why is it difficult for foriegner to assimilate into VN culture

Example . today I went to get a pen and the girl used Google translate and came up with luminous chicken(whatever that is)

Happy8888 wrote:

I guess one small difference is that in Oz we don't accept that cr.p . Maybe we have learnt from others mistakes. Racial integration in somewhere like Brussels has just not worked. Fancy having your policemen too scared to go in to certain areas

It's already too late for Oz, remember the Cronulla riots, they are the tip of an iceberg. each city has it's own almost segregated area's. The only things that haven't changed, are the original street/suburb names. There are even suburbs in NZ, where Police refuse to be posted to.

Example . today I went to get a pen and the girl used Google translate and came up with luminous chicken(whatever that is)

The Muslims here were told in no uncertain manner, play up and cause any shit and your out.

Happy8888 wrote:

Example . today I went to get a pen and the girl used Google translate and came up with luminous chicken(whatever that is)

Chernobyl chicken????

Happy8888 wrote:

Example . today I went to get a pen and the girl used Google translate and came up with luminous chicken(whatever that is)

Thats chicken that glows in the dark from excess chemicals.

That is a bloody good thing. I respect where I am and I abide by the customs and rules but I also spend a lot of time pissing myself laughing (when I am not trying to wake people up or watching tom and jerry or Mr bean)

Could b Jap chicken?

Happy8888 wrote:

That is a bloody good thing. I respect where I am and I abide by the customs and rules but I also spend a lot of time pissing myself laughing (when I am not trying to wake people up or watching tom and jerry or Mr bean)

By waking people up, do you mean the annual , celebrating the dead parties? Or if you mean revenge for rooster owners, between 11.30 --- 1.30  would be the best time, but it doesn't work, VN's can sleep anywhere, anytime, and through any noise, it's all part of their youth indoctrination process.

Ha ha . I am obviously not indoctrinated . sleeping during the day is just not necessary. There was a guy across the road yesterday asleep on top of building materials for 5 hours , I thought he was dead(but I checked ) not that anyone would have cared one way or the other

Happy8888 wrote:

Ha ha . I am obviously not indoctrinated . sleeping during the day is just not necessary. There was a guy across the road yesterday asleep on top of building materials for 5 hours , I thought he was dead(but I checked ) not that anyone would have cared one way or the other

He was probably the security guard. but 5 hrs is a long working stint for a VN.

He wasn't wearing one of those ridiculous blue uniforms but he did appear to have a skin whitening tube in his top pocket

Happy8888 wrote:

He wasn't wearing one of those ridiculous blue uniforms but he did appear to have a skin whitening tube in his top pocket

Wow, imagine him going 5 hrs without a ciggy. He must have had his phone turned off as well.
Hope he applied the skin whitening before he started ' work '.

In Vietnam, there's a thing called "patriotism". It has never changed, it combine people together. Vietnamese never forget their country. 4000 years pass by, Chinese do not still assimilate Vietnamese.

"Passion for excellent" written by Lawyer Tran Dinh Hoanh
There is this thing that has been bothering me seriously for, well, probably 10 years or so. Now Ive thought that probably I should share it with you all.
Very often, when we point out some weakness, some problem in our nation or our system, I would hear a response like We do much better than many countries in Africa or There are many developing countries doing worse than us or We are a poor country. That is what I call The Losers Mentality.
Imagine a teacher tells a student, You can do better than this, try harder, and the student responds, Teacher, my family is poor, many poor students do worse than I do.
Why compare ourselves with the losers? Why cant we compare ourselves with the best and the brightest instead? Instead of comparing ourselves with other developing countries, other poor countries, why dont we just say We want to eventually beat the France and beat the American in technology and business?
Are you crazy? These are two of the most advanced countries in the world. You are so day dreaming and unrealistic.
Brother, if I remember correctly, we did beat these two countries on the military battlefield already. Whats the big deal about business and technology?
Imagine that 70 years ago president Ho Chi Minh told the nation, You guys, France is one of the most advanced nations on earth. We cannot compete with their guns and cannons. You will be crazy to think about fighting them, not mentioning defeating them. Had he said that, where are we now?
Unfortunately, after we won the military battles, the succeeding generations act like wimps, no back bone, no will, no aspiration to win, no passion for excellence.
Several years ago, when I got out of the airport in Vietnam, several friends from Ministry of Foreign Affairs picked me up at the airport. I was upset at seeing the custom officers asking for Vietkieus money at the airport, so I told my friends: You know, these guys in there just ask for peoples money blatantly. One of my friends said: Oh, you guys have a lot of money. You can give some to your poor brothers.
I was very disappointed when I heard that, so I didnt respond. That was the losers mentality, the mentality of accepting the third-grade quality and coming up with rationale to support such acceptance. This friend of mine later became ambassador to several countries, so he is not low in ranking. You can imagine how many people in our country have such losers mentality. If so many of us have such a losers mentality, where will Vietnam go?
We, this generation, should be ashamed to our fathers generation. Our fathers did not say, The French and the American are so powerful, we cannot beat them. They had only one thing in mind - win or die. That is the passion for excellence, the passion for winning, the passion for not accepting to be second (because second to them meant death).
If we want to win, we just have to think like a winner. And that is, We want to beat the best. We want to be champion. And we will work our way, from here to championship. Such winners mentality will automatically forces our mind into the state of not accepting mediocrity, not accepting low quality performance, not accepting anything less than the best effort, the best trial, the hardest work, the hardest thinking.
Some may say, But fighting for survival is different than competing to be rich. In our culture, richness is never a big thing. In our traditional culture, being a poor teacher is the best position of all.
My response would be:
(1) When we fought against the French or the American, that was not fighting for survival. We still could live under the French and the American. It was just not a very honorable way of living. So we were fighting for honor, not survival.
(2) Today, fighting against poverty and for wealth is also fighting for honor, because people around the world always look down on citizens of poor nations.
(3) Our traditional culture of glorifying poverty is just wrong. To use the communist terminology, it is opium. As an individual, probably wealth is a matter of personal taste and may not matter much to some of us. But as a nation, poverty is a sin, wealth is strength and independence. Had Vietnam been wealthy and powerful a thousand years ago, the Chinese, the French, the Mongolian, the Japanese, the American would not have had the guts to attack us. Then we hadnt had to spend a thousand years fighting. As a nation, poverty means you are weak, you open yourself to attack by other guys, to be dominated and stepped upon by other nations, to be looked down upon by citizen of richer nations. Go around the world, and you will see this point clearer than the day light.
Poverty is a disease of the nation. Poverty has to be erased. Regardless what our personal philosophy about wealth, for the nation, wealth is a major goal.
So we need to tell each other to be more demanding of ourselves and our fiends, our teachers, our government, our leaders. Look at how the best of the world, the Japanese, the British, the Australian work, learn from them with the determination to outdo them later on. (And they will love to hear you, the student, say this, because every good teacher would love to see the day the student can beat him).
Stop thinking that We are so poor, so this is good enough. No, it wont be enough until we can beat the best of the world.
Believe in ourselves. If we think we can do it, then we will do it. Dont settle for mediocrity. Dont settle for second. Settle for the best. Demand the best of ourselves and our people. And we have our history to back us up, that we can do what other peoples think impossible.

Not quite sure what the last post has to do with foreigners assimilating, but please,  stop comparing the French Army with the US Army, that is an insult to the US. ( and any other English speaking Army ).
Quote,   ' Had Vietnam been wealthy and powerful a thousand years ago, the Chinese, the French, the Mongolian, the Japanese, the American would not have had the guts to attack us ',     being wealthy, wouldn't that have been even more reason to ' attack ' you? ( plus a thousand years ago , the only Americans were the Indians, and you wouldn't have wanted to mess with them then ).
           What many VN's will realise one day, is that the only losers of the last war, were the people themselves, 30 yrs ago they could have had the freedom, and the technology of the time, and not been pawns for the powerful few at the top. ( a Pyramid scheme comes to mind )

Yep the Indians would have scalped you instead of being ruled by the Chinese , colonized by the frogs and bombed the hell out of by the yanks

Happy8888 wrote:

Yep the Indians would have scalped you instead of being ruled by the Chinese , colonized by the frogs and bombed the hell out of by the yanks

Probably a subject we are supposed to keep away from, but I get sick of hearing how they beat the Yanks , ( nearly 3 yrs after the main force left ,, and that was only through bowing to pressure from the US population ). Anybody can beat the French, so that doesn't bother me, (  tick, tick, tick ).
This Generation has no idea of what actually went on then, and what life was really like .

Example: I asked my friend the other day if she knew the population of VN and she said 6 billion and when I told her it was 90 million she said "what's wrong with you? Didn't you go to school ! "

Happy8888 wrote:

Example: I asked my friend the other day if she knew the population of VN and she said 6 billion and when I told her it was 90 million she said "what's wrong with you? Didn't you go to school ! "

No, I think she is right, sometimes it feels like there are 6 billion .( especially on the road at certain times).
With that superior knowledge, it's no wonder they think they handle China, etc.

When I first arrived here many moons ago I asked a "new found" Viet friend what was the name of the river here and her reply was " why do you need to know that ? Its not important ",!!!!

Happy8888 wrote:

When I first arrived here many moons ago I asked a "new found" Viet friend what was the name of the river here and her reply was " why do you need to know that ? Its not important ",!!!!

Same with Street names up here, I don't actually have an address, ( just look for the Kiwi flag hanging from the gatepost, LOL ).

Yes France is probably the only country you can buy a world war 2 rifle " never fired , dropped once "

Yes France is probably the only country you can buy a world war 2 rifle " never fired , dropped once "

Happy8888 wrote:

Yes France is probably the only country you can buy a world war 2 rifle " never fired , only dropped once "

haha, ( I have that joke and many more about them, just waiting for a certain member to take the bait ). tick, tick, tick.

Street names are irrelevant just like the "modern days " youth perspective on the country's history

Happy8888 wrote:

Street names are irrelevant just like the "modern days " youth perspective on the country's history

Yes with GPS on most phones these days.
If I was a youth today in VN, I'd be more worried about the future, not just my own, ( as they do ), but the whole country , i.e, pollution, China, corruption, etc, etc.

Chris, your mobile number?

Chris, your mobile number?

bluenz wrote:

Happy8888 wrote:

Street names are irrelevant just like the "modern days " youth perspective on the country's history

Yes with GPS on most phones these days.
If I was a youth today in VN, I'd be more worried about the future, not just my own, ( as they do ), but the whole country , i.e, pollution, China, corruption, etc, etc.

This is definitely a "me generation" but considering how much this country has changed over the past 20 years, I can understand why. The next generation might be better if they have some say or control over their government, not sure how that's going to happen though.

Happy8888 wrote:

Chris, your mobile number?

I've PM you.  I have enough hassles with Vinaphone, and Vietel sending me their crap, without posting it on here.

Adhome01 wrote:

bluenz wrote:

Happy8888 wrote:

Street names are irrelevant just like the "modern days " youth perspective on the country's history

Yes with GPS on most phones these days.
If I was a youth today in VN, I'd be more worried about the future, not just my own, ( as they do ), but the whole country , i.e, pollution, China, corruption, etc, etc.

This is definitely a "me generation" but considering how much this country has changed over the past 20 years, I can understand why. The next generation might be better if they have some say or control over their government, not sure how that's going to happen though.

I'm starting to think the next generation may be even worse, ( I'll have to stop stereo typing them , just an opinion ,judging them by many of the young students I have to work with , but they are ' privileged ' types ).

There is nothing privileged about being bought up with absolutely no common sense

Happy8888 wrote:

There is nothing privileged about being bought up with absolutely no common sense

Maybe it's just heredity? But I know of a ' farmer'  from here, ( thick as 2 bricks ), his son is in UNI studying to be a Doctor. his tiny mum doesn't look that intelligent either.

There is no pollution and China and corruption don't exist "what's wrong with you"

Happy8888 wrote:

There is no pollution and China and corruption don't exist "what's wrong with you"

Guess I don't get out much?

Doctor? . just a word to give authority to prescribe aspirin for absolutely everything

Hi folks,

Let's give the Vietnamese some space and not to over impose too much on them too soon. We are " inherently flawed" creatures and no one is perfect. RESPECT and APPRECIATION of other cultures is important and that's the basic rule of non-violence and peace. Vietnam is industrializing so those negative stuff will slowly go away ........ and education will hold the key to improving the quality of life here. Let's enjoy the hospitality given by our locals here....think more of the positives and less of the negatives. This way we can assimilate better into the VN culture:-)

Cảm ơn bạn và có một ngày tốt đẹp!

Happy8888 wrote:

Doctor? . just a word to give authority to prescribe aspirin for absolutely everything

Yes , my bro in law is a ' Doctor ' up here, the wife dragged me to see him a while back, he prescribed some meds for me,  he wasn't happy when I pulled out exactly the same meds from my pocket. I always consult Dr Google whenever I am prescribed meds, most of the time they give you heaps of  sedatives, must make them look good dishing out lots of pills?

Tom Lee wrote:

Hi folks,

Let's give the Vietnamese some space and not to over impose too much on them too soon. We are " inherently flawed" creatures and no one is perfect. RESPECT and APPRECIATION of other cultures is important and that's the basic rule of non-violence and peace. Vietnam is industrializing so those negative stuff will slowly go away ........ and education will hold the key to improving the quality of life here. Let's enjoy the hospitality given by our locals here....think more of the positives and less of the negatives. This way we can assimilate better into the VN culture:-)

Cảm ơn bạn và có một ngày tốt đẹp!

No, bugger that, we wouldn't have anyone to take the piss out of if we were all boringly positive.
Education????, I'm meeting more and more, ' educated ' VN's who can't get jobs??????
I think it funny when you go to another country and be expected to assimilate in all ways, when migrants from these countries, don't even try when they come to our countries.

If it has a stamp on it , its ok