Vietnamese people are rude! We have this stereotype about Vietnamese that tend not to be true for the most part. Of course, you will find rude people like in any other countries, but in general Vietnamese people are not rude. But the reasons why we have such a stereotype in the West is because we don’t often hear Vietnamese people say “Hello”, “How are you?” or “Thank you”. And the reason for that comes from a misunderstanding of cultural norms and communication styles.

Vietnam has a history of hierarchical social structure, which influences interactions. Vietnamese people often show deference and politeness towards those perceived as being higher in social status or age. This can lead to interactions where individuals seem more polite and respectful towards those in positions of authority, while appearing less so with peers or subordinates.

Let me give you an example: You are going to a Convenient store buying a pack of batteries for your remote control in the west, the first interaction with the clerk would probably be like “Hello, how are you? I am looking for a pack of batteries” and then say thank you and “bye” to the clerk. That would be a standard custom in the US. However, in Vietnam, it is acceptable not to even make eye contact with the clerk and just say “pack of batteries triple A” and then just leave without “thank you”, while the clerk remained professional and courteous. And that is very acceptable in Vietnam, as the customer is supposed to be of a higher social status or age.

Check out this video as Lawyer Ken Duong will discuss 10 things about Vietnam stereotypes from Vietnamese people to Vietnam culture and even real estate in Vietnam:

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