• Do not be offended when Vietnamese people ask your age right away. They address people according to their age (em, anh, chi, ong, co etc…)

• Vietnamese people are very straightforward. They will tell you exactly what they think about you and they mean no offense by it. They will tell you that you are fat, big, hairy, and they will even tell you that you look strange. Strange to them means different, not ugly or horrible. On the flipside they will also tell you how beautiful or handsome you are all the time.

• Vietnamese people stare a lot and even touch your arms, face, and hair. They mean no harm. They are just incredibly curious. Foreigners are typically much bigger than Vietnamese, have much more body hair, and have diverse colors of hair. The Vietnamese find all of this very interesting.

• The prices in Vietnam are usually not fixed prices. You are encouraged to bargain. *It is important to note that if they charge you a much higher price it is not a ‘skin tax’ or a foreigner price. It is local price vs stranger price, NOT Vietnamese price vs Foreigner price. Vietnamese people from Saigon who go to Hanoi get overcharged just as much as you do because we don’t know the local prices. It’s as simple as that.

• When shopping in the local market or stores, be very careful not to pick anything up. If you pick it up they expect you to bargain until you reach an agreement and then buy it. If you pick something up and then don’t purchase it the vendor will most likely be offended.

• 50% of the population in Vietnam is 35 years old or younger. This means that they have no recollection of the Vietnam War (with America). For the most part the Vietnamese people hold no grudges from that war or any war, and instead are just very curious about Americans and other Westerners because they are so fascinated with our cultures. Some people will tell you they were in the war, and will even tell you they killed Americans. Again they mean no harm or ill will by saying this. Due to their limited English it may come across brash, but they just want to share their history with you.