🛵 Traffic: Zen in the Middle of Mayhem
Crossing the street in Vietnam is not walking. It’s trusting the universe.
You don’t wait for a break in traffic — there isn’t one.
You step forward slowly and confidently… and the scooters flow around you like fish around a rock.
Hesitate, and you’re lunch.
🍜 Pho and Slurping: National Sport
Pho is more than soup — it’s morning ritual, hangover cure, and soul therapy.
Slurping is not rude. It’s encouraged.
Silence means the soup isn’t good enough. Slurp like you mean it.
🤨 Nods and Shakes: Schrödinger’s Answer
“Yes” may look like “no.”
“No” might be a smile.
Maybe is always maybe.
Don’t trust the head nod alone — listen to the tone, feel the energy, check the eyebrows. Or just smile and go with it.
🧍 Personal Space: A Suggestion, Not a Rule
On a bus, train, or market, expect full contact.
A stranger might lean on your shoulder while scrolling TikTok. It’s not intimacy — it’s gravity.
You are now part of the system.
🛖 Street Food: Delicious Chaos
If it smells amazing and looks slightly questionable — eat it.
Tiny plastic stools? Yes. Unwashed plates? Probably. Incredible flavors? Always.
Just bring napkins, a sense of adventure, and… optional digestive backup.
🌧️ Weather: Wet, Hot, Repeat
It’s either hot and sticky or raining like a dragon’s shower.
Locals wear jackets in 30°C heat to avoid getting tan. You, meanwhile, are melting in shorts and a tank top.
Sun = danger. Shade = heaven.
💡 How to Not Look Totally Lost:
- Smile first, always. It’s the unofficial national greeting.
- Don’t raise your voice — you’ll just lose the argument.
- Master the word “dạ”. It’s polite, vague, and fits 99% of answers.
- Say “no chili” only if you mean it. Otherwise… 🔥 good luck.
