To be honest, I expected a little hostility to Americans from the Vietnamese. I never saw it. The only abrasiveness I felt was in the government's rhetoric in places like the War Remembrance Memorial and at Cu Chi Tunnels. But the people have all been very nice.
Most people are very warm and friendly. They are all very direct. It didn't happen all the time, but it happened frequently enough that I think I should tell you about it: More than a few times, a Vietnamese would come up and ask where I was from. Next, he or she would ask how old I was, then if I was married, then if I had kids. In this culture, family is very important, and there is some hierarchy based on age. They would want to understand these things about me because it was something they could relate to. Other visitors to Vietnam have found these questions common enough that they made up some answers. For example, if you weren't married, they would ask why not. Some who were single found it easier to say they were married rather than explain why they weren't. If you didn't have kids, they would want to know why as well. I believe it was Dr. Burr (although it could have been anyone) who told me of someone who invented 2 kids complete with life stories in order to have an acceptable answer to these questions.
In the US, we might find these kind of direct questions offensive. In Vietnam, they are normal questions, as are questions about how much money you make and how much something costs.
I think this type of directness makes them good salespeople.
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