why is it difficult for foriegner to assimilate into VN culture

Happy8888 wrote:

That's not a very witty thing to say

My thoughts exactly , and also not very original, oh not so Witty1, ( 2 ), how many times have we heard, ( or been told ) that on this site?
At least he could have added , " and take 2 of your whinging mates with you, when you leave? "

Hope he has some French ones

Hope he has some French ones

Happy8888 wrote:

Hope he has some French ones

Only the French,  have French mates?

The Germans like them

Happy8888 wrote:

The Germans like them

No, the Germans only like France.

Ha ha and only because of the abundance of unused rifles

Things will probably slowly change in Viet Nam. The World Bank has been pumping millions and millions of dollars into Viet Nam as it is listed as another "developing country". But as the big name corporations come into Asia, a few Asian countries may have to clean up their act, and I mean this in a literal way.

I was amazed at the condition of the rivers, the trash along the streets and the lack of concern over the environment. How much raw sewage and chemicals are going into the Pacific Ocean....which is effecting all countries on this planet. I see people finish drinking a juice form a plastic cup and what do they do with it? Toss It.  I see cigarettes finished and what do they do with it? Toss It. I see a can of this or that, a plastic wrapper....and what do they do with it? Toss It.

I know how people of the Mid East, Europe, and North America think. I know they are going to think about water quality, food contamination, hygiene, safety standards, cleanliness, parasites, bacteria, bed bugs, and hepatitis, where do the fruits & vegetables come from, are they grown in sewage (yes there are places), air pollution.

I think the gov in Hanoi sees these things as problems also because they want to attract  the 'development' also, for obvious reasons. Hanoi sees how quickly China has come along and is using China as its model to follow.

Tutenkamen wrote:

Things will probably slowly change in Viet Nam. The World Bank has been pumping millions and millions of dollars into Viet Nam as it is listed as another "developing country". But as the big name corporations come into Asia, a few Asian countries may have to clean up their act, and I mean this in a literal way.

I was amazed at the condition of the rivers, the trash along the streets and the lack of concern over the environment. How much raw sewage and chemicals are going into the Pacific Ocean....which is effecting all countries on this planet. I see people finish drinking a juice form a plastic cup and what do they do with it? Toss It.  I see cigarettes finished and what do they do with it? Toss It. I see a can of this or that, a plastic wrapper....and what do they do with it? Toss It.

I know how people of the Mid East, Europe, and North America think. I know they are going to think about water quality, food contamination, hygiene, safety standards, cleanliness, parasites, bacteria, bed bugs, and hepatitis, where do the fruits & vegetables come from, are they grown in sewage (yes there are places), air pollution.

I think the gov in Hanoi sees these things as problems also because they want to attract  the 'development' also, for obvious reasons. Hanoi sees how quickly China has come along and is using China as its model to follow.

Unfortunately they will never get the millions of retarded peasants to stop burning their shit,  one of my peasant farmer  neighbours,  ( they have a little " shop " as well, I refuse to buy anything while he keeps burning shit ), dumps his rubbish in a HOLE, ( an ex fish pond ), right next to my back door, they then wait until it is about to rain, then rush out to burn it????? They always leave their fires smouldering away , sometimes all night, tonight I was lucky, my new water hose can just reach the fire , so just on dark, I extinguished it.

It would help of there were at least a few rubbish bins

Happy8888 wrote:

It would help of there were at least a few rubbish bins

At the school where I go to play, they have rubbish bins, but STILL burn heaps of rubbish????

Won't work. Not on the older generations anyway. Don't know if it's from old habits, laziness or just plain ignorance.

Our first apartment in D7, had two large rubbish bins is a room off the elevator lobby on every floor, in every block of apartments. 
That's four apartment blocks, each one 20 or 22 floors high, plus a two story 'penthouse' on top. Daily the cleaning staff emptied all the bins, on every floor of each apartment block. Cleaned and disinfected the 'bin room'. Seven days a week.
All the rubbish was collected every day by a District rubbish truck sub-contractor and taken away and hopefully disposed of properly. 

We'd still see a couple of the older residents take a plastic bag of rubbish out with them on their bikes. We could see them ride down the road from the security gates, around the corner, up the next road then out onto Nguyen Luong Bang, where they'd either throw the bag off the first bridge (directly behind the apartments) and into the small outlet of the river as they crossed it. Or onto a vacant block of land at the other end of the bridge.

No amount of telling them not to do that by the apartment owners committee could get them to change their ways.
Even the younger kids yelling at them not to throw their rubbish away like that made any difference. 

There was a large steel rubbish bin attached by a chain to a steel post out on the street only 5m from the 'out going' security gate - they wouldn't use that either.

Chris , aren't you a bit past going to play at a school??

Happy8888 wrote:

Chris , aren't you a bit past going to play at a school??

1 class is 4 -5yrs old, pretty hard to teach, very , very short attention spans, ( and the usual ADHD ones of course ).

I went to a search engine and typed "Agenda 21 and Viet Nam". It brought up some information from the Global Network of National Councils for Sustainable Developments and Similar Bodies.

I agree though, that old habits of polluting the planet (oceans, air, soil...wonder if the number of liver cancer victims have anything to do with all the pollutants) from certain parts of the Vietnamese population will be a very difficult process.

Ive no idear who Witty is speaking to !!!

Probably just mumbling to himself

witty12 wrote:

Well of you cannot handle it then go home. I been here near 3 years and still love it still blown away that I am living amongst these people and their ways. Maybe you are not so good at tolerance.

Ive no idear who you are refuring to !! I hope its not me, because if you read my tex properly you would understand that i was speaking very brordly of the Englsh in genral. You may not get the fact as to what i was saying about Spain, unless your of an age that can remember when Spain was new to tourisam, and you visited. As for me i live life like a Viet, and am more than happy to stay here. I havent got a flash M/B. i payed 4 million dong two years ago. I dont go drinking in bars, or looking for prostitutes. I eat Viet food all the time. This is just incase your refuring to me, and got your wires twisted brov.

Happy8888 wrote:

Probably just mumbling to himself

Hopefully he's away thinking of something that is actually " witty ,' to say next time?

bluenz wrote:

Happy8888 wrote:

Probably just mumbling to himself

Hopefully he's away thinking of something that is actually " witty ,' to say next time?

Loved most of the jokes, best one was 7 stages of sex....probeble because its true.

If Witty is referring to me; I never did say I did not like Viet Nam. What I DID say was that there definite health issues here that really do need to be addressed, and along with this, a few of these matters are in fact effecting people around this planet.

And as long as my must point out these points again specifically for you, I will also include that Viet Nam is not the only country impacting health of the humanity on this planet, but the planet it self.

If you have no concern with the condition of your body that you will have with you for the rest of your life ( and I suggest since it IS the body you have for the remainder of your life, perhaps you should understand your own anatomy and physiology..but if it is of no concern to you, then your choice obviously).

Do not forget there are 7+ billion other people sharing this one planet and many of them do have concerns.

What can be done about it from us peasants of the World? Maybe not much because us in the peasantry levels of societies are along for the ride. The true powers and controlers of this World do have their ways and means to carry out their global agenda and there ain't much either you or I can do about that. What we can do however is to make informed, knowledgeable choices.

Like George Carlin said, "Its a big club...and you and I ain't in.... the big club.".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5dBZDSSky0

I wonder if his mommy knows he is playing on the internet

I wonder if his mommy knows he is playing on the internet

OK my paranoid Ex Pat brothers, ( and sisters ), who gives a shit what he thinks, if we didn't gripe about living conditions etc,here,  there probably wouldn't be an Ex Pat site, ( or definitely wouldn't be many laughs on it ), plus with us whinging, maybe VN's will read our complaints and some will start getting their shit together, ( and I don't mean to burn the bloody stuff either ), it's this family, family, family crap we constantly hear about, but there has been very little done to ensure  these families have a healthy future in VN.

Angela Merkal arrives in Grease. At the airport the customs officer says. Natinality ,, German she replys. Occupation,, no only here for a few days,,

Jeff Brewster wrote:

Angela Merkal arrives in Grease. At the airport the customs officer says. Nationality ,, German she reply. Occupation,, no only here for a few days,,

Good one Jeff , I'll put it in the joke section for you, ( there must be some Germans or Greeks on here we can offend? )

I defrosted the frezer last night, or forplay as my wife calls it.

I woke up last night to have a pee, and out of the window i saw a muslim in the nex doors garden. I went outside and my neighbour smashed him on the head with a shovel. Killed him stone dead. Then he dug a grave and beried him. Then i went back to bed. The wife said to me, your shaking is every thing alright darling. No its not i said, that tosser next door has still got my shovel.

Jesus loves you, nice to hear in church, but not when your in a Mexican prison.

Jeff Brewster wrote:

I defrosted the freezer last night, or foreplay as my wife calls it.

I woke up last night to have a pee, and out of the window i saw a Muslim in the nex doors garden. I went outside and my neighbour smashed him on the head with a shovel. Killed him stone dead. Then he dug a grave and buried him. Then i went back to bed. The wife said to me, your shaking is every thing alright darling. No its not i said, that tosser next door has still got my shovel.

Don't get me started on Muslims Jeff, I've got heaps of those jokes.  Best to put these in the joke section, ( I think we can get away with more there.)

Jeff Brewster wrote:

Angela Merkal arrives in Grease. At the airport the customs officer says. Natinality ,, German she replys. Occupation,, no only here for a few days,,

Thats not a bad mornings work, ive upset the muslims, Germans , and the Greaks.

jimbream wrote:

Jeff Brewster wrote:

Angela Merkal arrives in Grease. At the airport the customs officer says. Natinality ,, German she replys. Occupation,, no only here for a few days,,

[img align=c]http://girlsdofilm.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/grease-the-movie-4.jpg[/url]

Bloody hell, Angela has really gone to the dogs these days.

I'd say it's difficult because they are unaware of their own cultural biases; if one doesn't understand what drives their own beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors then they're going to have a tough time accepting what drives someone else's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors if it threatens perceptions of reality.

I'd say that anybody planning to live, long-term, in another country needs to learn the local language; I don't understand how someone can think they have another culture figured out when they can't even speak the language.

On the other hand, I think there are a lot of foreigners in Vietnam who are there for perverse reasons and have no intention of trying to assimilate.

yttocs wrote:

On the other hand, I think there are a lot of foreigners in Vietnam who are there for perverse reasons and have no intention of trying to assimilate.

Oh no , the paranoia again, but I know he's not talking about me because I've never even seen a bloody sheep in VN. ( especially one that can speak Viet ).

Kevin can speak Viet and Swahili

There must be sheep in Vietnam because there are a lot of sheep shaggers there; ever seen one of those?

Only the new Zealanders

I dont think there are sheep in Vietnam, so sheep shagging dont come into play. Now on the other hand ivs seen the look in thier eyes when they have had to much rice wine, and they start looking at a plump duck as she wobbles by. Duck shagging is very common out in the country side, especialy if theres no TV. Hence the saying F... A duck.

Another reason to pay extra to live in D1...