Job Discussion Forums

[TimkinMS]

I have noticed one trend and talked about it with other expats. This applies to HCMC.

It seems over the last several month (I remember around last Tet) there have been more incidences of yelling obsenities at foreigner on the street.

Shouting "Go Home!" or yelling terms in Vietnamese like "Con Heo" which mean pig, although I am thin. Other insults are said also, but I won't repeat them here.

If a foreigner is married to a Vietnamese woman or is with his girlfriend there are often shouts of "*beep*!" and "Prostitute!" in Vietnamese.

The people that yell this are complete strangers. I ignorie it but it has increased.

Is it because the economy is declining? Is it because of the recent anti-foreigner articles in the the "Toui Tre, Thanhniennews," and "Lao Dong" newspapers?

I am not trying to complain, I'm just curious why these incidences have increased with me and other in HCMC recently.

[menso35]

That kind of crap pisses me off to no end mainly because I live in the largest Vietnamese enclave here in the states. It's nice to know how wonderfully you are treated over there.

Over on the Korean forum, liberal brainwashed recent college graduates will say something like, "Well, now you know how minorities are treated in your own country".

My experience living and working in Asia was not positive, AT ALL. I got burned multiple times, was spit on, accosted, etc. Two wrongs don't make a right but after finding out Asians' true views on race, I am not very inclined to be very kind to them in my own country and would never, ever hire one unless they were born in the west and spoke English flawlessly. God help if one of them tries to cut in front of me in line like this old Asian man did a couple of months back. We aren't in his rude home country anymore, and I let him know loud and clear, much to the dismay of the other patrons. They can be king shite in their own little third world hell holes but their BS won't fly here. It doesn't really matter anyways because most Asians here in the LA area stick to their own kind. Maybe they just can't handle having manners? Don't know. What I do know is that before my experience living in Asia I was quite race blind. Now however, I wouldn't say I am racist but I am very aware that these people are not our friends and will stab you in the back 9 ways to Sunday if you let them. I treat them accordingly.

[ajc19810]

I experience the extremes of that type of behaviour, probably like most of us. I haven't noticed an increase or decrease, I still get stared at and have people yell abuse at my wife, just as much as I have people buying me beers and inviting me to family events. Yeah, it's there and we all have our own coping mechanisms for when it does happen, in order to prevent us knocking the culprits head off.

I actually have never heard the 'Go Home' call yet, most of it is directed at my wife, which is 100 times worse. I know for sure that we get far less of it when we are in the countryside in our hometown and not in Saigon or Hanoi. Also, strangely enough we get it more from older women and not so much from the men.

[inky]

'Now however, I wouldn't say I am racist but I am very aware that these people..."
LOL

[withaciderinsideyer]

just how common is this?

i hear differing reports - from "the vietnamese are the nicest people in the world" to "they hate foreigners".

i'd like to know since i'm on my way over.

[Galileo]

[Galileo]

There have been a few times when I'm pretty sure that someone was trying to insult me in English but I couldn't understand their pronunciation. For example, I had a xe om driver (motorbike taxi driver) yell "F*** up! F*** up!" at me. I looked at him in confusion and kept walking. Only later did I realize that Vietnamese people have a hard time pronouncing the word "off" so it comes out sounding like "up".

[jayasia]

i concur.

some expats are great, most aren't, especially in the educational field.

astonishing really who they will hire because they happen to be native speakers.....oh well, makes me look a real pro without too much effort.

[inky]

"I think the truth is in the middle. Some Vietnamese people are wonderful. Some are not so wonderful."
Gee, do you think maybe that applies to everybody on the planet?

"God help if one of them tries to cut in front of me in line like this old Asian man did a couple of months back..."
So if an old white guy cuts in front of you, that's okay. But you're not a racist.

[ajc19810]

withaciderinsideyer dont stress too much about it. It's just one of those things. Where ever you live there is always something that is not right. Foreigner relations is a huge convo topic among expats, for some if they didnt have this to bitch about they wouldn't have anything to share with each other. Just come and see for yourself, the Viet people are really amazing without doubt, Iwouldnt have a house there if I didnt think that, just some behave like wankers when it comes to foreigners and vice versa.

[withaciderinsideyer]

my friend said the vietnamese can be quite aggressive and don't have that stay calm or lose face thing. he also said he much preferred thailand because at least they smiled when they were ripping you off.

[jayasia]

i've got news for your friend....

he's already getting ripped-off by accepting 30,000 baht pm for a full teaching load with 40-60 in a class.

maybe some of us don't want the whole nightlife/sex industry shoved in our face as well as contending with the crappy pay?

AND we havn't even started on the visas/teacher's licence scenario yet....

[withaciderinsideyer]

^ he never taught in thailand

he just likes to holiday in se asia. mostly with his gf these days.

so vietnam is a much better deal than thailand?

[jayasia]

frankly, who cares?

you're already on your way here so some previous research and decision must of been already made?

don't mean to be rude, but i keep the idle chat down to a bare minimum.


nite.

[withaciderinsideyer]

yeah i'm on my way over i just want to know if im gonna get spat at in the face or no