Current Events > After spending over 2 weeks in Vietnam, I don't feel like I belong in America

(+) Yeah! (+)

The people here fucking suck. They're loud, obnoxious, and try to be intimidating. There everyone's polite and it's easy to make friends. Unfortunately many don't speak English outside of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh city but they're still nice.

Went to the huge club called Poc Poc. I guess you can google that. I was treated like a celebrity and one of the dancers came up to me for a video and pics. Then she kissed me on the mouth and I was sick for a week when I came home but it was worth it.

Yeah my brother had nothing but good things to say about Vietnam

Their economy is growing too

UnfairRepresent posted...

Yeah my brother had nothing but good things to say about Vietnam

Their economy is growing too

Yeah tourism there is huge, but it's not a popular destination for Americans. I saw tons of white people, mostly backpackers. Most of them were European or Australian. I talked to a few at the hotel and asked if they saw many other Americans and they were like no, just you. lol

I think there's still that "Vietnam war" stigma here and people associate the country with that. There, it's called the "American War". Learned that on one of the tours.

The people in almost every country in the world tend to be quieter than the people in America.

It's insane how loud Americans are in public venues (like a restaurant).

Tom_Joad posted...

The people in almost every country in the world tend to be quieter than the people in America.

It's insane how loud Americans are in public venues (like a restaurant).

I had an Aussie woman tell me that who was visiting the US. She was like why are people so loud?

But to be fair I don't think we're the loudest people. I work with Haitians and my god they're loud as fuck. When they're in the break room it's constant noise.

Ill be honest.
When I read the topic title
I thought u had been to the vietnam war

Jx1010 posted...

Ill be honest.
When I read the topic title
I thought u had been to the vietnam war

That's really the American mindset when it comes to Vietnam. Hence why I didn't meet many American tourists.

I took hundreds of pics. Ask me to post something and it's probably on my phone.

I moved to Vietnam in July last year. Its an awesome place to live.

LeoRavus posted...

That's really the American mindset when it comes to Vietnam. Hence why I didn't meet many American tourists.

I took hundreds of pics. Ask me to post something and it's probably on my phone.

Im not american. The only exposure I have had about vietman are movies

TC what brought you there? Always had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to leave the US.

I know Glob is a teacher, I've seen him post about it.

LeoRavus posted...

I took hundreds of pics. Ask me to post something and it's probably on my phone.

Pics of the dancer who gave you mouth std lol

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

Someone seems upset

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

I dont know. Ive met quite a few people over here who were only coming for a month or so initially and have stayed for years. Its a very nice place
to live.

RchHomieQuanChi posted...

Someone seems upset

lol you mad?

You should become a travel agent

Don't tell Mark Wahlberg

LeoRavus posted...

I took hundreds of pics. Ask me to post something and it's probably on my phone.

Hot Vietnamese babes

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

100%

Southeast Asia has been on my list of places I would love to visit. Definitely would like to go when I'm still young and have energy.

Didn't Anthony Bourdain love being in Vietnam? Think he went as far as to say he would have loved to retire and live there.

Charlie got his grips on you

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

Is this the new take on the "America is the greatest country in the world and no one can possibly find any other country superior in any way" trope?

St0rmFury posted...

Pics of the dancer who gave you mouth std lol

I took that one from a video and yes I was fucked up.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/6/AABulwAAEO_s.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/7/AABulwAAEO_t.jpg
Returning_CEmen posted...

Hot Vietnamese babes

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/9/8/AABulwAAEO_u.jpg

1337toothbrush posted...

Is this the new take on the "America is the greatest country in the world and no one can possibly find any other country superior in any way" trope?

lol are you really pretending this isnt an old clich

Tom_Joad posted...

It's insane how loud Americans are in public venues (like a restaurant

100%. People and their cackling "yell-laughing" is the fucking worst.

Not to mention places that pump in stupidly loud music to make it feel like the place is more lively than it actually is

This was at a place only locals go to and the girls don't speak English. The only things I could understand from this one is she likes my nose lol. The DJ was fucking hot as hell though. I tried to get a pic with her and then her relief came in.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/3/AABulwAAEO_z.jpg

Just a FYI, there are no strip clubs in Saigon. There are also no dance floors. They put on shows and stuff but no grinding. I thought that was kind of weird.

As a Vietnamese American, that's great you got to visit Vietnam. I never been there, but I plan to in the near future. But yeah not a lot of Vietnamese know how to speak English because we were a French colonized country. You can see a lot of the french inspired things like in our food such as pate chaud and banh xeo.

I'm fairly fluent in my Vietnamese, so I'll be glad to speak my mother land language. Having a baby that is high maintenance definately puts a hamper on things though lol.

Prestoff posted...

As a Vietnamese American, that's great you got to visit Vietnam. I never been there, but I plan to in the near future. But yeah not a lot of Vietnamese know how to speak English because we were a French colonized country. You can see a lot of the french inspired things like in our food such as pate chaud and banh xeo.

I'm fairly fluent in my Vietnamese, so I'll be glad to speak my mother land language. Having a baby that is high maintenance definately puts a hamper on things though lol.

Awesome. The friend I went with was born there and can speak it due to his parents. But this was the first time he'd actually visited the country as an adult.

I'm not sure if you can relate to this, but he said he couldn't understand people from the north. As in they speak a different dialect. He also couldn't read the language in written form.

Yeah, I believe Vietnam is a fairly popular place to live in retirement since the cost of living is low and the people are nice. Glad you had a good time, TC.

I'd love to go there sometime but I hate traveling. -_-

Master_Bass posted...

Yeah, I believe Vietnam is a fairly popular place to live in retirement since the cost of living is low and the people are nice. Glad you had a good time, TC.

One of the guys who took us around, he was like our own tour guide who paid for everything, said if you have the money, start a small business there. There are like no taco stands so I thought that. Most of the street food is local stuff and I think tacos would take off.

LeoRavus posted...

Awesome. The friend I went with was born there and can speak it due to his parents. But this was the first time he'd actually visited the country.

I'm not sure if you can relate to this, but he said he couldn't understand people from the north. As in they speak a different dialect. He also couldn't read the language in written form.

Yes and no. Yes and in both of my parents are from the "south" and had to leave the country when the north took over. So I had a difficult time when I first heard my aunt speak because she lived and studied in the North. The way the North says words sounds off when comparing to the way the South says things, but No in that the writing is normally the same since we still use Roman Alphabets and don't have "signs" like Kanji and Hangul. So saying Vietnamese words is all based off from the "accents". Like one word like "Vu" can have 7 different meanings depending on HOW you say the word. If you say the word incorrectly, Vu can be translated to a women's nipple for instance lol. The complication with the North dialec is when they say the word like "Duy" totally differently. South would say the "d" part with a "y" sound while the North would say it with a "z" sound, then you compound that with the accent and it can be complicated for someone who doesn't speak the language lol.

For example, if you grew up in the deep south you would be able to understand what the hell this guy is saying. If not, it's basically Boomhauer from King of the Hill talking (which Mike Judge used ths as his inspiration for the character).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiwgG6T9se0

It's not a 1to1 comparison to the North vs. South dialec, but it's the equivalent lol.

Prestoff posted...

Yes and no. Yes and in both of my parents are from the "south" and had to leave the country when the north took over. So I had a difficult time when I first heard my aunt speak because she lived and studied in the North. The way the North says words sounds off when comparing to the way the South says things, but No in that the writing is normally the same since we still use Roman Alphabets and don't have "signs" like Kanji and Hangul. So saying Vietnamese words is all based off from the "accents". Like one word like "Vu" can have 7 different meanings depending on HOW you say the word. If you say the word incorrectly, Vu can be translated to a women's nipple for instance lol. The complication with the North dialec is when they say the word like "Duy" totally differently. South would say the "d" part with a "y" sound while the North would say it with a "z" sound, then you compound that with the accent and it can be complicated for someone who doesn't speak the language lol.

That all makes sense. All he told me is he can't understand people from the north, and that's part of the reason why he didn't want to go there.

Another part is his father was in the Vietnam war aka American war and was in a camp because he fought on the American side. He was like his dad wouldn't like it if he visited the communist side, even though it's now all communist.

I really didn't care about the politics of it all. Vietnam isn't as strictly regulated as China that has its own internet. There you can have facebook or whatever with no restrictions on internet access.

LeoRavus posted...

That all makes sense. All he told me is he can't understand people from the north, and that's part of the reason why he didn't want to go there.

Another part is his father was in the Vietnam war aka American war and was in a camp because he fought on the American side. He was like his dad wouldn't like it if he visited the communist side, even though it's now all communist.

I really didn't care about the politics of it all. Vietnam isn't as strictly regulated as China that has its own internet. There you can have facebook or whatever with no restrictions on internet access.

I'll definately say this, it's the equivalent to why a lot of Cubans tend to vote Republican, because they have a "anti-socialism" stance and a lot of Vietnamese (especially those who were basically refugees like my parents that sided with the Americans) conflate communism with socialism. You should see the Republican rally's they have for the Vietnamese communities in Little Saigon in California, pure pandering at its finest lol.

Also funny enough, I had a friend from Vietnam say he learned how to speak English just from posting on social media and social boards. Vietnam's economy definately leans high on tourism, so you're basically helping the country lol.

I don't know or ever hear about anything anything regarding Vietnam, not in movies songs or most other media outside of its forest.

And i Imagine it's the same for most other Americans. So cost/timr aside I can't think of anything to see or do there.

What kind of illness did the dancer give you?

LeoRavus posted...

They're loud, obnoxious, and try to be intimidating

let me guess; you live in a big city or a Republican area ?

the_pika posted...

let me guess; you live in a big city or a Republican area ?

Well those are basically the only two options aren't they? If something isn't a big city, its probably republican land.

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

or maybe America just sucks?

g980 posted...

new take on the "i went backpacking in europe and now i am super cultured and i hate dumb americans" trope i guess

That's part of it, but countries like Vietnam have some added bonuses: if you're an average Western man, you're basically a king over there.

The cost of living is very low: however much money you had in your home country is now worth three times more (maybe four or five times more if you're from north-west Europe).

The average Vietnamese man is four inches shorter than the average white American ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_human_height_by_country ). If you're a short man back home, then you're suddenly average. If you're an average man back home, then you're suddenly tall. If you're already 6 feet, then you've just become a giant.

Nearly everyone in Vietnam is of SEA descent, and if you're not, then you're exotic. You can be the most miscellaneous looking man in your home country, but if you go there, you're suddenly something special.

So yes, Vietnam is probably great if you're rich and physically attractive. But then, so is just about every country. Judging by the amount of Vietnamese people who still emigrate to Western countries, and the lengths many of them take to do it, I'm guessing it's not quite so great for the average person.

A lot of vets chose to never come home after 'Nam, and I imagine there were more than a few good reasons for that.

Ha Long bay is an amazing place to visit in Vietnam:

https://goo.gl/maps/rjFgZZWaxEWxWghFA
https://goo.gl/maps/5wK29JCw999jqjEy9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BA%A1_Long_Bay

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/0/6/AAfQqfAAEPC-.jpg

Tom_Joad posted...

Ha Long bay is an amazing place to visit in Vietnam:

https://goo.gl/maps/rjFgZZWaxEWxWghFA
https://goo.gl/maps/5wK29JCw999jqjEy9

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BA%A1_Long_Bay

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/0/6/AAfQqfAAEPC-.jpg

That was like a 2 hour plane ride from where I was. Up north close to Hanoi. I really wanted to go but my buddy wasn't having it. I also wanted to go to Hue to the Imperial City.

Should have just done that shit on my own.

KayEm posted...

That's part of it, but countries like Vietnam have some added bonuses: if you're an average Western man, you're basically a king over there.

The cost of living is very low: however much money you had in your home country is now worth three times more (maybe four or five times more if you're from north-west Europe).

The average Vietnamese man is four inches shorter than the average white American ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_human_height_by_country ). If you're a short man back home, then you're suddenly average. If you're an average man back home, then you're suddenly tall. If you're already 6 feet, then you've just become a giant.

Nearly everyone in Vietnam is of SEA descent, and if you're not, then you're exotic. You can be the most miscellaneous looking man in your home country, but if you go there, you're suddenly something special.

So yes, Vietnam is probably great if you're rich and physically attractive. But then, so is just about every country. Judging by the amount of Vietnamese people who still emigrate to Western countries, and the lengths many of them take to do it, I'm guessing it's not quite so great for the average person.

This is all true. Its a totally different world.

Back home I was jus getting to a point in my life where I thought I was starting to be okay financially. Here, Im in the top 1% of earners.

While Ive never particularly struggled to get with women, I did have to put the effort in. Its effortless here.

The height thing is true as well, but being a giant isnt cool. Getting clothes to fit can be a challenge.

TC, yeah, you should have gone to Ha Long Bay. Its awesome. Also, theres already a big taco scene (both Mexican and French) so that might not be the revolutionary idea that you think it would be.

Glob posted...

This is all true. Its a totally different world.

Back home I was jus getting to a point in my life where I thought I was starting to be okay financially. Here, Im in the top 1% of earners.

While Ive never particularly struggled to get with women, I did have to put the effort in. Its effortless here.

The height thing is true as well, but being a giant isnt cool. Getting clothes to fit can be a challenge.

TC, yeah, you should have gone to Ha Long Bay. Its awesome. Also, theres already a big taco scene (both Mexican and French) so that might not be the revolutionary idea that you think it would be.

I'm just speaking of what I saw in Ho Chi Minh City. I did see a couple obscure taco places and they weren't really busy and didn't look authentic. They had weird shit like shrimp and squid in the tacos and real Mexican tacos generally don't have that.

LeoRavus posted...

nfortunately many don't speak English outside of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh city

Do they speak French?