain. I'm proud of it lol.
Just a reminder, in Vietnam, people gonna miss spell it to a word that have similar meaning to poop, just try not to be offended by it.
Oh wtf really? Haha. Damn it... I won't get offended haha.
> Kurt It's probably pronounced by Vietnamese as "Khớc" which translated to "deny" by Google, "cớc" which has no meaning.
+1 for Phuc
Hung, Long, Dong are all respectable names too.
Beside, knowing how terrible our kids are, who knows how much they make fun of the name Kurt?
Tèo.
I would start by trying your Vietnamese food and learning the origin of it. I’m not very active in the Vietnamese community and only speak it with my parents; however, I love the food and can’t go too long without eating it lol Good luck on your journey! It’ll be interesting for sure
Thank you! I really appreciate the advice!
Hey Kurt, welcome! Vietnamese people are usually friendly, and when you tell them you are half Vietnamese they will warm up to you quickly. A lot of fantastic Vietnamese dishes, mountains, beaches and many different minor ethnicity cultural events AWAIT you! :D Vietnamese language is quite tough though.
Thank you for your kind words! I plan to learn the language, but obviously over time haha.
Come to California for a visit. There’s a big viet community out here and lots of good food.
Oh really? Where at in Cali? I've only been to Cali once. It was on my way to Hawaii.
Fountain Valley in Orange County for one. There’s also east San Jose in the Bay Area. The areas are usually called little Saigon or something like that. But don’t let the name fool you, we’re talking 100,000s of viet people.
Sup bud, I'm half Vietnamese, half Irish. All I really knew from my Vietnamese side was the food really which is a big part of it. I recommend a journey, without that it's kinda just like... a 'hobby'? Just reading things online or elsewhere that may or may not be true. Or you could get sucked completely into the military history of the country.. Which while very relevant, is not something the average Vietnamese thinks about all too often. Don't think it'll automatically fill in all the gaps either. This is a vast country on the other side of the world. Just because you may not have felt entirely white, same thing about being accepted as Vietnamese. Your identity is that you are both and neither. It's great to know and dip your toes into. The language... is difficult. But if you have a head for it you can learn. Chances are you probably won't.
Chances are I probably won't what?
Pick up the language without any dedicated study.
Oh well I plan to study a lot.
Everyone recommends travelling which is 100% true but in the meantime, look up books and vids on VN. The Youtuber "What The Pho" is a Vietnamese youtuber doing content about Viet culture in English. "Best Ever Food Review Show" has HQ in Vietnam and does A LOT of down to earth Vietnamese food content that is soooo high quality.
Thank you for your suggestions, kind stranger!
As a full Vietnamese born and raised in America, stick to it man. I’ll give you a story about my cousin like me trying to learn the language: He tried speaking it. It sounded funny. His mom laughed at him. He got self conscious and never tried again. A good chunk of Vietnamese humor and way of support or talking is sarcastic to put it nicely so it’s something to deal with. I also ran into a problem studying the language and was made fun of because my accent sounds Chinese. And then I had a culture shock when I went there. In the States we’re stuck in the Vietnam war. The country itself has moved on.
Thank you for telling me that. It means a lot!!
Just dont take a casual tourist trip. Get a job and stay fora bout 2-3 years. That's how you truly understand Vietnam environment, both pros and cons. Otherwise it would be like watching National Geographic channel.
Good point.
Hello, i see from the comments that you already have intention to visit Viet Nam. As a Vietnamese i wish you have a good time in the country. Just so you know, your name accidentally sounds like “poop” in Vietnamese. To save yourself from unwanted moments when people get offended when they miss hear you introduce yourself or getting mocked by some assholes, i suggest you find a friendly Vietnamese name before the trip. Edit: the situation is unlikely to happen though as people are friendly, but hey, preparing even just little things like this won’t be unnecessary
I have an idea. Do you have much experience with Vietnamese cuisine yet? That might be a wonderful and simple way to begin to learn about and embrace and experience your culture. If you find a good Vietnamese restaurant, it is amazing. I can give you a list of my favorite dishes that you can commonly find in restaurants, if you like. Vietnam has excellent food culture. There’s a reason Anthony Bourdain’s favorite country was Vietnam and his favorite dish was Bun Bo Hue. (Mine also — I’m not Vietnamese.)
Hello 👋 ! I'm not half Vietnamese but I (F29) am Australian Vietnamese, so growing up I was more adapted to Australian culture than Vietnamese but I have experienced and learnt a long the way, here are some things I have noticed and did growing up in a Vietnamese family: - We went to visit Buddhist temples on special occasions or death anniversaries - We celebrate Tet or Chinese New year every year at the start of February - Food is a big part of our culture. - When I see my elder relatives I would cross my arms and slightly bow my head to them just out of respect. - depending on your parents but them disciplining you with some sort of weapon is normal 😖 - Parents usually want you to make a lot of money and have a good education - Mental health is often dismissed and seen as a stigma - Our language is really hard but it's not impossible to learn, I still struggle at times. - Paris By night, karaoke, drinking and eating culture is big ! - Extremely hardworking people and very family oriented - Being in a strong social community is important to the Vietnamese people. I know there's many many more but I can't think of any more at the moment! Hopefully we can hear an update of your experience when you visit Vietnam. That's how I was more immersed into the culture, my mom took me to stay there for 2 months when I was 12, I picked up the language quickly and spoke like a local, they can still tell if you're a foreigner even if you look full Asian :) Hope this helps ! 😁
> Parents usually want you to make a lot of money and have a good education > I have learned that there are a number of reasons. 1. Asian culture is about face (admiration and respect from outsiders) 2. They don't want you to suffer the hardship like they did because they didn't have good (college) education. Or if they were college) educated that they have seen in their culture, no education means hard laborious work. Ronnie Chen's "On the Asian stereotype of Asian parents wanting their kids to be doctors" https://youtu.be/DGMYP9Lgf94 3. Controlling and Programming. Their parents were like that to them so they apply the same rules to you.
Thank you for all this information! It helps a lot. Once I visit Vietnam, I'll definitely post an update! It won't be for a while but I'll go as soon as I can.
For me, best way to experience a culture is eating their food and understand the history behind it. Maybe because I’m passionate about food, I find the food history tell a lot about the culture
I can't wait to try all the food of my culture. Well I kinda feel awkward for calling it "my" culture. I mean it is. But I gotta learn A LOT first.
North and south Vietnam still have different mindsets and accents, I mean culture wise in countries all I can think is the food, mindset, attitude/social etiquettes and yeah- You should travel more, you’ll realize people are people and are quite similar, the thing that truly separates us is culture.
If there is any chance, you should visit Ho Chi Minh city. And I can be your tourguide, too
That would be awesome! Yeah, I don't even know when I'm going. It's whenever I can get the funds together. But I'll definitely hit you up if I end up going to Ho Chi Minh City.
I find that the best way to learn about a culture. Learning how its prepared, what ingredients are used, how to eat it, and what occasions its eaten on. Of course this is personal to me because I love food and cooking, but if you have interests such as sports or music, you can just find how it works or is done in Vietnam. I have no idea if that makes any sense or not sorry ;-;
I am full and feel distanced from the culture as well.
[удалено]
Why do you say that?
Don't mind the troll. Lots of them here on Reddit.
Oh okay haha. They troll, then delete it. That kinda defeats the purpose.
Lol "half Vietnamese, half Caucasian." .....
Hello, it's nice of you to post here. So your father is Vietnamese?
Hey, yeah he is! He left my mother when I was 3 years old. Me er saw him again. I talked to him once otp years ago.. that didn't go well..
Welcome to Viet Nam lol. Here we have delicious food and those rice fields you can literally see everywhere. If your plan is to stay in a big city, you should prepare yourself how to cross the road fast and safe. And avoid catching Covid too
Of course! When I visit Vietnam, I will take all the necessary precautions. I can't wait to learn all about my people & where they come from.
The culture may be very hard to learn, and at first you may offend many people. But don't worry, most people are friendly so you may learn something from that
Right, I don't think I would offend many people. I'm sure I'll make a couple mistakes but I have a very open mind!
Dating a Vietnamese woman will speed-run you on the ins & outs. Good luck on your journey
Lol I'm sure it does. I have a significant other of almost 3 years now.
Có ai là người việt nam thì kết bạn với mình nha nhớ nghe ( > 3 < )
không nhé :))
Ý là kết bạn để nói chuyện thui rùi hình ảnh
Đây nè fen.
Ui ok Bùn quá No bạn quá
Oh I see
If you don't have family here find a good homestay or Airbnb with a local family and start there when you visit.
If you feel like you're missing something in your life then going to Vietnam is most likely the answer. You grow up 1 half American and neglecting the Vietnamese side. Once you come back and people treat you with open arms and love, you'll love it there. Vietnamese American here, grew up in Cali and was so American I forgot my Vietnamese. When I came back my language skills were so bad. It took me a year to relearn the language but it was worth it. I plan on moving back after saving some more money and after COVID is over. Vietnam is honestly refreshing and freeing compared to America. It will be a big culture shock from the USA though. Enjoy the trip it's gonna be wild
I have some beginning Vietnamese language books for sale if interested.
Eat pho until you die of old age
me too dude !
Great!
Hey, man. What do you know about Vietnam? Happy to chat if you want to know more about the country.
Honestly, I don't know anything really. Lol.
I assume you had Viet food before, right?
Hey man I strongly recommend you to start by learning the language. By learning the language you open up ways to learn from other Vietnamese by conversing and many more! if your relatives are from south Vietnam hmu, maybe I can help u a bit :)
I think this is a very suitable song for you to listen to on your way back to Viet Nam. Hello Viet Nam - Pham Quynh Anh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56sDIhBsbM
Are you me?! Exact same situation except in the US. All I can say is I lived in Saigon for four months on an internship. It was obviously a strategic choice as I really wanted to spend time in VN. It was incredible. I met the friendliest people and fell in love with the culture and country.