How to make friends in Vietnam

Just buy the beer usually works as a good ice breaker.

Trying to make friends is like trying to fall in love.  You can't force it, it just has to happen.  You can arrange to meet people, but, hey, let's face it, how many random meetings in your own country are going to lead to compatible acquaintance?

Sure, you can buy someone beer, and you'll be absolutely guaranteed to hear from him next time he wants more beer.  For that matter you can walk around handing out 500,000₫ notes.  You'll be the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

Well, I don't drink alcohol and I'm not going to hand out money, so neither of those work for me .. guess I have to fall back on the old "find people with common interests" thing.

I've met what turned out to be a few good friends here on Expat.com. Reading some of the posts and posting on common threads helps to identify common interests, which ARE important. Then we scheduled a meet-up and shared that beer. So there are merits to both posts above.

Sit down in a vendor, beer street and start to talk ))

Help people with their problem even it is small. Be nice and kind!  Just be honest and you will have honest friends. Good luck!

Buying the beer was just a quick answer. Just be friendly, always smile, answer "where you from, how old you" and allow them to take your photo. Accept offers of coffee or beer and talk with them.

Just be yourself! Be friendly! Be open for invites!

I have a Vietnamese friend who invited me for a coffee. And then it goes on, we've been good friends since then.

Although, not everyone may have the same case. Common interest is still the best driving factor.

I had a great time just sitting in the park talking with the students and any one who wanted to know about foriegn lands, also think VN people have inbuilt friendly radar/ sonar ( detection /

It's not difficult to make friend in Vietnam because Vietnamese people are very friendly and helpful. Be nice and smile. Everything will go right.
By the way, Nice to meet you. I'm Cindy living in Hanoi

Just don't be an ass.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Vietnamese are very moderate people.  If you can't make friends in Vietnam, you have issues. 

On a similar note, please don't start threads like "Can We Be Friends?"  They sound so desperate, if you will.  Odd-balls should have no business traveling, except to and fro the crazy house.

hihi. u knew how to do it ...
Dinh

yes. u are true
Dinh Nguyen

Wild_1 wrote:

Just don't be an ass.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Vietnamese are very moderate people.  If you can't make friends in Vietnam, you have issues. 

On a similar note, please don't start threads like "Can We Be Friends?"  They sound so desperate, if you will.  Odd-balls should have no business traveling, except to and fro the crazy house.

And football too, "wrong way train" !!! I can't wait to make friend with you lolol

Vietnamese are friendly and curious. If I see a foreigner on the street I talk to him or her asking if she needs any help. Last time I helped a couple near cho thi nghe to get a mai linh cab. They looked so lost and I have this urgent feeling to help others:) Sounds creepy huh:D

Seconding Howie.  It's easy to meet people here, but it's not so easy to find people with things to talk about.  You have to find places like Highland Coffee with laptop&ipad clientele otherwise you run out of topics real quick.  Yes, I ăn cơm rồi.

And the third or so who try to borrow money, it's not gonna work.  I have USA friends owe me over $6000, I'm not lending here.

Chrisfox wrote:

it's not so easy to find people with things to talk about.

Check your people and language skills. 

"If you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."  --Sun Tzu, The Art of War

It would, indeed, be difficult to communicate if your Vietnamese is limited and their English is nonexistent.

And the third or so who try to borrow money

I think people are like that everywhere.  But, such con-artists are very careful in picking their victims.

I have USA friends owe me over $6000

Wait a minute!  There is a pattern here, Chris.

Howie, that isn't what I said at all.  It's topics I run out of, not words, and I'm not at war with anyone in VN.

I've been able to talk with my neighbor about my software projects, get across ideas like multithreading, so it's not like that's the real block.

But I don't gossip, I don't talk politics or current events with Vietnamese, and I find that once we get past the khỏe and the ăn chưa, things tend to dry up.  Yeah more vocabulary would—will–help.