Vietnam,...a Vietnamese_American expat's perspective.

AkaMaverick wrote:

We're all starting to know you're a Trump footmen.
Unbelievable how much hate your president can inflict on the rather uneducated part of the electorate with 13 thousand lies in 1000 days of office.
But there is one good thing.
The USA loses more and more influence in world affairs.
No one can take this country seriously any more.

I'm far from being a Trump lover but I agree with Jim-Minh that Clinton is highly corrupt and even though Democrats loved her no matter what she did, there was lots of shady money going her way. From my point of view, she's as corrupt as Trump, but the difference is that Trump is not a self righteous, virtue signalling Liberal.

Well, I see your 15,000 lies and raise you 33,000 emails, and 4  Bengasi embassy staff that didn't pay their Clinton Foundation dues. How about the government of Egypt and Quadaffi? The poor bastard kissed your ass and you still killed him?
What about the 1.xx $billion that just disappeared from the US Treasury's accounts payable?
How much of the impeachment noise is payback for calling in favors for oversight of debt service of underage sex transgressions from both sides of the aisle?

I SAY DRAIN THE SWAMP.

wonder where all the loan money went that was given to build the MRT system in Saigon, anyone got an update on when they now say phase 1 will be operational?

WillyBaldy wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

That index is based on perceived corruption. It's a subjective approach. There's less occurrences of corruption in the West but when they happen, they're for huge amounts. So I'm not sure what's best, thousands of bribes of $20 to a police officer or public servant in Vietnam or a few hundreds bribes of USD$20M+ to government ministers in the West? It happens less, but for much bigger amounts.

Personally, I love Vietnam because this is the only country where I can actually afford a bribe

I wouldnt call the 4.8 billion usd Vinashin debacle small corruption, or the billions stolen by Petro officials and banking officials.

There's definitely some events with huge amounts, put it pales compared to countries like U.S.A with economies worth trillions of dollars. Just now I'm seeing this on Bloomberg:

"Ex-Credit Suisse Banker Says He Hid $45 Million Worth of Bribes. Pearse tells Brooklyn jury other bankers also accepted bribes".

Also, I come from Québec where there was a huge corruption scandal over many years, with mayors and some Prime Ministers having accepted huge bribes from construction mafias. Add the SNC-Lavalin corruption debacle to the list (and Trudeau's attempted interference against the Justice System).

I'm not really trying to compare Vietnamese corruption versus corruption in the West, but I just think that "corruption index" is way to biased and subjective to be a true reference. Yes, it happens everywhere in Vietnam but 80% of it is "petty corruption" although for the poor Vietnamese this is a huge burden on their heads.

The index is not about value, its about volume. Having lived here for 12 years and worked at Vietnams largest government owned company, I would say the index is spot on. If the index is not showing the true state of corruption, it means my home country listed as around number 14, should be zero.

Lets not forget that corruption is not just about money, it also relates to cronism and nepotism. Nearly all govt officials have their relatives in the system, you cant do that under a democratic system. The public system here is all about who your relatives are. In the west you dont have to pay to get a job posting, police,border guards, doctors and teachers all have to pay to secure a good job. Thats why corruption is way worse here than countries such as mine.

Let's not forget faked school admissions in California in exchange for millions of dollars! But totally agree it's way more systemic in Vietnam.

colinoscapee wrote:

Lets not forget that corruption is not just about money, it also relates to cronism and nepotism. Nearly all govt officials have their relatives in the system, you cant do that under a democratic system. The public system here is all about who your relatives are. In the west you dont have to pay to get a job posting, police,border guards, doctors and teachers all have to pay to secure a good job. Thats why corruption is way worse here than countries such as mine.

Exactly, you nailed it, see below definition of corruption, not all about 20usd coffee money to the cops.  Add to that list of pay to get job Vietnam Airlines & being a party member helps too I am told by many of my Vietnamese friends.

The simplest definition is: Corruption is the misuse of public power (by elected politician or appointed civil servant) for private gain. ... Corruption is the misuse of entrusted power (by heritage, education, marriage, election, appointment or whatever else) for private gain.

moscowmetro wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

moscowmetro wrote:

Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses,

Wonder where the small time petty corrupt people here get the money to buy the 5 to 10 billion VND hot cars I see on the streets here & can afford to buy the apartments & villa,s for sale at 5 to 50 billion VND? They must work really hard I suppose!

I was mostly pointing out the difference in scale.

You think the rich anywhere do an honest days work?

Some do & some dont I suppose, looks like you got a big chip on your shoulder! but considering the West is predominintly capitalist societies & this is a communist country its difficult to compare where your comparison on levels of corruption are coming from & by your statements you seem to think all rich Western people are automatically corrupt & I for one dont wear that one.

^ "this is a communist country" ~

WillyBaldy wrote:

Let's not forget faked school admissions in California in exchange for millions of dollars! But totally agree it's way more systemic in Vietnam.

Contact the index and tell them they are wrong.

Well, I actually agreed with you in my post if you can read but it's ok I'm not in à fighting mood today, life is good 

WillyBaldy wrote:

Well, I actually agreed with you in my post if you can read but it's ok I'm not in à fighting mood today, life is good 

I saw that, Im just saying, take them to task if you believe it's incorrect.

colinoscapee wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

Well, I actually agreed with you in my post if you can read but it's ok I'm not in à fighting mood today, life is good 

I saw that, Im just saying, take them to task if you believe it's incorrect.

Well it's just philosophical at this point. What I dislike more than systemic corruption in developing countries is high level corruption in self righteous, "progressive" and "we are holier than thou" countries like the U.S and Canada. It just sounds so hypocritical to me. I'm having a hard time with this Western mentality, but the list itself I guess is right but we know it's normal it's happening in developing countries, but in developed countries this should not be happening at any level.

WillyBaldy wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

Well, I actually agreed with you in my post if you can read but it's ok I'm not in à fighting mood today, life is good 

I saw that, Im just saying, take them to task if you believe it's incorrect.

Well it's just philosophical at this point. What I dislike more than systemic corruption in developing countries is high level corruption in self righteous, "progressive" and "we are holier than thou" countries like the U.S and Canada. It just sounds so hypocritical to me. I'm having a hard time with this Western mentality, but the list itself I guess is right but we know it's normal it's happening in developing countries, but in developed countries this should not be happening at any level.

Trying to stamp out greed will never happen unfortunately, even worse when people kill to obtain some type of financial gain.

colinoscapee wrote:

Lets not forget that corruption is not just about money, it also relates to cronism and nepotism. Nearly all govt officials have their relatives in the system, you cant do that under a democratic system. The public system here is all about who your relatives are. In the west you dont have to pay to get a job posting, police,border guards, doctors and teachers all have to pay to secure a good job. Thats why corruption is way worse here than countries such as mine.

I hope people are not assuming that people from the west don't believe corruption does not exist in the West, of course we know it exist.  I think the question is whether you believe one is better than the other and that can be subjective by each person.  In my experiences, what makes corruption in the East worse than the West is that it directly impacts individuals on a daily basis and is a constant battle, no matter who or what company you interact with.  As in the West, individuals do not have this problem in their daily lives.  For example:

1. Schools - in the West, if you work hard and study, you make good grades and excel, no money required, no forced tutoring or extra fees for the teacher and you can get into the best schools without paying bribes.  The majority of students attend public schools, FREE.   In East, no matter how smart you are, you have to pay extra to the teacher, tutoring etc. to make the "grade".  I am not aware of free schooling in vietnam, no money, no school.

2. Bribing a cop, in the West, for the average person, try that and see what happens, you go to jail.

3. Going to get your drivers license or auto registration new or renewed etc.  In the West, you take the test and pay the fee, your done.  In the East, you have to not only pay the fee, you have to pay the government employee extra if you want your license or registration.  You can even fail the test, just pay enough and voila.

4. Employment - in the West, I have never paid or even heard of any person paying for a job, interview etc.  East, paying is expected WTF?

5. Salary - in the West, people get paid and if your employer does not pay, the department of labor is on them like yesterday.  East, common for companies to miss payroll.

6. Your own business - West, there are a lot of rules and regulations that must be followed and there is a costs, but it is fixed, you know what they are and apply to all businesses.  East, you get away with murder, but you have to pay bribes to operate and if competition wants to make your life difficult, good luck with getting support from the government, unless you pay them.

7. Customs - West, you are never asked for a bribe.  East - bribe is a common occurrence, including for businesses importing products.

I am not saying one system is better over the other, just saying they are different.  What I see is that corruption in the West does not directly impact individuals daily lives where corruption in the East is a common occurrence in the daily lives of individuals.  What I see as a major reason is that in the West, it is illegal to bribe and individuals can pursue legal action and get the person seeking a bribe in a lot of trouble.  While in the East, individuals do not have the same legal protections.

vndreamer wrote:

I am not saying one system is better over the other, just saying they are different.  What I see is that corruption in the West does not directly impact individuals daily lives where corruption in the East is a common occurrence in the daily lives of individuals.  What I see as a major reason is that in the West, it is illegal to bribe and individuals can pursue legal action and get the person seeking a bribe in a lot of trouble.  While in the East, individuals do not have the same legal protections.

Totally agree with you. In the West, the impact is more subtle. In Québec we've got very bad road quality because of all the corruption in the maintenance and construction world. We're also overpaying on government contracts because the contracts often go to the companies that bribe the most, so we pay this with a percentage (tax) on our paychecks.

But it's definitely nothing compared to what Vietnamese people have to deal with with their day to day life. Your neighbour at the hospital that just arrived passes ahead of you because he paid a bigger bribe? That must really suck.

WillyBaldy wrote:

But it's definitely nothing compared to what Vietnamese people have to deal with with their day to day life. Your neighbour at the hospital that just arrived passes ahead of you because he paid a bigger bribe? That must really suck.

Another great example, how did I miss healthcare!   I know many of you hear or know the stories of getting sick and going to the hospital and if you don't have the money, they don't treat you and yes, the doctors will leave you for dead.

True story, 1 of my aunts had a stroke at work, co-workers call home and tell us which hospital and off we go, wife, mom, other aunts, sisters etc.  We show up at the hospital and she is like in a coma, no movement, nada, zombie like.  About 1 hour passed and my wife says "we need XX million for medicine and treatment and if we don't pay, they will not help her and will let her die".  Despite the fact the Aunt actually had medical insurance, but it did not cover the entire amount that the doctors and hospital requested.

I was like WTF?  My wife says, I told you this is VN, not America.  Even though I am watching this, to this day, I still have a hard time accepting just how cruel and that people allow this to happen.  They eventually got the money, but she did not get any medicine or treatment until the doctors were paid.

If this happened in the USA, even if the aunt had no money upon arrival at the hospital, any person that is in a "life threatening condition", the law requires the hospital to treat you, no exception.

Interestingly,..it was not until I had "immersed" my self into the fabric of a western cultural setting, that I actually learned the personal values....associated with a raised "sense of accountability".

jana611 wrote:

Interestingly,..it was not until I had "immersed" my self into the fabric of a western cultural setting, that I actually learned the personal values....associated with a raised "sense of accountability".

You should not overuse black ink, you'll run out of it! 

Foreign owned businesses get audited a lot more than govt owned or vietnamese owned. The Sheraton in Saigon was audited 14 times last year, and we all know what that is about $$$$$$$$$.

WillyBaldy wrote:

jana611 wrote:

Interestingly,..it was not until I had "immersed" my self into the fabric of a western cultural setting, that I actually learned the personal values....associated with a raised "sense of accountability".

You should not overuse black ink, you'll run out of it! 

Indeed(s)...just in case you haven't noticed, I post  reply comments pertinent only to the topic threat "point". Otherwise,...I use the PM board.

jana611 wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

jana611 wrote:

Interestingly,..it was not until I had "immersed" my self into the fabric of a western cultural setting, that I actually learned the personal values....associated with a raised "sense of accountability".

You should not overuse black ink, you'll run out of it! 

Indeed(s)...

I busting to use my CAPS LOCK  to yell at someone.

WillyBaldy wrote:

AkaMaverick wrote:

We're all starting to know you're a Trump footmen.
Unbelievable how much hate your president can inflict on the rather uneducated part of the electorate with 13 thousand lies in 1000 days of office.
But there is one good thing.
The USA loses more and more influence in world affairs.
No one can take this country seriously any more.

I'm far from being a Trump lover but I agree with Jim-Minh that Clinton is highly corrupt and even though Democrats loved her no matter what she did, there was lots of shady money going her way. From my point of view, she's as corrupt as Trump, but the difference is that Trump is not a self righteous, virtue signalling Liberal.

WillyBaldy wrote:

jana611 wrote:

Interestingly,..it was not until I had "immersed" my self into the fabric of a western cultural setting, that I actually learned the personal values....associated with a raised "sense of accountability".

You should not overuse black ink, you'll run out of it! 

Jim-Minh wrote:

Well, I see your 15,000 lies and raise you 33,000 emails, and 4  Bengasi embassy staff that didn't pay their Clinton Foundation dues. How about the government of Egypt and Quadaffi? The poor bastard kissed your ass and you still killed him?
What about the 1.xx $billion that just disappeared from the US Treasury's accounts payable?
How much of the impeachment noise is payback for calling in favors for oversight of debt service of underage sex transgressions from both sides of the aisle?

I SAY DRAIN THE SWAMP.

WillyBaldy wrote:

AkaMaverick wrote:

We're all starting to know you're a Trump footmen.
Unbelievable how much hate your president can inflict on the rather uneducated part of the electorate with 13 thousand lies in 1000 days of office.
But there is one good thing.
The USA loses more and more influence in world affairs.
No one can take this country seriously any more.

I'm far from being a Trump lover but I agree with Jim-Minh that Clinton is highly corrupt and even though Democrats loved her no matter what she did, there was lots of shady money going her way. From my point of view, she's as corrupt as Trump, but the difference is that Trump is not a self righteous, virtue signalling Liberal.

Jim-Minh wrote:

<<< You're absolutely right ^,...sir >>>

Ciambella is a very dear lady.

jana611 wrote:

Jim-Minh wrote:

<<< You're absolutely right ^,...sir >>>

Ciambella is a very dear lady.

Merci,..! Madam/Monsieur,...bon soir!

Wxx3 wrote:

jana611 wrote:

Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.

Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.

In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,... particularly so regarding the traditional (inner_workings)  "system of things" within their own culture.

Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.

So what exactly is your point?
I seem to have missed it.

You repost other's negative comments about Vietnam and then play the innocent bystander, with no responsibility for those words.

that's pretty much the definition of Fake News. "I heard ..."
"But I'm not a bad person, because i did not say that!"

And what's your connection to Vietnam?

Just asking

moscowmetro wrote:

Brick23 wrote:

moscowmetro wrote:

Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses,

Wonder where the small time petty corrupt people here get the money to buy the 5 to 10 billion VND hot cars I see on the streets here & can afford to buy the apartments & villa,s for sale at 5 to 50 billion VND? They must work really hard I suppose!

I was mostly pointing out the difference in scale.

You think the rich anywhere do an honest days work?

Some do & some dont I suppose, looks like you got a big chip on your shoulder! but considering the West is predominintly capitalist societies & this is a communist country its difficult to compare where your comparison on levels of corruption are coming from & by your statements you seem to think all rich Western people are automatically corrupt & I for one dont wear that one.

WillyBaldy wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

That index is based on perceived corruption. It's a subjective approach. There's less occurrences of corruption in the West but when they happen, they're for huge amounts. So I'm not sure what's best, thousands of bribes of $20 to a police officer or public servant in Vietnam or a few hundreds bribes of USD$20M+ to government ministers in the West? It happens less, but for much bigger amounts.

Personally, I love Vietnam because this is the only country where I can actually afford a bribe

I wouldnt call the 4.8 billion usd Vinashin debacle small corruption, or the billions stolen by Petro officials and banking officials.

There's definitely some events with huge amounts, put it pales compared to countries like U.S.A with economies worth trillions of dollars. Just now I'm seeing this on Bloomberg:

"Ex-Credit Suisse Banker Says He Hid $45 Million Worth of Bribes. Pearse tells Brooklyn jury other bankers also accepted bribes".

Also, I come from Québec where there was a huge corruption scandal over many years, with mayors and some Prime Ministers having accepted huge bribes from construction mafias. Add the SNC-Lavalin corruption debacle to the list (and Trudeau's attempted interference against the Justice System).

I'm not really trying to compare Vietnamese corruption versus corruption in the West, but I just think that "corruption index" is way to biased and subjective to be a true reference. Yes, it happens everywhere in Vietnam but 80% of it is "petty corruption" although for the poor Vietnamese this is a huge burden on their heads.

jana611 wrote:

Please note the following is not the considered opinion of the OP, but a forwarded copy of a post made to the Quora_Home social media platform. It is posted here, simply for academic considerations only,
...especially for those SE Asia “Retirement” location seeking western expats. Thank you,...

What is wrong with Vietnam? ....Answered on Apr 23, 2018,...by Theresa Tran (a U.S. citizen)


"First,…I am 100% Vietnamese, but born in America and raised by Vietnamese parents who found their way to America after the war ended. I’ve visited Vietnam over 20 times—each time spanning from 2 weeks to 4 months (depending on my employment status at the time).

There are many things ‘wrong’ with Vietnam but bear in mind there are a thousand things that make Vietnam a wonderful place to visit and even live. Below are tidbits of my personal experience.

1.    CORRUPTION is the number one problem in Vietnam. It leads to distrust in the government, poor public services and overall a harsher lifestyle for everyone. I will give firsthand examples of each below.

    a.Government: - As one other writer, Nho Pham, here noted: Vietnam has ranked 119 out of 174 countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014. Here are some examples I’ve witnessed:

    i.    Airports: - Growing up, my parents always made sure to get to TSN airport in HCM with cash in hand. We always stuffed $10 and $20 bills in our passports to get by with no issues. It wasn’t until I was about 18, that I started experiencing the hassles at the passport desk. While I thought speaking Vietnamese would spark some sort of common understanding—I quickly learned that just replying in English made them go away. Money was always requested before you departed the baggage claim. A man once told me “I know you have like iPhones in your bag, just give me $20 for coffee and you can go.”

    ii. Law  Enforcement: - A few years ago, my dad purchased a van for my family in Vietnam to use to run a business and to drive our family around. We were pulled over for a small traffic violation. The officer approached my dad’s driver's side window and he asked him to explain what happened. As my dad started talking the officer interrupted him and said: “Wait, you’re American here on holiday aren’t you?” My dad insisted we’re just visiting our family and to please let us go......

Then he (the police officer) prompted my family to step out of the car. They confiscated our vehicle and we had to take a cab home—all 7+ of us. That night, my dad received a call and he was given the name of a restaurant. The officer showed up with his other officer friends and proceeded with a night of feasting, drinking, and girls. At the end of the night, after my dad picked up the bill—he said he’d be in contact. The next night, they told him to meet at yet another restaurant. Only after another night, did we get our car back. This is the most extreme of cases.


iii.    I’ve had another incident where my cousin was told “this isn’t even enough money for coffee” after being pulled over and being prompted for a bribe. She forked over 500,000 VND. The average cost of a cup of coffee is around 25,000 dong. I had to give her all the cash I had as well. Only then, did he let us go.

Another incident while riding on a motorbike with my (young and attractive, lol) aunt, the officer asked her where she lived and when she responded she doesn’t know her address, he asked how she was going to get home. She responded, please just take the cash and help me out and let me go. He then asked for her number and when she said she didn’t know it, he responded by asking how would he contact her to hang out if she didn’t know it. Many more of these experiences that I’ll spare.

iv.    Running a business: - I once asked my dad while eating at a restaurant on the street, this is such a nice little business. Why don’t we run one like this? He replied, “Who’s going to let us do such a thing?” Growing up American, I asked what he meant. He told me stories of how law enforcement operates much like the mafia. He told me without “permission,” that once you set up shop, men IN UNIFORM would come to turn your restaurant upside down, asking you who gave you permission to be here. While I haven’t experienced this one, firsthand, there seem to be “fees” associated with running a small business in the city that many people, aside from my dad have spoken of.

2.  Public Services

a.    Roads - Roads that connect cities to one another are often riddled with broke concrete that exposes giant pieces of rocks underneath that concrete. When I asked why the Vietnamese roads are not paved with smooth concrete or at least smaller rocks, the response always is something along the lines of “Yes, that’s the way it should be—if someone wasn’t taking a cut. These roads are cheated. The materials are cheap because by the time the money gets passed down to the actual road construction, there is very little left.”

b. Schools - No education is free. At the college level, students who opt to major in disciplines such as Marxism are given discounts, lol.

c.    Buses - Anyone who has ridden a Vietnamese bus already knows how different this is.

d.    Hospitals - Man oh man, when my grandma was in the hospital, a public one due to her health insurance, I had an eye-opening experience. People were doubled up on beds. Nurses don’t care for patients as they do in the states—they’re only there to administer medicine, check vitals, etc. Each patient has a family member who sleeps on the floor next to their bed and tends to them.

These caregivers are seen in the bathrooms pouring bodily fluids, that on the LIVER ILLNESSES hospital floor, for example, come from the liver lol into the sinks in the restroom. Golly. At night, patients waiting for care sleep on the lobby floor along with family members. No soap in bathrooms. Coolers with bags of blood, that caretakers have to purchase from the pharmacy downstairs, sit at the foot of the patients’ beds waiting for the nurses. Beds are pushed out to the balconies and fill up space there because the rooms are full or are simply too hot.

3.    See how these few things can make life a little harder?
    a.In addition to the things above, there seems to be no regulation of drugs or food and no one monitoring the quality or safety. Also, it seems like brands are free to make any claims they want without any repercussions. Interesting, right?

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer this question."

https://www.quora.com/What-is-wrong-wit … esa-Tran-7

Thanks to all, for their academic (on-topic) contributions to the OP topic thread. Finit.

nevermind

jana611 wrote:

Finit.

Promises, promises...

This reminds me of the guys who say "I love it here" and then spend an hour or so complaining about everything.

At the end of the day, we're here by choice. If you think life in VN is not to your taste, then there are many very nice countries nearby that you can move to: Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, etc. Or, you can move back to your home country.

I think most of us will decide to stay in VN, at least for the time being, because of the advantages it offers.

johnross23 wrote:

This reminds me of the guys who say "I love it here" and then spend an hour or so complaining about everything.

At the end of the day, we're here by choice. If you think life in VN is not to your taste, then there are many very nice countries nearby that you can move to: Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, etc. Or, you can move back to your home country.

I think most of us will decide to stay in VN, at least for the time being, because of the advantages it offers.

Discussing the negatives of any country is normal. I do it in my home country, turning a blind eye to problems that exist solves nothing.

colinoscapee wrote:

johnross23 wrote:

This reminds me of the guys who say "I love it here" and then spend an hour or so complaining about everything.

At the end of the day, we're here by choice. If you think life in VN is not to your taste, then there are many very nice countries nearby that you can move to: Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, etc. Or, you can move back to your home country.

I think most of us will decide to stay in VN, at least for the time being, because of the advantages it offers.

Discussing the negatives of any country is normal. I do it in my home country, turning a blind eye to problems that exist solves nothing.

From my point of view, criticising your home country where you're a citizen versus criticising a host country where you're an expat are different things. Doesn't mean you can't do it, should just be a bit more sensitive about it.

If one spouse lives in a foreign country because of the other spouse, he is not necessarily there voluntarily.
If I meet a spouse with a foreign partner in my home country, I accept criticism of my home country from the foreign spouse of a Swiss citizen.
This also counts for expats who do not live in my home country completely voluntarily because of the job.

These criticisms from fair weather expats who are here a few months a year and then crawl back into their oases of well-being annoy me. Expats who hang around in expat enclaves all the time and get very little of the real Vietnamese culture.
If these expats would live here all the time, would be constantly confronted with the Vietnamese customs by the family and the neighbors, would constantly experience the brainlessness in road traffic and would have to constantly argue with incompetent craftsmen, many fair weather expats would think differently about the oh so great Vietnamese life.

AkaMaverick wrote:

If one spouse lives in a foreign country because of the other spouse, he is not necessarily there voluntarily.
If I meet a spouse with a foreign partner in my home country, I accept criticism of my home country from the foreign spouse of a Swiss citizen.
This also counts for expats who do not live in my home country completely voluntarily because of the job.

These criticisms from fair weather expats who are here a few months a year and then crawl back into their oases of well-being annoy me. Expats who hang around in expat enclaves all the time and get very little of the real Vietnamese culture.
If these expats would live here all the time, would be constantly confronted with the Vietnamese customs by the family and the neighbors, would constantly experience the brainlessness in road traffic and would have to constantly argue with incompetent craftsmen, many fair weather expats would think differently about the oh so great Vietnamese life.

I totally agree with you on all counts, but I still like living here!
Incompetent "craftsmen" are my biggest head ache! &  the term "craftsmen" is a total misuse of the English language as far as any work I have had done here.
I used an Interior Design company to do some work in my latest apartment & the quality of their work was terrible & they drove me nuts! The lady owner of the company called her workmen "technicians" I described them as butchers!

I owned a company and worked in construction for 25 years. Most tradesmen here are of a very low standard. They can do good work, but cant be arsed doing it.