Top 10 Cultural Shocks for Foreigners When Visiting Vietnam

In foreign countries, traffic congestion or flow seems quite effortless and comfortable. However, Vietnam presents a completely different scenario. With its diverse range of vehicles and highly complex traffic conditions, most foreign tourists experience surprise and find it rather peculiar. The sight of various vehicles crowded together on a street suddenly becomes strange and more distinct than ever.

In foreign countries, animals are cherished companions, deeply loved and protected. Thus, when they come to Vietnam and witness restaurants serving dog meat dishes everywhere, they cannot help but feel shocked and appalled. To them, it is an incredibly strange and repulsive dish, and it explains why foreigners often dislike dishes made from dogs. They simply cannot bring themselves to eat their beloved companions.

Vietnamese people often have the habit of using chopsticks for every meal, from regular meals to lavish feasts. This is a habit that Western countries rarely employ. Therefore, when visiting Vietnam, most tourists express surprise and fascination with this seemingly peculiar habit. To them, the Vietnamese practice of using chopsticks with every dish is an incredibly artistic habit, akin to artisans skillfully utilizing a tool to craft a masterpiece.

In foreign countries, there are abundant public toilets, and each use is completely free of charge. In contrast, in Vietnam, when tourists wander around shopping areas or tourist destinations, they often have to search tirelessly to find a public restroom, sometimes even having to pay for it. If they are lucky enough to find one, it's considered fortunate; sometimes they spend the entire day without finding any public toilets, and they might have to resort to using shopping malls or even return to their accommodations to 'resolve' the issue.

Western countries are mostly known for their advanced civilizations, so instead of opting for heavy drinking and revelry as entertainment like in our country, they choose to entertain themselves by reading books and expanding their knowledge. Statistics show that the average American reads about 15 books per year, the average French person reads 12 books per year, while the average Vietnamese reads only 0.8 books per year. In contrast, drinking establishments abound, with numerous ones popping up along the streets, always bustling with activity every evening. This phenomenon might seem quite unusual abroad, so it's no surprise they find it intriguing and almost natural.

In our country, it's common to encounter heavy drinkers who indulge in alcohol anytime, anywhere, getting so drunk that they forget everything around them. These scenes are easily spotted by foreigners when they explore the city. Drunken individuals often utter uncivilized words or get into altercations in bars, tarnishing our country's image significantly. Therefore, to improve the tourism situation in our country and our global reputation, it's essential to immediately put an end to this unseemly behavior.

Those who often seek employment or work in foreign companies will know that punctuality is highly valued by foreigners. Being late to an interview, for example, could result in a 99.9% chance of being disqualified. Punctuality is not only essential in professional settings but also in daily life, as arriving late can inconvenience those around you. However, we tend to have the opposite habit, frequently arriving late to gatherings with friends or parties. Sometimes, it's not due to any particular reason, but simply because they dislike waiting for others or it has become an unchangeable part of their personality.

Have we ever compared and wondered about the environmental situation in our country compared to developed countries around the world? What causes such significant differences? It likely lies in the consciousness of the people living in that country. In foreign countries, it's rare, if ever, to see littering in public places after consuming food or drinks. Instead, they all seek out trash bins and gently dispose of their waste. Therefore, those who work in waste management there often have an easy and leisurely job. In contrast, in our country, it's the complete opposite. Streets are filled with plastic bags, candy wrappers, making the aesthetic beauty worse and tarnishing our country's image in the eyes of international friends.

The increasing traffic congestion in our country is partly due to the encroachment on road shoulders by vendors. They display a myriad of goods on the streets to attract buyers, leading to a growing trend of encroachment that becomes a difficult problem to solve. In contrast, roads in foreign countries are extremely civilized and beautiful, so it's understandable why they find it surprising.

In 2014, there was an article by foreign exchange students about the prevalence of profanity and cursing in Vietnam. This illustrates how the image of Vietnamese people is gradually deteriorating in the eyes of international friends, which is indeed a very sad phenomenon. For foreign tourists visiting Vietnam for the first time, hearing the extremely rich and uncultured language, they initially don't understand, and when they do, they are extremely surprised by such language.