Intercultural Misunderstandings

The root of Vietnamese cultural are firmly bedded in a thousand years of Chinese domination, and Vietnam is a country that has a long and old history, so it has many traditional rules, customs and family values visitors should know. These are some patterns visitors should know when visiting Vietnam in order to avoid intercultural misunderstandings.

Traditional rules in Vietnam dictate the way Vietnamese welcome a guest. In the Western countries, when people greet each other they say: "Hello, Good morning"... without title, but in Vietnam, people must add the title. When they add the title in greeting, they are expressing their respect to other people, especially older people. In addition, people should know something about Vietnamese taboos when coming or visiting their houses. Taboo is another traditional rule that everyone must not do when going to a Vietnamese house. For instance, beginning the meal, the youngest people have to invite the older to have a meal, and when you eat, do not make a sound because it is impolite. Everyone is used to talking joyfully during the meal; however, they are not supposed to do this while chewing, or to speak of dirty things, tell frightening tales or scold someone else. Moreover, Vietnamese are very hospitable and friendly so you feel comfortable and surprised when meeting them.

Furthermore, Vietnamese have a lot of customs that visitors must follow and they believe that it brings good luck for them. For example, it is polite to remove your shoes upon entering someone's home, but not necessary upon entering someone's shop. Especially on "Tet" holidays in Vietnam, people can not sweep their house because they think money will run out of their house in that year and it is unlucky for their business. In addition, on "Tet " holidays children wear their new clothes and give their elders the traditional Tet greetings before receiving the money. The more money they get, the more luck come to them, so they are very happy and smile all day. Since the Vietnamese believe that the first visitor a family receives in the year determines their fortune for the entire year, people never enter any house on the first day without being invited first. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire following year will also be full of blessings. Usually, a person of good temper, morality and success will be the lucky sign for the host family and be invited first into the house.

Finally, when someone visits a Vietnamese family, the men are the most important in their family. Vietnamese value their traditional ideal of male superiority. Since the highest status in Vietnamese families is given to the man, he was never expected to work in the kitchen or to cook. As a head of household, he had final decision in all matters. Having a boy in family was a "must" because the eldest son would