Vietnam and culture?

Question

How is direct communication viewed-- is it considered rude or is it expected in Vietnam?? Please any sites i would really appreciate this...

Answer 1

I think that direct communication is NOT considered rude in VietNam. But somehow it can't be fully ( always) expected. For example, with someone who can speak English,French, you can be sure that making direct communication would be all right because these are educated ones. Otherwise, you may fail because mostly, vietnamese ladies are pretty SHY, especially those whose cannot understand what you are trying to say. In this case, try to find help from someone who can be as a go-between. That will help.

I hope I can help you with my humble opinion as above. Good luck and best wishes.

Answer 2

I'm Vietnamese, but that doesn't help you does it!  Here is a website that I found that is pretty good at describing the interactions:

http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/cultures/vi...

Look under "Greetings" and on down.

Answer 3

Direct communication is certainly not considered rude over here. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I speak very little Vietnamese and I am constantly interacting with the locals. As an American, people are curious about me because I am so different from them. They constantly stop me on the street and ask questions. If my wife is with me, they get a coherent answer lol.

Whenever I take our son for a walk in his stroller, we are practically mobbed by women who want to touch him, kiss him, make funny faces etc. He is half Viet but he looks just like me, Irish pale skin and all. The women love him and he loves the attention.

One thing you shouldn't do is touch a small child on top of the head, it's got something to do with Buddhism.