Q&A: Vietnamese Culture 101 (Tipping in Vietnam, Drinking Culture, Why no shoes in the house?)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- In today's video, I will answer your questions about Vietnamese culture. You will learn a lot about Vietnamese tipping culture, drinking, giving gifts etiquette, and why Vietnamese people don't wear shoes in their house, etc.
Cảm ơn bạn Thu Hà và Thuỳ Trang đã giúp dịch video này!
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Hey, I’m Van Vu from Vietnam! I’m gonna show you a BUN CHA good food besides PHO (Hope you like the puns :)) I love sharing Vietnamese unique food, hidden gems, and especially our culture. I strongly believe that the world will be a better place if we know each other’s culture. Learn more about me here: whatthephovn.c...
For business inquiries - vanvu@whatthephovn.com
Rất tự hào khi chị có thể đưa Văn hóa VN đến với nhiều người trên TG
My Vietnamese wife has been wondering where I'm learning all these vietnamese culture traits from. I told her it's a big time secret. I met my wife in lagi, Vietnam while on a trip to Vietnam/Thailand. Around 6 years ago. After 3 years of talking I asked her if she wanted to come to Minnesota. She said yes and your videos help me understand the way she is. I get it now.
My wife is from Lagi as well. She was actually born in Ben Tre province. We live in DFW, Texas, now. My wife moved to the States in late 2019. It would be hilarious if they know each other, lol.
@@bouncingdude I bet they know each other, my wife know people in texas too.
@@bouncingdude my wife name Lien Thi Bich Nguyen, she is from phuoc hoi ward neighborhood. Quynh luu street
Aw! I'm so glad to hear that! Understanding other culture is very important for a strong love :)) Hope you and your wife are safe and well
@@brandorambo6644 Hi! My wife checked last night. She doesn't know her by name but a pic would help. My wife, Quynh, also started a TH-cam channel. Here's the link if you're interested in checking it out: th-cam.com/channels/aRbfqtWhe0I3t9YHTEVfQg.html
Hi! I'm a Filipino and an ESL teacher. And I am here because I just started to teach Vietnamese kids English online. I wanna know more about your culture especially your education system with regard to English. Thank you. Love lots from PH. ❤
Best of luck!
Beautiful lovely culture ,Amazing
Thích kênh của em từ thời Covid19❤❤
Vân is so xinh đẹp and tràn đầy energetic. Always ủng hộ Van. 😂
Great video 👏🏼 I've traveled to many SE Asia countries over the past few years, and loved them all. But Vietnam holds a special place in my heart. I wanted to visit the Country since high school, and had super high expectations. I'm gonna tell you, my expectations weren't only met, but also exceeded. Honestly, I did know Vietnamese were nice people, but I didn't expect them to be so friendly and welcoming. I enjoyed every single moment I spent in Vietnam, from Hanoi, to Hoi An, to Saigon. I really can't wait to be back. Lots of love from Milan (Italy).
Thank you for your kind words! Please visit Vietnam again when you can :)
nice
Hi Pho, I am in Ham Tien , near Phan Thiet and Mui Ne. I started coming here for the winters in 2016. I have lived in China , Thailand , Cambodia , Phils and honestly I love Vietnam the most. Fortunate for me I arrived for this trip Dec. 1 2019 and have been allowed to stay and I am very happy for that. Thank you for your video's , you do a great job and in one way you are like me eheheh I to do not speak or understand the language . Im sure you must be picking up some of the language but for me I have no words in Vietnamese. Have a few very good Viet. friends here, I love being in the country side near the ocean, here people are more relaxed , friendlier , I did visit Nha Tran and Da Nang and Hoi An but here there is no city on the beach, PERFECT. Wish you all the best .
😘😘😘
Gary, where were you originally and what brought you to the Orient? Just curious.
thank you SO much very useful guide i will follow your suggestions when i arrive in hanoi!!
Some observations while touring Vietnam - furniture in traditional Vietnamese homes - dark stained heavy wooden furniture with no padding or cusion. A solid wooden sofa with a base the size of a bed. Hamocks are often seen. Motor scooters parked in the front room. You often see houses open during the evening- you can walk down the street and see what they are watching on tv. While touring south Vietnam with a friend from Saigon, as soon as they hear someone from the north speak they immediatly know they are from the north. Plastic chairs and stainless steel tables in cafes. If its a drink it gets served with a block of ice in it (in Saigon at least). Light green paint is used everywhere. Everybody in the tourist industry is super helpful.
Interesting to see a video about Vietnamese history, for example Chinese influence on food, architecture, art etc. in your videos.
Or maybe how similar are Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, how can we notice it in everyday life.
The "wealth bringing cat" figure is actually a Japanese culture thing. Thanks for the video, I learn a lot even I have had Vietnamese friends.
I can absolutely understand why Anthony Bourdain fell in love with your country. My grandfather also spoke very highly of the genuine kindness that the Vietnamese people possess. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to teach English in Vietnam and experience the culture that these two great men spoke so highly of.
I am little but I have big appetites to learn. I learn alot abut Vietnam from you :P
I am so happy that the Vietnamese people have become so happy and successful!
Thank you for this documentary. We did more documentary on Vietnamese culture. More so we did history of Vietnamese people from ancient to present before war with U.S..
ngày nào cũng thích nghe Van Vu nói hay quá, giá như bạn trainning cả tiếng Anh nhỉ
Chào em, chị rất thích những video của em và cách mà em quảng bá VN tới các bạn nước ngoài. Tuy nhiên trong clip này, ở câu hỏi là tại sao người VN không thích nhận quà từ người nước ngoài, đặc biệt là tiền. Câu trả lời của em là đúng chỉ với 1 số người, bên cạnh đó cũng có những người thực sự k muốn nhận quà là tiền, bởi vì họ có lòng tự trọng và không muốn bị người khác hiểu lầm là lợi dụng tiền bạc. Chị lo lắng rằng câu trả lời của em sẽ vô tình khiến người nước ngoài có cái nhìn không hay về người VN. Cám ơn em đã đọc comment này của chị.
Great video,Van!
Just one good thing you forgot to mention:
The positive and optimist attitude towards life
Just one question: Is there any conflict on the concept "Việt kiều"?I asked a friend and she told me that it's the Vietnamese diaspora and maybe I'm missing something because I see nothing wrong with that
Hi Ms Van I'm From Philippines We have many similarities in many aspect ex. Being hardworking and Being strong family tight and many more ...
All you're answers was the truth and real. Also Vietnamese do accept gifts from foreigners, and Vietnamese love money, but that is in every culture. Also you are looking so beautiful as always.
I'm Vietnamese and I love your video 🥰
Your videos are becoming an indispensable part to me , keep up the great jobs
Lâu lâu xem lại thấy vẫn hay lắm Vân Vũ xinh gái!
Hi Van, you are so lovely! I am a retired American man with a social security pension. I am thinking of moving to Vietnam because (as you have said in other videos) it is inexpensive compared to America. The climate is also better than the cold and snow here in New England. But do some Vietnamese still resent or dislike Americans due to the legacy of the Vietnam War? (I believe it is called the American War in Vietnam?)
Ui bạn không chỉ trả lời nhiều câu mà nội dung của câu trả lời cũng vô cùng đầy đủ luôn mà nhiều khi mình cũng nghĩ nó như thế luôn. Có nội dung mà mình tâm đắc mà cũng không thể diễn ra nó ra trước đây đó chính là việc coi giá trị cộng đồng, tập thể trên cái tôi cá nhân. Người Việt thích sự tập trung đông người trong công việc cũng giải trí, như việc nhậu nó cũng thể hiện gắn kết bản thân với một nhóm để không chỉ nó thúc đẩy tình cảm bản thân với những người mình muốn hướng đến mà nó còn cho thấy tâm lý đề cao tính cộng đồng của người Việt
Mỗi lần buồn hay nản học tiếng anh bật kênh what the pho là auto có motivation liền luôn 😊
Love your vibe. You come across so friendly and super informative. I'll be moving to My Tho City do you have a video on it?
Great explanations! 2 more follow-up questions:
1. Do the 3 regions in Vietnam really have their own dialects or is it really 3 accents with localized slang unlike China which has dozens of dialects (ie. Cantonese, Mandarin, Fukanese, Shanghainese).
2. Gift giving - Is it true that anyone hosting a birthday dinner he/she is the one expected to pay the tab unlike in the US where the bill is split evenly amongst the guests?
If the birthday person is the planner this could be true, it's usually the event planner who takes on the bill in this culture, so being a mother of half vietnamese children.. if I invite and plan their birthday dinner, than I would offer to pay for everyone I invited
Or if my mother in law planned a new year dinner at restaurant and invited us all then they the in laws would offer to cover it, now actually allowing them too is another story and depends on everyone's finances obviously
Wow good job on the video Bé Vân. You have done your research and homework. Thanks for the good job. Keep up your good work.
Such a useful video ! i have learned more about vietnamese culture since im studying tourism culture so plz do more videos like this!!!
Cám ơn Vân nhiều lắm!
There are many good answers I can use when I want to open some conversation to my foreginer partner. Thank alot and wish your channel to grow more!!
Go Girl - one of your best - I learning and enjoying HEAPS - Cheers n Thanks fr Australia
Loved the workout and q&a workout right after 💕😂 each day more passionate about Vietnam thanks to you... 🥰 Please stay safe!! ❤❤❤
Love to hear u. Very nicely explain everything. Love from dubai and india
as a vietnamese girl who grew up in a very whitewashed family this was actually super intriguing and made me feel better about being asian
Nice! Love this channel will watch more, was going to move to HCM but covid prevented that. Will still look to come and great to learn more while waiting! Keep up the great videos
What a great channel to spread the Viet cultural beauties out to international friends! I do have a firm belief that one day our culture will be as popular as Japanese, Korean, US-UK ones.
I think it will come true soon
Thank you for your video. Keep safe when you get out at this time due to the Covid-19 situation in Ha Noi, Van
I honestly hope to at least visit, if not retire, to Vietnam. I am so enamored with it. It is really, really enchanting, especially for someone who loves, and is fascinated by Asian culture(s). I really love your channel, because you have a working experience of seeing things through the eyes of a westerner, having lived here in the west. The way you "translate" (for lack of a better term) these customs, experiences, and details is the best I've found on TH-cam. I lived in Guangzhou, China, and I really loved it, but I wouldn't want to live there forever for a myriad of reasons. What I have seen of Vietnam, so far, especially on your channel, tells me that Vietnam has all the things that China lacked and doesn't seem to have all the things that I disliked.
Agree with everything you said. I hope Viet Nam will be progress in a different path and learn from its neighbor to the north while maintaining its identity. Viet Nam has tremendous opportunities at this time and it should take advantage of it on the world stage.
Colonized by some nations but not conquered, paid off retribution but not surrender. Now I know why my late granpa so proud when he was telling stories about Vietnamese people, probably the similar culture & others stuff he had heard at that time makes my late granpa think we are the same...lol
got it, lots of help now I realized ... thanks Van
This video was very helpful 👍🏾. I have been trying to learn more about Vietnam so that I can understand my boyfriend's parents culture and traditions. Unfortunately my boyfriend doesn't teach me about Vietnamese culture unless it's food related. I'm hoping he embraces his culture more in the future.
I'm so appreciate to you because all your videos are always give me more motivation to learning and super energetic as well. I hope you're still uploading for new Videos every week.
hi sister I'm from Indonesia I have a boyfriend from Vietnam and now stay in London.i just learn from you how to culture
I am so happy that you told the audience that you need to ask a Vietnamese person 3 times before they will finally accept. Growing up with all my American friends I starved except food at their house the 1st or 2nd time and they would just say OK fine. So I would stand there and watch them eat and be starvin.
:))
Hey V
Thanks so much for your help and for your411 ..
PS
... In th e process of getting my passport!!!
Van, This is the best video since I followed your channel. Good for you and looking forward to watching some news your produce
Yay! Thank you!
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important is not to stop questioning... What good is money if it can't buy happiness and health for you ???
GREAT !!! Your English is extreme high level , you speak English likely a high educated native speaker . Furthermore you looked intelligent and very beautiful . You really deserve to represent for modern young Vietnamese woman of 21th Century .
Thank you! 😃
Hi, Van. Actually, my English teacher recommends your channel. And I have to thank her a lot because I really like your channel. I myself impress with your American accent because of the fact that I really like the American accent. I am learning American Culture subject at my university, so your sharings about Vietnamese culture and American culture are useful to me, I mean. I already watched all of your videos, even your Livestream a few months ago. I wish you the best and I hope you continue your journey of promoting Vietnamese culture. And maybe you will travel to other countries and discover new cultures across the globe. I want to tell you that I am here to support you. Keep going
Aw! Thank you so much!! I'm glad my videos are helpful for you 💕
Great video, helps me understand the culture. When I visited HCMC/Vung Tau everyone was very helpful, even with the language barrier. As always thanks for the AMAZING Videos!!!!
Thank you for the video, it was very enlightening
Hey V, loved the vid. Thank you for your clear friendly explanation of viet culture. Makes me want to visit Vietnam even more. Very enlightening. Could you do a video about Buddhism, Confusionism, and Cao dai. I am interested in these. Thanks again
You gave answers in details. Good job 😀
Chú chẳng hiểu tiếng anh nhưng rất thích xem vidieo cháu làm rất hay giới thiệu vn ra thế giới . Cám ơn cháu một cô gái xunh đẹp yêu nước .
Chau cam on chu a
I want to listen your voice more, i wish you can tell long story, or make some longer video, because your voice is so fresh, clear, and attractive. Luv u so muchhhhhh
I am planning a visit to Vietnam soon. Beautiful country, thanks for the tips
Keep up the good work, your channel and content is awesome..:)
I love this video. Fantastic job of explaining our Vietnamese culture!!!!
I love to see
your talking, your face so cute when you talk.
i'm looking forward your videos every week to enjoy and learn english. thanks a lot for your videos
Love your channel ... and saw you made an appearance today on Trang's live stream! Keep up the good posts em!
Thank you chị Vân for such an informative and interesting video about our country, but I'd like to share that though all Vietnamese worship ancestors but burning votive money and stuff on full moon/ funeral/deathday also depends on that household's religion, not all Vietnamese do that.
you should make a video talking about some Vietnamese Films, there's alot that are REALLY impressive like "the scent of green papaya" & "cyclo". and I don't think many people outside of Vietnam are familiar with them
I'm familiar with "The Scent of Green Papaya." That's actually an old movie and one of the very originals that got international attention. Weird that this came up because I recommended that to a friend yesterday.
Very good education about Vietnam. I want more videos lith this.
My wife Tina has me super interested in her culture. She's so amazing and I'm lucky to have her in my life 😄
I'd love this video. It's informative 👍👍👍
Nice video! very informative 👏👏👏
🙏❤️🙏 this is indeed one of the best Channel I ever seen
👍🏽 keep up with the good
Work my dear 🌱🌷🌱
Great tips about Vietnamese culture Van.
Very good Vietnamese culture contents, thanks VanVu 👍
I always wondered why they sat on the floor!! My husbands family is Vietnamese and his mom still does this when she invites people over.
Hay quá chị ơi,chúc chị luôn khỏe mạnh và tràn đầy năng lượng,tiếp tục ra nhiều video nữa chị nhé,tự hào và yêu chị
So many high levels of vocabulary for Vietnamese who are learning English. Thank you very very much for your kind explanation. Respect from Saigon.
Still enjoying the videos
A very informative video. I will know how helpful after my return from Vietnam next month. I'll have to watch the phrase vid. next to further my TH-cam research. Thanks for your perspective!
Good now to see you without a mask. It makes my day.
Mình nghĩ câu đầu là có, văn hóa boa tiền du nhập vào VN lâu rồi nhé. Bạn có thể thấy xuất hiện ở hàng quán, nhà hàng kể cả các dịch vụ di chuyển như Grab, taxi,..Chủ yếu là túi tiền mỗi người thôi.
Another awesome video !!!!!!
Love your channel thanks so much.!!
I always wanted to learn about the culture, and visit Vietnam! And also try the food! :)
Love your video always
I am waiting your video every day
The thing I fear the most has come that is I already love you!!!
Vân: Uploads Video
Me: Instantly Clicks
Also have a pleasant day& Stay safe
Very good post. Especially for tipping. There's always alot of confusion about tipping in Vietnam.
You're assessment of Vietnamese people I believe is a complement to vietnamese (i.e. they're known for being hard working.)
In the office I work at... (off the 200+ that work here... we have about 6-9 nguyens... (and this doesn't include non nguyens)).
You were pretty short about Viet Khieu. I think you could have elaborated more on this.... but from my understanding (as a 3rd gen vietnamese american moreso american).. vieth khieu is any vietnamese person who no longer lives in vietnam (most likely left during 1975). I think for my parents uncles/aunts who go back to visit... sometimes they don't like to pay viet khieu prices (although.. I'm hoping these days they aren't so tight with their money).
Alas,.. I forgot... are you from the north or south? Don't mean to be mean or anything.
My mom is from hue... so it seems noone understands people from hue. I'm fine with that... I'll take my Bun Bo Hue any day (bad joke).
The part of Vietnamese culture that I'm abit leary of is Nhau (drinking)... That was a good connection between the Japanese and Koreans.
I guess I don't like it when adults get too tipsy. But you're right.. its a way for people to get together.
Finally, do you think your younger generation is changing you're overall culture in Vietnam?
For instance,.. here in United States...much of the vietnamese culture is slowly(maybe fast) fading. (Me.. and then to my kids... we all speak english exclusively now).
Family is a huge part of vietnamese culture.. and getting together for any family event is so important. Every few times a year, we pay respects to our elders who passed away on their anniversary... The older generation understands how important it is. But the younger generation (ie me and my kids..) we are more prone to make excuses why we can't go.
Things like saying hello to elders "A" or "Thu bac/ba/ma" are slowly becoming impossible to do with the kids.
Hi, as a Viet Kieu currently living in Germany, I'd like to put my two cents on this topic. Yeah her answer was rather short when it came to the mainland Vietnamese attitude about overseas Viets. In Vietnam, many people (especially people of older generations) have a somewhat twisted admiration for Vietnamese living in developed countries, as they have an overly sugarcoated, even utopian imagination of such countries, and as such think all Viet Kieu must be loaded and expect them to bring gifts to the family every time they come back to visit. This also explains the so-called Viet Kieu price. People of younger generation, however, are much more exposed to foreign goods and culture, many of them also have a chance to go study and/or work abroad, so they don't think much about Viet Kieu, just as they think about any other Vietnamese living in Vietnam.
Because you're 3rd gen Vietnamese in the States, I assume your parents were from South Vietnam (although you said that your mom is from Hue). It's sad but true that if you speak with a Southern accent and travel in the North, you should also expected to be charged extra, which is not necessarily true vice versa. So be careful with it if you visit Northern Vietnam. That said, Vietnamese in general, regardless North or South, are quite helpful and friendly.
I don't like the Nhau culture either, for the most part because I can't drink alcohol. I dread every time I visit my family when there is a family gathering, you know, with loads and loads of relatives whose names you don't even remember. Because I'm a male, I'm expected to have to drink with other male relatives, or the usual question "don't you respect me (by even daring to refuse to drink with me)?" would pop up. Luckily my parents are considerate enough to help me out in those situations.
And to your final question: yes, younger people are changing the landscape of the Vietnamese culture, and fast. With the widespread of the internet, and unlike China, Vietnam doesn't ban Western social media platforms, so young Vietnamese are exposed to a gigantic amount of information worldwide. They readily absorb Western and East Asian pop culture and even make it their own. The internet language is also changing rapidly, as youngsters today sometimes can't be understood by people just 10 years older than them. Corrupted English, or Vietnamese-made English words also appear more often in youth vocabulary. From what I observe, in overseas Vietnamese communities the preservation of Vietnamese language and culture is often not emphasized. At least here in Germany, even 2nd gen Viets can't be bothered to speak proper Vietnamese, as their parents have more important things to work on. But I think it's a natural process of assimilation. You and your kids may be ethnically Vietnamese, but culturally and by identity you're Americans. We appreciate that you still think of your roots, and don't hold anything against you for being ignorant about your ancestral language and culture, and not appropriating it for your convenience.
@@cuongpham6218 Thanks. Those are some good insights.
As a child growing up,.. my parents had mentioned how vietnamese from vietnam view those who immigrated to america. At the time, my dad was working and when they could, they would send back money to family/needy to help out. They mentioned that those in Vietnam might not understand the difficulty to get money here. I can attest growing up, my parents would borrow money just to send back to vietnam because they were living paycheck to paycheck.
I agree with you how the younger generation may not think much of the treatment of Viet Khieu because as you said, they have studied abroad and are exposed to more foreign influence.
At where I work, I've had the opportunity to meet some Vietnamese studying abroad. I was quite surprised at their indifference to work ethic. It seems that Van Vu (What the PHO) experienced the opposite as her time in america studying and working was abit difficult and filled with constant working.
I was interested in hearing her perspective, but I understand it can definitely be a touchy subject.
When my parents visited vietnam about 25yrs ago (with my brothers). They were treated like Viet Kieu ... as in they were often charged a higher price on anything. During this time,... my parents weren't wealthy at all, and I think they were more annoyed then anything having to pay abit more for things. That and having to deal with possible extra payments to law enforcement. Today, now that my parents are retired..., I don't think they would mind being charged more since they don't have to be so spendthrift (cheap/watch their money).
Thanks for the warning about travelling to North Vietnam and possibly getting charged more. It's good to know. I took a language class in college 20 years ago,.. and my instructor mentioned the economic difference between North and South since the South had more resources and could prosper better,.. the North had limited resources and so they had to deal more to survive. I'm hoping with all of the industrialization with big companies moving into Vietnam that it's made things better for North Vietnam.
Thanks for the input on your last paragraph about proper vietnamese and the assimilation into the country they're currently living. There is alot of things that I am losing about my vietnamese heritage and definitely my kids are. My dad and mom always tell me to speak to the kids in vietnamese. When I bring the granchildren over to my parents... they try to speak vietnamese but my kids are so confused. You're absolutely correct,.. my generation is so busy with just living that we have difficulty continue living vietnamese culture as well as teaching our children. I'm glad you understand. My mom... she's not so understanding.
For now.. I have just a few goals with my kids since they are being americanized.
1. Teach them to say hello / bye in vietnamese to my elders. I remember my parents hitting me and my brothers just to say that. I think that made a difference since I now realize how important it is to show respect.
2. Make sure to go to any important family events. Like anniversaries of passed away relatives.
3. Eventually try to teach them the vietnamese language.
Watching Van Vu's channel is nice because I think one of the biggest influence Vietnam has is in cooking. I'm so partial to vietnamese cooking even though growing up I hated most of the food. Now being older and having tried american, european, and other asian countries, vietnamese food is pretty amazing. Most people only know of pho... but other dishes like Banh Xeo, Banh Coc, Cha Gio... I'm sorry but they're just amazing food dishes.
Thanks for sharing.
@@aleksdude Hi, thanks for your interesting insights too. The thing is, Vietnam has been changing really fast. I left Vietnam to study in 2016 and came back to visit first time in 2018. What struck me the most was how my hometown changed during the 2 years I wasn't there. By the way I'm from Hanoi, so Northern Vietnam. The place where my family lives used to be merely rural outskirt of Hanoi, but nowadays it has been incorporated into as one of the urban districts, so you can imagine what a big change it has taken. The economic gap between North and South is still there, but less so in the Red River Delta area, as it together with the Southeast area (around Saigon) are two of the cultural and economical cores of Vietnam. Van Vu is also from Hanoi, and her experiences are mostly from a Northern Vietnamese perspective. Although I think the extra charge for Viet Kieu or Southern Vietnamese is still a problem, it's getting much better. The cultural gap between the two regions is also getting smaller due to internet and media exposure.
I'm not sure how it is in the USA so I don't quite get what you meant with "indifference attitude" of Vietnamese studying abroad there. Actually there are 2 main kinds of students: the ones who have to work to be able to afford for their lives there, and ones who either got a scholarship, or are supported by their parents. Studying in the USA costs certainly a fortune, and not everyone can get a decent scholarship, so most of them have to work. What absurd is, it's actually not legal (not really, so far I heard you can work in the uni campus, but that doesn't pay much). Many opt to study elsewhere, like Germany for example, where education is free of charge. I'm lucky that my parents can afford for my education, even though we are not rich by any means, so I don't have to worry about work, but still many friends I know work to afford for their rents, etc.
I actually admire you for keeping up with your ancestral roots, as many Viet Kieus I know don't even bother. May I ask when was the last time you visited Vietnam? Vietnamese appreciate it when foreigners try to speak our mother tongue because damn is Vietnamese hard to learn. I know you and your kids are still ethnically Vietnamese, learning to greet properly is already a huge challenge and we appreciate that.
That's interesting. I have a feeling that all my foreign friends who are non-Viets actually like Vietnamese food much better than the Vietnamese-born Germans I know. One even prefers frozen pizzas over homemade Vietnamese food, which baffled me when I first came here. But if your experiences tell me anything, they will learn to appreciate Vietnamese food in time (hopefully).
Wow! Thank you Cuong Pham, you're on point!
@@cuongpham6218 Hello. With regards to my comment about an indifferent coworker. He was from vietnam (not sure what part) but he came from a wealthy family. I'm not sure, but he graduated and was able to get a contract job at the publishing/software company that I work at. Unfortunately, he did seem indifferent and only worked somewhat the bare minimum and didn't contribute much. It surprised me since his salary was pretty high as a fresh graduate (somewhere around 60k USD), but he still did not try. In the end, he was not offered an extension because of this. I had met another vietnamese person from vietnam and he didn't appear to be as hard working as I was expecting. I think again, this was because he was from an affluent family, unlike the examples you mentioned.
I agree with you on the cost of education here in America. It's too costly, especially for those who's parents work and pay for their education.
In the united states.. we have a problem with people going to expensive universities and doing nothing with their degrees. It's one of the saddest things I can say of the american culture. They just expect because they went to some school they should automatically get a good paying job.
Even though I had the opportunity to got to better schools, I decided to go to more affordable schools. I worked during summers as well as during the school year to pay for my college tuition and rent.
I think Vietnamese from vietnam are more appreciative of what their parents do for their kids... and probably feel obligated to return the favor some day. In america this is not the case. My nephew went to a university that costs $50,000 a year and her dad had to take out a big loan as well as take money out of his retirement fund to pay for her university. I could tell she didn't understand the sacrifice her parents had made for her.
Where I work, we get alot of international graduates. Many had studied from the top polytechnique university of France. As you had mentioned,.. vietnamese can go to Germany for a free education. I've talked to people from china, estonia, turkey, and lebanon who went to france because they offered a good free education.
I'm glad you're able to concentrate on studies because of your parents hard work in saving for your university studies. If you're not already working.. I wish you great success.
Speaking of trying to pay respects to our elders. Today, I visited my parents. The only thing I wanted was for my kids to say "Thu Ong Noi or Thu ba Noi".... 2 of my kids sort of did this. But sadly, ... my 3 year old was determined to fight us on this and would not say hello to their grand parents. Growing up.. I recally may parents having the same issue with me and my brothers as kids. But... I think for my generation it's even worse... since my parents say it's okay for my kids not to say hello to them. Yes,.. for my children as well as me to learn vietnamese is a huge difficulty.
I briefly visited vietnam for 2 weeks around 2005 with my brother and parents. We travelled from North Vietnam down to South vietnam on our trip.. mostly by car. I still recall taking a taxi in hanoi and the driver saying that the police wanted to pull him over but he told us just to hold tight so he could evade the police. Hanoi was so crowded and everyone was asking us on the street to come over to buy whatever things they were selling. South vietnam was much more laid back. People were in less of a hurry it seemed. But like you said.. you left in 2016 and then came back in 2018 and so much had changed in your home town. I'm just happy for the success of everyone in Vietnam. I realize vietnam in general still has a big population of people who are poor (especially in the rural areas). My father in law has shown us current videos of some people who document their lives on youtube from rural vietnam. When I hear stories from both you and Van Vu (aka what the pho) as well as others about positive stories about succeeding in Vietnam... it makes me happy.
Haha... it's funny you say that about your experience with non-viets enjoying food more then your vietnamese born germans. Hahaha.. frozen pizza can be verry good too, but I would disagree with your friend who prefers frozen food over homemade vietnamese food. Yes, I think you're right... your vietnamese friends as will mine will eventually learn to enjoy vietnamese food again. My wife loves food. In the 10 years I've been with her, she's forced me to try so many different foods from different countries.. (as well as expensive american food).
In my limited opinion, vietnamese food is light.. and for the most part pretty healthy. Some people at times say chinese food is similar to vietnamese food. But To me.. there's a big difference in that chinese food is heavy and has alot of grease. American food is all about red meat and potatoes or bread. Back to vietnamese food, we have so much diversity in our food. Ahhh.. I could go on and on. Like you said.. I'm one of those who hated vietnamese food growing up... but now as a middle aged man... I'll take vietnamese food any day over most other countries foods. Well have a good one!
Thanks for your channel. Hope you will develop more meaningful content to be able to introduce the culture of Vietnam to many international friends. I will always follow you. Thanks
Actually the cat thing is not Chinese, but Japanese. Phuc Loc Tho in Hong Kong is called Fuk Look Shaw. Very similar.
Very nice to see you em😊
Cảm ơn chị đã chia sẻ văn hoá Việt Nam mình một cách rất cởi mở và sâu sắc với bạn bè quốc tế ạ 😊 em cũng học thêm sâu về văn hoá của chính nước mình ❤
Dear Van Thank you for the Wonderful Explanation on Vietnamese Culture ! Absolutely Fabulous ! Could you suggest some Famous Vietnamese Movies and documentaries that will explain more about the History of Vietnam ! I love your Beautiful Country and I wish to know more !!!
You can watch Good morning Vietnam and Vietnam Fast Forward, those are good!
Great vid! Love it!
Những câu hỏi và giải đáp rất hay. Hy vọng bạn bè quốc tế có thể tìm hiểu thêm về văn hoá của Việt Nam qua kênh. :-)
Whats the best app or way to learn southern Vietnamese? Is hiring a tutor better than learning through an app?
Hi Van! I have traveled extensively in Vietnam in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and love Vietnam. Why? Vietnamese people are very kind and friendly! And the food!
I have a question about what you said in this video: That the US colonized Vietnam for 20 yrs. I never heard this before. Could you elaborate?
I do know the US (as we were told) came to Vietnam, I think in 1965, to protect the Southern Vietnamese people from a communist takeover, so as to protect their democracy. How much truth there is to this I only know from the books and documentaries I have watched.
American had came to Vietnam from 1954-1975 right after French left. We were suffering continuously foreign invaders who claimed that they came to help. But it's not true. They killed and did a lot of terrible things ...
@@Huyenbkt In war, there are always some atrocities but it's the mentality of some soldiers and not the soldier's government that wants this. Can you point me to some neutral websites that support that the US did not come to help?
@@magicbobNJ oh, youtube is a good & diversified source of infor. U can type in E of Vietnamese (use google translate maybe)
@@magicbobNJ u also might search about the term “communist”. VN did not need to be protected from “communist”. Communists were just local people who wanted to find our way to fight back invaders, to find peace for this land.
@@Huyenbkt I don't understand because E of Vietnamese makes no sense to me
Mình đã chờ video của bạn rất lâu rồi
Having been living in Hanoi the past 10 months, I guess what impress me the most about Vietnamese are their fearlessness and fight, and I got this from playing basketball with them in the parks.. Vietnamese certainly are not ones to shy away from a challenge.. Oh, btw, I haven't been to any Vietnamese homes, but seems to me your altar is pretty big Van, would it in fact be considered big among Vietnamese?
Not really, each house will have different altar style :)
@@WhatThePho Ah, I see..
Vietnam people and culture is no where in the book/ in our conversation. But thanks to Van, now many people can understand Vietnam better.
Hope this channel brings benefits for Vietnam in general. Great job Van.
Compared to the West, for many Asian cultures including the Vietnamese the use of chairs is an only modern phenomenon. If you have a chance online to view early photos of Vietnamese royalty, you'll find them seated in/at nice but tattered furniture. If they'd have owned it, yes, of course it would have been kept in good repair. Instead, it belonged to the itinerant photographer, touring the country and bringing with him this Western convention as a symbol of prosperity.