Forget about political correctness, or at least in the Western sense of the term. In Vietnam, a blind person is blind; a dwarf is a dwarf. Even more so, an ugly person is plug-ugly and a fat one is simply fat…
Forget about political correctness, or at least in the Western sense of the term. In Vietnam, a blind person is blind; a dwarf is a dwarf. Even more so, an ugly person is plug-ugly and a fat one is simply fat. You don’t have to mince your words, because the Vietnamese won’t. Not when they are with you, or when they are among themselves. But, believe it or not, it’s all done with respect and, more often than not, with a smile. ‘How fat you are!’ they will say while patting your belly or assessing the size of your arms. You’ll get your body hair pulled and your bald head stroked. They’ll point and laugh … and the best response is to laugh with them. If you can’t accept yourself as you are, Vietnam might not wise choice of travel destination for you.
The politically correct Vietnamese is a different breed. While he might say his boss is afraid of his wife or has short ears (long ears are considered the lucky and beautiful ones), he would not comment on his superior’s capacities to run the office or on his role as a leader. Bitching about your boss, the society, your country, and your leaders is definitely not politically correct in Vietnam. Leaders command respect, like parents in a family. If you disagree with them, you try and keep that rather private. Of course, there are exceptions. You will find rather significant differences in their voicing of political opinions between Northerners and many Southerners. Read your history books to understand the different perspectives. But remember, its one thing for Vietnamese to criticize their system; it’s another to hear foreigners does it. In Vietnam as in any other society, unless you are very familiar with the local context, tread softly on political and religious matters.
