4 ms·

The 1980's were pretty bad here with the famine and rice rationing, etc. and I think that's kind of been carried over. So you get a lot of rude, selfish behavi

by jawngee 11y ago

The 1980's were pretty bad here with the famine and rice rationing, etc. and I think that's kind of been carried over. So you get a lot of rude, selfish behavior like cutting in line, lack of queueing, general lack of courtesy. The concept of face is more harmful than good. People will straight up lie to you here, not because they are acting out of malice, but because they don't want to lose face by appearing stupid or unknowledgeable. It's the thing I hate the most about this place, to be honest. Nobody is direct with you. Edit: I just want to clarify that I like living here, despite the enormous number of negative things about doing it. I'd much rather live here than Thailand, that's for sure.

ctvo 11y ago
You just described most of China and developing SE Asia countries. Not respecting lines, general littering, lack of attention to personal space (bumped by everyone, all the time). I'm not sure it's unique to Vietnam.
geomark 11y ago
As a long time resident of Thailand also with a wife and young child I'm curious why you consider Vietnam a better choice. There are some similarities like flip/flopping government policies and the whole face thing. One difference seems to be that Thais are generally very nice and polite on the surface (often while they are ripping you off).
- jawngee 11y ago
  People leave you alone in Vietnam. The times I've been in Thailand, people were always in my grill. Nobody seems particularly interest in me here, which coming from NYC is a treasured thing. When they are interested in you, it seems genuine, Thailand always feels insincere. I've also never felt unsafe in Vietnam, except for once. I've been in a lot of dicey situations in Bangkok though. I also feel like you are less likely to get ripped off in Vietnam, but that's a way lesser concern.
  - geomark 11y ago
    That's completely opposite of my experience. I guess we have to chalk it up to different people have different experiences. It's also hard to compare experiences as a tourist with those of a long term resident. If I attempt to aggregate various comments and my own experiences I think one of the few major differences is the visa situation. For younger people who aren't employed by a local business or married to a Thai citizen Thailand is a pain for a stay longer than 3 months.

by jawngee 11y ago

ctvo 11y ago

You just described most of China and developing SE Asia countries. Not respecting lines, general littering, lack of attention to personal space (bumped by everyone, all the time). I'm not sure it's unique to Vietnam.

geomark 11y ago

As a long time resident of Thailand also with a wife and young child I'm curious why you consider Vietnam a better choice. There are some similarities like flip/flopping government policies and the whole face thing. One difference seems to be that Thais are generally very nice and polite on the surface (often while they are ripping you off).

jawngee 11y ago
People leave you alone in Vietnam. The times I've been in Thailand, people were always in my grill. Nobody seems particularly interest in me here, which coming from NYC is a treasured thing. When they are interested in you, it seems genuine, Thailand always feels insincere. I've also never felt unsafe in Vietnam, except for once. I've been in a lot of dicey situations in Bangkok though. I also feel like you are less likely to get ripped off in Vietnam, but that's a way lesser concern.
- geomark 11y ago
  That's completely opposite of my experience. I guess we have to chalk it up to different people have different experiences. It's also hard to compare experiences as a tourist with those of a long term resident. If I attempt to aggregate various comments and my own experiences I think one of the few major differences is the visa situation. For younger people who aren't employed by a local business or married to a Thai citizen Thailand is a pain for a stay longer than 3 months.