influence of some factors in western culture on english learners’ communication in vietnam

Hanoi Open University
Faculty of English and Modern Languages
***

graduation paper
b.a degree in english
Influence of Some Factors in Western
Culture on English Learner s ’
Commu nication in Vietnam
Supervisor : §Æng Quèc TuÊn
Student: NguyÔn D¬ng Lan Anh
Date of birth: 10-10-1985
Course: 2004-2008
Hanoi, April 2008
Graduation paper
DECLARATION
Influence of Some Factors in Western Culture on English
Learners’ Communication in Vietnam.
(Graduation Paper submitted in Partial Fulfilment for
B.A Degree in English).
I certify that no part of the above report has been copied or reproduced by me from any
other person’s work without acknowledgement and that the report is originally written by
me under strict guidance of my supervisor.
Date submitted: 08/05/2008

Student Supervisor

NguyÔn D¬ng Lan Anh §Æng Quèc
TuÊn
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
2

Graduation paper
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my thanks to many people who have assisted my graduation
paper.
Firstly, to my supervisor, Mr. §Æng Quèc TuÊn, M.A.,I owe a special debt of gratitude
for him scholarship, patient guidance, impossible to enumerate the number of tasks he
has so kindly taken on.
I am indebted to all teachers at the Faculty of English-Hanoi Open Universitty who
have given us a place to study to improve our knowledge.
I would like to thank survey respondent in my class (K11G group) and from students in
Faculty of English Department, who contributed to the data of this thesis.
I take this opportunity to thank all my friends who have stimulated and helped me
develop ideas for the thesis.
The support extended me by members of my family has been immeasurable. I am
profoundly grateful to my parents and my brothers for their heartfelt support and
stimulation. Without them, my work would be less meaningful.
Hanoi, May 2008
Nguyen Duong Lan Anh
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
3
Graduation paper
Tables of contents
Part A: Introduction
I. Rationale…………………………………… ……1
II. Aims of the study………………………………… 2
III. Scopes of the study…………………………… ……2
IV. Methods of the study………………………… …….2
V. Design of the study…………………………… …… 3
Part B: Development
Chapter I: literature review

I.1 Overview of culture………………………………… 4
I.1.1 Definition of culture…………………………………… … 4
I.1.2 Culture and the meaning it represents……………… …….5
I.2 Communication………………………………… …… 6
I.2.1 The definition of communication …………… ……….6
I.2.2 Models of communication…………………… ……… 7
I.2.2.1 Verbal communication……………………… ………….7
I.2.2.1.1. Overview of verbal communication………… ………….7
I.2.2.1.2 Culture and verbal communication…………………… 8
I.2.2.2 Nonverbal communication………………………… ……8
I.2.2.1 What is nonverbal communication? 8
I.2.2.2 Culture and nonverbal communication…………… 9
I.3 The cross-cultural communication………………… 10
I.4 The roles of culture in communication…………… 12
I.5 The relationship between language and culture…… 13
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
4
Graduation paper
I.6 Summary………………………………………… ……14
Chapter II: The study
II.1 Some similar features between Western and Vietnamese
communicating cultures……………… ………………… 15
II.1.1 In eyes contact……………………… …………………… 15
II.1.2 In gesture…………………………… ………………………16
II.1.2.1 Gestures express emotion status… ……………………… 16
II.1.2.2 Gestures express human’s relationship…… ……………… 16
II.2 Some differences in communicating culture between
Vietnam and Western countries…………… …………….17
II.2.1 In Giving and Accepting Compliment Behaviors……… 18
II.2.2 In Greeting…………………………………………… …… 19

II.2.3 In Making Requests………………………………. .……… 22
II.2.4 In Giving invitation……………………… …………… 25
II.2.5 Non-verbal communication…………… ……………….27
II.2.5.1 In eye contact………………………. ………………… 27
II.2.5.2 In Facial Expressiveness………….…………………… 29
II.2.5.3 In Using Gesture and Body Positioning…………… ….31
II.3 Summary………………………………………….…… 34
Chapter III: Some difficulties of Western
communicating cultures on Vietnamese
Learners of English
III.1 Misunderstanding in communication……… …………
35
III.1.1 What is the misunderstanding?
35
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
5
Graduation paper
III.1.2 Misunderstanding in Behavior…
…………………………… 36
III.1.3 Misunderstanding in response…
…………………………… 38
III.1.4 Misunderstanding in Nonverbal Communication…….…….39
III.2 Culture Shock………………………………… ……….40
III.2.1 What is Culture Shock?………………………………………40
III.2.2 In Giving Refusal…………………………………………… 40
III.2.3 In Using Language…………………………………………….42
III.3 Some difficulties in learning English……………… 44
III.3.1 In learning styles………………………………… 44
III.3.2 In relationship between teachers and students … 46
III.3.3 In Non-Verbal Communication………………… 47

III.4 Summary…………………………………………. .… 48
Chapter IV: Some Suggestions
IV.1 How to overcome misunderstanding and culture
shock?
IV.1.1 Misunderstanding……………………………
……….49
IV.1.2 Culture shock…………………………………. .…….51
IV.2 Some suggestions for teachers and students…… 53
IV.2.1 Keeping eye contact………………………… … 53
IV.2.2 Facial expression in the classroom………… … 53
IV.2.3 Greeting and Addressing Friendly………… … 54
IV.2.4 Some other suggestions…………………… …….54
IV.3 Summary…………………………………… …… 55
Chapter III: conclusion…… … … …… 56……
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
6
Graduation paper
References…………………………………. .……… 57
Influence of Some Factors in Western Culture
on English Learners… Communication in
Vietnam
Part A: Introduction
II.Rationale
Communication today is almost instantaneous, it happens with a high
speed. It is interesting to note how the speed of communication has changed
the world. To many people, the world has become smaller because of the
modern technology. Although each country around the world has their own
language, the trend of learning another common language like English, one of
the most international languages in the world become popular. Thus, the
universalized education of English is being carried out strongly and globally.

In Vietnam, English is rather popular, people at different ages and in different
fields learn English with the aim to enhance the effectiveness of
communication. On the other hand, learning English is a good chance to
discover the people, lifestyle, tradition of other countries and to exchange
culture as well as providing opportunities for people so that they could live,
work and study oversea. However, most of learners of English and people
using English are affected by some cultural factors of language in
communication.
As we know, culture is the essence of communication and each country
has its own culture which is reflected in language, so the communication
activities of each nation reflect the culture of that nation.
Many Vietnamese people who learn and use English are affected so much
by cultural factors in communication. This brings a lot of advantages in
conversational process, however, it causes some troubles for both sides such as
misunderstanding or refusing. This may lessen the effectiveness of their
communication and sometimes causing bad consequences or leading them to
embarrassing situations.
II. Aims of the study
To solve these problems, in the framework of the study, I research
…Influence of Some Factors in Western Culture on English Learners…
Communication in Vietnam… with the aims to help learners of English
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
7
Graduation paper
understand and know more about some similarities and differences in
Vietnamese and Western cultures that cause advantages as well as difficulties
in communication. Since then, English learners can master some knowledge
about the culture of English and Vietnamese people in conversational process
and using English more correctly and effectively. They know about the
essence of the problem and then they cannot only speak English more

correctly and effectively but they can also communicate in English styles.
This may help people avoid the misunderstanding in communication, and then
enhance the effectiveness in communicative activities.
III. Scopes of the study
Because of space and time, the framework of my study can not cover the
whole field of culture and all the objects. In my graduation paper, I would like
to focus on the following items:
• Similar features between Western – Vietnamese
communicating cultures.
• Differences between Western – Vietnamese cultures
• Some difficulties and suggestions
IV. Methods of the study
As the parts of the searching objects are concerned to foreign culture
which Vietnamese people do not have chances to get in touch with constantly
so in the study, I mostly rely on documents, books, sources from internet
related to the scope of my study. Besides, I combined the result of the analysis
with the suggestions from the supervisor, teachers and friends in my Faculty
to make a complete study.
V. Design of the study
To gain the above aims, my paper is divided into three parts:
Part A: Introduction
This part provides an overview introduction about the rationale, aims,
scope, methods and design of the study.
Part B: Development
This part consists of four chapters
- Chapter I (Literature Review) aims introducing the
comprehensive view about theory, definition of communication, culture and
behavior and giving the relationship, role of culture and behavior to prepare
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
8

Graduation paper
for the following analyses.
- Chapter II (the study) which focuses on the cultural
similarities and differences of Vietnam and some other countries.
- Chapter III: Some difficulties of Western communicating
culture on Vietnamese learners of English
- Chapter IV: Some suggestions to overcome the difficulties
Part C: Conclusion: This part is the summary of my study
References
Part B: Development
Chapter I: literature review
I.1 Overview of culture
I.1.1 Definition of culture
Human beings have created culture since the dawn of the man’s society.
Each society has its own culture that is far from being similar to others
because culture comes from society and it reflects the society in which it is
formed.
The term ‘culture’ has been concerned with such a long time and attracted
much interest from scientists to do a thorough research. The concept as well as
the content of the term ‘culture’, however, is so extensive that many scientists
have still not understood clearly and profoundly. Therefore, anthropologists,
sociologists and linguists, have applied the definition of culture in a variety of
ways over the years, and up to this time they still continue to argue about how
it should be defined.
Culture, according to Edward Burnett Tylor writing from the perspective
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
9
Graduation paper
of social anthropology in the UK in 1971 ‘Culture is that complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other

capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society .’
Linton, R. (1945). The Culture Background of Personality. New York.
‘Culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior
whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a
particular society .’
Lederach, J.P. (1995) define culture as follows: ‘Culture is the shared
knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for perceiving,
interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities around them’
(P.9). More recently, the United Nations Educational, scientific and cultural
organization (UNESCO) (2002) described culture as follows: ‘…Culture
should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual
and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompassed,
in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value
systems, traditions, and beliefs .’
According to Tran Ngoc Them (1997:27), in Vietnamese language,
‘culture is an organic system of material and spiritual values that mankind
has accumulated and created in the process of practical activities, in the
interaction between man and his natural and social environment’.
From these above definitions, we can see how diverse and various the
concept of culture is. Though all the authors expressed their view differently,
however, all definitions mention the distinct traits of spirit and material of
each society. It shows that each culture has a unique characteristic and the
culture of a society is reflected in communication.
I.1.2 Culture and the meaning it represents
In fact, people who are in contact with members of a different culture will
realize that a knowledge of the sounds, the vocabulary, and the grammar of
their foreign language is indispensable when it comes to sharing information.
However, that does not guarantee that understanding will take place. The
critical factor in understanding has to do with cultural meaning. What does
seem clear is that the language learner must first be made aware of himself as

a cultural being, a product of his cultural environment. He shares a
background (for example, national, ethnic and religious) which results from a
common knowledge and communication style, customs, beliefs, attitudes and
values. Cultural meaning is expressed in the cognitive structures as well as
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
10
Graduation paper
norms of behaviors people utilize when using language. Language learning is
obscured without some recognition of cultural values just a Winston Brem
Beck says: “To know another s language and not his culture is a good way to’
make a fluent fool of one s self .’ ”
But learning a new language, learners meet with cross-cultural difficulties
created by the part of culture which is not always exposed to them. This refers
to the informal and often hidden patterns of human interaction, expressions,
and viewpoints that people in one culture share. The hidden aspects of culture
have significant effects on behavior and interaction with others. It is obvious
that a clear understanding if these will help a lot in mastering a new language
for communicative purposes.
I.2 Communication
I.2.1 The definition of communication
In daily life, we talk and exchange the information with each other in our
capacity as the social and conscious creatures. These activities occur so
frequently and usual that few people are aware of and exchanging activities,
we perform the communicative activities. To this day, there are many different
definitions stressing on many aspects of communication in order to serve the
various researching goals.
According to Saville … Troike (1986: XVIII), ‘ Communication is the
sharing meaning process through verbal behaviors and nonverbal
behaviors.’. He argues that the nonverbal behaviours are not only the factors
of the body language, but also the paralinguistic factors, such as the speed of

speech, the volume height, and some factor of object and environmental
language.
Stanley J.Baran (2001: 4) defines the communication in its simplest form
‘communication is the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver’.
The definition of communication from Wikipedia, an encyclopedia:
communication is a process interaction among human beings. It is the act of‘
passing information and the process by which meanings are exchanged so as
to produce understanding .’
Nguyen Quang (1998b, 38) communication is the process of sharing‘
meaning through verbal and nonverbal behavior .’
In a word, so far people have been using the world …communication…
as if they agree on what it means. Yet the word has many definitions. The
communication theorists have proposed more than one hundred distinct
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
11
Graduation paper
definitions of communication. Not every model can show all aspects of a
process as complex as communication.
I.2.2 Models of communication
Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another.
According to Nguyen Quang ‘Communication is the process of sharing
meaning through verbal and nonverbal behavior’. Therefore, it can be
classified into two kinds those are verbal communication and nonverbal
communication.
I.2.2.1 Verbal communication
I.2.2.1.1. Overview of verbal communication
Nguyen Quang defined: ‘Verbal communication is spoken
communication, including the use of words and intonation to convey
meaning .’
Verbal communication is one way for people to communicate face-to-

face. Verbal communication requires the use of words, vocabulary, numbers
and symbols and is organized in sentences using language.
Mastering linguistic skill is not reserved for the selected few. It is a skill
that each and every one should develop for personal growth and to improve
relationships and interactions.
Everyone’s brain is forever having thoughts and they are primarily with
words. Words spoken, listened to or written affect your life as well as others.
They have the power to create emotions and move people to take action. When
verbal communication is delivered accurately and clearly, you activate the
mind and encourage creativity.
You create your reality with your senses, the eyes, ears and feelings and
words and symbols are used to create the meanings. This is why you are
encouraged to read and watch informative materials, listen to motivational
audio programs and attend classes or seminars that relate to your line of work
or objectives. Positive and uplifting spoken or written messages motivation
and inspire.
You can do the same to inspire others. Motivation comes from within
each individual but you can become the source and when you are able to
affect their thinking, you can help them improve their lives.
I.2.2.1.2 Culture and verbal communication
Culture influences communication style. Although this point may seem
obvious, cultural styles can create misunderstanding in conversations among
people from different cultures.
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
12
Graduation paper
For example, consider the following conversation between an Italian and
an American: The Italian made a strong political statement Italian wanted to
involve the American in a lively discussion. The American, rather than openly
disagreeing, said, ‘well, everyone is entitled to an opinion. I accept that your

opinion is different than mine’. The Italian responded, ‘that is all you have to
say about it?’. In general, the American did not enjoy verbal conflicts over
politics or anything else. The Italian actually became angry when the
American refused to get involved in the discussion. He later explained to the
American, ‘a conversation is not fun unless it becomes heated!’
What does this example say about culture and its influence on
communication? Surely, there are many English who do get involved in verbal
conflicts over polities, just as there are some Italians who would not become
involved. However, the above conversation represents types of communication
patterns that are related to cultural differences. In short, culture influences on
verbal communication in particular.
I.2.2.2 Nonverbal communication
I.2.2.2.1 What is non-verbal communication?
Many of us grew up hearing that actions speak louder than words. The
wisdom of this idiom is that nonverbal communication can be as powerful,
sometimes more powerful than words.
According to the linguist Andrew Wright in ‘How to communicate
successful’ (1987), surprisingly, only 7-10 percent of our attitudes are
conveyed by words while 90-93 percent of our communicative messages are
transmitted by nonverbal language. Besides, psychologists claim that the
impact you make on others depends on what you say (7%), how you say it
(38%), and by your body language (55%). Your sound also conveys a
message, 93 percent of emotion is communicated without actual words.
We all communicate nonverbal channel which carries less than 35 percent
of the social meaning of a message, according to Gambles. This means that
more than 65 percent of the meaning is communicated nonverbally.
According to Wood (1992:105): ‘Nonverbal communication as major
dimension of human communication. It includes all aspects of communication
other than words .’
K-Neill Foster, Ph.D (VI) wrote: ‘Nonverbal communication is the

conveyance of information from one entity to another without the use of
verbal expression. It results in understanding being exchanged by those
entities without the exactitude of human speech in any form .’
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: ‘Nonverbal communication is
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
13
Graduation paper
usually understood as the process of communication through sending and
receiving wordless messages such messages can be communicated through
gesture; body language or posture; facial expression and eye contact .’
In brief, there are various points of view about ‘what is nonverbal
communication?’ from these above point of view, we could further understand
about the complex notions of communication.
I.2.2.2.2 Culture and nonverbal communication
Edward T.Hall said ‘culture hides much more than it reveals, and
strangely enough, what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own’.
Language studies traditionally emphasized verbal and written
communication. Since about the 1960s, however, researchers seriously began
to consider what takes place without words in conversations.
It should be obvious by now that the study of nonverbal communication is
directly linked to the study of culture.
You will recall that earlier we noted culture was invisible, omnipresent,
and learned. Nonverbal communication has these same qualities. T.Hall alerts
us to the invisible aspect of culture and nonverbal communication by
employing the word silent. Much of our nonverbal behaviour, like culture,
tends to be elusive and frequently beyond our awareness. People in Japan will
work long hours without giving it much thought because their culture values
work. Americans will automatically look at people when they are speaking to
them. In both instances, the actions are habitual.
Culture is all-pervasive, multidimensional, and boundless; it is everywhere

and in everything. The same is true of non-behaviour. Our clothes, jewelry,
facial expressions; the hundreds of movements we can make; where and how
we touch people; our gaze and eye contact, vocal behaviours such as laughter;
and our use of time, space , and silence are just some of the behaviors we
engage in that serve as messages. Hence, as with culture, examples of non-
verbal behavior are virtually limitless.
Another parallel between culture and nonverbal behaviour is that with a few
exceptions, we are not born with it – we learn it. First, a word about the
exceptions before we develop the notion of learning. Research now supports
the view that because we are all from one species, a general and common
genetic inheritance produces universal facial expressions for most of our basic
emotions (fear, happiness, anger, surprise, disgust and sadness). However,
most scholars would agree that where, when, and to whom we display this
emotion are learned, and hence are influenced by both context and culture.
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
14
Graduation paper
I.3 The cross-cultural communication
People all over the world use language to communicate and exchange
messages with each other. When people communicate in the same culture,
they can easily understand each other because they process a shared culture
and there are only personal problems between them. However, in modern
society, the demand of communicating with people of other culture is reality
and necessity. The development of globalization makes communication of
people become faster and easier. People require more and more
communicating with people of other cultures. The communicative styles of
people affect the other and the communicators will also be affected by the
cultural style of the other. The process in which communicators are affected
by other cultures is called cross-cultural communication‘ ’.
Levin and Adelman (1992) consider cross-cultural communication as ‘the

process whereby one culture affects interaction with a person from a person
from another culture .’
Therefore, if two people of two different cultures communicate with each
other, they will be affected in two sides: the resemblance and the difference.
For this reason, the cultural differences are actually important and must be
concerned in the communication process. In the communication process if the
interlocutors know and understand profoundly about the cultural differences
between them, they could easily avoid making mistake and misunderstanding.
When two people of the two different cultures come into contact without any
prior knowledge of the other’s culture, it is certain that the conversation easily
become breakdown and it makes bad impressions for both sides. The
following example of a dialogue between a Vietnamese student and a British
professor can show and demonstrate the above idea.
Linh: Good-morning! Where are you going?
John: Good-morning! I am going to the market.
Linh: Ah! What are you going to buy?
John: Er,…
( cited from ‘An English Encyclopedia for Students…)
Through the above example, we can understand the importance of cultural
factors in cross-cultural communication. In terms of cultural aspect, the
European in general and the English in particular always have a strong sense
of personal privacy. They feel offended and embarrassed when be asked about
age, salary, family and other private questions. In contrast, the Eastern in
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
15
Graduation paper
general and the Vietnamese in particular consider questions about personal
privacy as necessary and normal so they always ask their partners the private
questions. Griffin (1976) said that ‘to know another language, his culture is a
very good way to make fluent foot one s self . ’ ’

The communicators usually face many problems when using another
language due to such cross-cultural in communication. They may sometimes
speak foreign language fluently as the native people, but it is difficult for them
to understand clearly and correctly some messages in some certain situations.
In the recent years, international communications become more and more
common all over the world. Consequently, people are paying more attention to
cross-cultural in communication. Studying cross-cultural communication is
the essence demand of many people who like to use foreign language
correctly and fluently without any influence of cultural factors.
I.4 The roles of culture in communication
One factor that we can not unconcern about in communication is the
culture. As we know, culture is the essence of communication, so it is certain
that being master of grammatical rules, possessing a copious vocabulary and
understanding how to pronounce correctly does not absolutely mean that the
foreign learners can succeed in communicating with native speakers. In other
words, in communication process, culture is the direct factor having a deep
influence on the surface and the nature of communication as well. If the
learners are reckless the cultural differences between two countries, it will
lead to the incorrect judgement, misunderstanding and drive the
communication process into breaking down.
Wood (1987:199) claims that ‘communication is closely linked to culture,
because communicating expresses, sustains, and alters cultures. Your culture
directly shapes how you communicate, teaching you whether interrupting is
appropriate, how much eye contact is polite, and whether conflict is desirable .’
In communication, there is also a culture background with all the tacit
rules behind and under it, including visible factors such as appearance, food
and drink, etc, and invisible like communicative style, concept, belief, and all
other values, etc.
Furthermore, people are not born knowing how, when, and to whom to
speak, just as they are not born with attitudes about different orientations,

religions, genders, and races. People acquire attitudes as they interact with
others, and then they reflect cultural teachings in how they communicate.
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
16
Graduation paper
All the differences of culture will be revealed through communicating
between people in this culture with those in another one. Thus, culture has an
important role in communication process.
I.5 The relationship between language and culture
Language is not simply a formal system of sounds, words, and syntactical
structures; language also reaches into the domain of human interaction. Every
native speak assimilates individual social experiences characteristic of his own
culture.
The system of language is a part of the shared cultural knowledge of social
groups, and ways of communicating are an important part of the observable
behavior of people in social groups.
In ‘Vietnam, nhung van de ngon ngu va van hoa’ (2000:159a). Ngoc
Them wrote: ‘if language together with work creates the mankind, language
and work themselves are original points of all cultures . ’ He considered the
relationship between culture and language through the relation of etymology,
the origin of concepts of words and the place they were appeared.
It is obvious that culture and language have a relation that can be apart
from. If we detach language from culture or culture from language, we can not
understand anything about that language as well as its culture.
Culture, with its own capture, relates directly to language in the way people
act and communicate with each other as well as I the certain context in which
people live and work. The relationship between culture and language is the
interactive relation. We can understand that people use language as a device to
express their feelings, ideas and behaviours. Therefore, a profound knowledge
of a language and culture can help learners communicate easily with its native

speakers without any confusion and misunderstanding.
In brief, language is indispensable element contributing to building up a
culture and, on the contrary, culture is reflected through language. As a result,
language and culture have an interwoven relationship and they always exist
together under a certain background.
I.6 Summary
In this chapter, I have mentioned about the concepts of many authors about
culture and communication, models of communication. In addition, cross-
culture communication, the roles of culture in communication as well as the
relationship between culture and language are presented logically through the
frameworks of linguists, anthropologists and sociologists.
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
17
Graduation paper

Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
18
Graduation paper
Chapter II: The study
II.1 Some similar features between Western and Vietnamese
communicating cultures.
II.1.1 In eyes contact
Though people face with some barriers caused by the differences in
cultures, they are also influenced by the common psychology. Eye contact is
not an exception. The results of searching on the eye contact have concluded
some general rules which both English and Vietnamese people use.
In an ordinary conversation between two persons, normally, we often use
eye contact in one third of the whole time. When beginning a conversation,
we see the receivers’ eyes. Then, after knowing that they are concentrating on
the talk, we see at something. Sometimes, we see back whether they are

listening, understanding us or not. When stopping to talk, we see the receiver
back at once. To the receiver’s side, most of the time listening, he sees at the
source.
This above process is an ordinary one of a speech. However, in some
special cases, there are some changes.
When starting to talk, we see the opposite in some seconds and then see at
something. But if we are attracted by partner, we would see him longer. If we
are just newly fiends, we should not see him too long because he does not like
it. But only by seeing us a little bit longer can he recognize how we care
about him.
We also look fixedly at others when we are angry. Normally, the receivers
often recognize this by seeing our gloomy face with wrinkled brows.
When we are worried or afraid of somebody, normally, we do not dare to
see him or being seen by him. But if we are afraid of him too much, we see
him with wide open eyes.
II.1.2 In gesture
This phenomenon is the gestures of English and Vietnamese people with
the same figures and also the same meanings.
II.1.2.1 Gestures express emotion status
Most people have the same emotions such as: sad, joyful, unhappy, etc. We
can give out some gestures in common between the Western and Vietnamese
order to understand more about people’s characteristics, emotions through
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
19
Graduation paper
their behaviors.
When invited to take a seat, people only sit in the edge of the chair. Or
when talking, people knock their foot in the ground with the same rhythm.
This gesture is not good when communicating because it expresses the anxiety
with the hope to finish the dialogue immediately. Or people rise up the neck

from time to time like the necktie is too tight. Sometimes, people pass the
fingers through the hair, they wonder whether they are tidy or not.
These gestures express the emotions of people. Besides, we could also
examine the status of the eyes and facial expressions.
II.1.2.2 Gestures express human…s relationship
In the process of communication, people have exchanged the culture of
their country with each other. And some gestures become popular in English
and Vietnamese cultures.
Handshake: the handshake is the etiquette of people. Handshake is not
only applied for new comers but also for friends.
The manners of a handshake:
• A tight handshake: expresses the gladness, enthusiasm
• A handshake with two hands: expresses the respect
• A handshake combining with a clap on the shoulder or holding
the receiver with the other hand expresses the familiar status
between two people
As the Vietnamese, English and American people only have a handshake
when meeting and saying goodbye to someone. They do not use handshake on
other occasions.
Clap is the behavior which uses the hand tapping slightly on arms, palms,
shoulders, backs of the others. This gesture expresses the familiar status of
people.
The arms round the shoulders, this gesture is often used between close
friends, relatives or lovers.
Obviously, the culture between Vietnamese and Western countries has
some similarities, and they are shown through communication process.
II.2 Some differences in communicating culture between
Vietnam and Western countries.
It is impossible for living humans not to communicate and each of us
communicates in an infinite variety of modes. Humans have been

Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
20
Graduation paper
communicating for thousands of years, and they have awareness of the
cultural factors affecting the communication process. There are many things
that we do in our own culture that we rarely ask questions about. We do things
without thinking about them because we have always done them in the same
ways. When we are in another culture or with people from a different culture,
we see that people do things in many different ways. In general, the cultures
between English and Vietnamese have a significant difference. The English
culture belongs to the Western one while the Vietnamese culture pertains to
the oriental one. Therefore, the communication activities of each nation have
been affected by the cultural factors of that nation. Following are a few cases
of certain cultural differences.
II.2.1 In Giving and Accepting Compliment Behaviors
Compliment is considered as a social behavior exiting in all cultures and
at any age. And it is understood as a positive consideration of one individual,
one group or one community to others. Therefore, compliment is a dynamic
and diversified behavior with high subjective feature.
In Vietnam, compliment is used rather popular in communication. However,
complement has also different meanings. It can express a sincerity, an
encouragement, and sometimes it also expresses a toadyism to someone. Huy
is a manager of Song Hong Corporation, said I feel very difficult to say
thank you when someone praises me. And I still prefer to say oh, no, not at
all . Though I feel very happy, I do not think I am a modest person when I
receive the compliment by saying thank you .
In the Vietnamese culture the modest character is regarded as the good
morality and the expression of civilized standard. Therefore, to respond to the
compliment, Vietnamese people often say: no, not at all , you should not
say that , I still need to try so much , or you overpraise me! . The

responses are usually very informal in Vietnamese behavior. The following
example can illustrate the way Vietnamese people respond to the compliment:
Hơng: Chào cậu. Cậu đi đâu vậy?
Hoa : Chào Hơng. Mình đang sang nhà Tùng để hỏi bài.
Hơng: Vậy à! Hôm nay cậu có áo mới trông xịn ghê!
Hoa : Đâu có, áo hàng chợ ấy mà.
Particularly, if a boy compliments a girl that today you look very
beautiful. To respond that compliment, the girl will keep silence with a red
face and will feel shy and different.
Nguyn Dng Lan Anh Group K11G
21
Graduation paper
Vietnamese seem to prefer roundabout and in direct patterns and this is
expressed clearly in their way to giving agreement, especially when
mentioning the emotion.
On the contrary, in the Western culture in general and the English culture in
particular, people have the opposite responses to receive the compliment. In
any case, when they are complimented, they usually say “thank you” to
express their gratitude to the sincere compliment. Because they believe that
“honesty is the best policy .”
To Western people, the compliments have become a pattern in
communication. This pattern expresses the polite principles in propriety.
Following these and also express the approval attitude to the evaluation.
Therefore, in many communication cases “thank you” is used to respond as an
implication of “receiving” and “agreeing”. For example:
Peter : Oh, today you wear the red skirt, I like it so much.
Phiola: Really! Thank you. I also like it.
The English people think that there is nothing like a warm, sincere
compliment to make our day. A compliment is like a gift, if someone wants to
present it to us, the best way to accept a gift, just say “thank you”.

Obviously, the different cultures have a very great effect on the way people
expressing, their attitudes to the evaluation.
II.2.2 In Greeting
The cultural pattern of the Western countries, especially in England and
America, are the consciousness of the individual freedom, and respects for the
privacy, On the other hand, the Eastern countries, especially Vietnam and
China dignify the collectivism, the awareness of interests of individual privacy
is disregarded. Accordingly, there are many things that the Vietnamese people
can put to the public while the English and American consider as the privacy
of individuals and can not open to the public. For them, the individual right
will be violated if someone asks them with the private questions.
In Vietnamese, greeting is quite complicated every form of address is based
on a family relationship such as an uncle, aunt or little sister or on the age and
the gender. A common Vietnamese greeting usually begins with ‘chµo’ and it
is followed by an address term indicating the relative power between two
interlocutors.
For example, a young woman greeting her uncle by saying “chµo b¸c ¹
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
22
Graduation paper
. He is usually addressed by his occupational marker rather than by name. In
many cases chào with relative personal pronoun added after is used for all.
The common greetings are listed below as an example.
- Chào bác : to a person older than young parents
- Chào chú : to a man younger than your parents
- chào cậu : to young mother s younger brother
- chào cô : to a younger woman (aunt)
- chào bạn : to a friend of your age
(Vietnamese for foreigner (1994:85)
The Vietnamese tend to use both forms of open-ended and close-ended

questions (yes-no/question). They usually concern with health, work, and
meal in the greetings. For example, Bác đã ăn cơm cha? , Bác dạo này ra
sao rồi ạ?, Bác dạo này vẫn khoẻ chứ ạ?
The formality or informality of greetings in Vietnam is easy to realize
because it depends on the honorific terms used in the greetings. When
meeting each other, the Vietnamese usually greet: Bác đi đâu đấy ạ? , Cô
đang làm gì thế? , Chào chị to express the thoughtful attitude to the partner.
Oviously, the questions like those are only considered as the exchanges in the
propriety activities without any practical meaning. The questioners also do not
take care of what their partners do or where they are going. And the answers
usually base on the kinds of questions to give out the correct answers, for
example, Đi làm , Đang giặt quần áo ,etc. However, some questions which
are used like a greeting can have many meanings, and also need the suitable
respond, for example, Chị đi làm về rồi đấy ạ? or Chị vẫn khỏe chứ? but
they require no answer. If someone asks you like that, it is impolite to say you
are sick and launch into a description about your illness. Avoid this and just
give the standard reply.
In Western, the limit and difference of private things are expressed
mainly in their greetings and greeting routine as well as the leave taking
behavior. The British, outwardly, are quite reserved, which may cause them
to appear cool and indifferent or overly formal in their greeting way. In fact,
they show a very friendly and helpful character to foreigners. The greetings
in English are considered as following a certain formula. They tend to use
commonly the open-ended questions in greeting. The questions usually
mention to health and work such as: How are you? or What have you
been doing? etc. Generally, their greeting questions are not too curious and
Nguyn Dng Lan Anh Group K11G
23
Graduation paper
going into detailed problems.

In the viewpoint of Fith (1973), he said that greetings in English are
commonly expressed in three linguistic forms: A question, an interjection
and an affirmation. The question and affirmation forms are regarded as
formal ones, which are used to greet the older generation or seniors. On the
contrary, the interjection form such as: …hello…, …hey…, …hi……is seemed
as informal one and more commonly used in the young generation like
students within the same age group. On the contrary to Vietnamese, for the
English and American, the greeting patterns like “where are you going?” or
what are you doing?“ ” are considered as so curious and put hand into other’s
business. Where they go or what they do is their private businesses so it is
easy to be regarded as impolite greetings. The greetings of British and
American are seemed like the formula. They are usually say: “hello , hi” “ ” or
“how are you? ,” “good morning!”, “good afternoon! , good evening” “ !”…
And the answers usually are : “hello! , hi! ” “ ” or fine, thank you, and you? ,“ ”
good morning, good afternoon, good evening“ ”. Generally, when the British
meet at the first time, they usually know the name of each other through the
introduction of the third person or themselves’ introduction. In case they
want to know the name of others, they use the very polite patterns as follows:
“May I have your name? , I wonder what your name is?” “ ” In some informal
circumstances such as the relationship between student and teacher, teacher
and patient,…The former can ask the latter’s name directly as “ What s your’
name?”
Frequently, it is the cultural concept that presents the most problem. The
English Mr , Hello , Goodbye“ ” “ ” “ ”, for example, have no equivalents in
Vietnamese. Similarly, concepts common in their own language may have no
equivalent in English. Greetings in English for example, do not contain the
subtleties found in Vietnamese that convey formality, intimacy or respect. For
Vietnamese students of English, the very difficult cultural problems
confronting them is how to greet their teachers and friends, how to do
introductions. They often hesitate to greet their teachers as Mr/Miss or Mrs

while Vietnamese teachers are called “thÇy” for a male and “c«” for a female.
In Vietnam, we do not use the first name to greet each other as the
Western countries. Nguyen Quang (38,1998b) has found that: “In Vietnam,
one of the most difficult things for many new comers to do is to use people s’
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
24
Graduation paper
first name . ” For example, Nguyen Minh, people often greet him “chµo anh
Minh”. While in Western countries, Rott Smith, people often greet him “good-
morning, Rott”. It is the culture in English-speaking countries and it is one
way to show closeness and friendliness.
Obviously, greetings are indispensable parts to establish conversations and
relations. Moreover, they are also seen as a social ritual and contribute an
important role to maintain relationships in the society. In brief, greetings are
social phenomena, which appear frequently in social interactions.
From a number of above greetings in Vietnamese as compared with those
used in English, I assume that the age of interlocutors in the most important
factor in selecting linguistic forms of greeting in Vietnam.
II.2.3 In Making Requests
Requesting form in Vietnamese and English has great differences. Many
English complain that they have worked in Vietnam for a long time, but they
still cannot get use to the way Vietnamese people making requests, even
annoyed and irritated. In stead of giving direct requests, Vietnamese people
usually take precautionary measures first by giving rambling questions such
as “Where is your wife? , How are you these days” “ ?” with these questions,
English people feel really annoyed and unpleasant when being asked for help
like that.
By giving such friendly questions, the speaker hopes that the hearer will
feel pleasant and be willing to help him. That is the habit in communication of
Vietnamese people. In the contrary, the Western do not like doing in the same

way because they do not think that these questions are sincere and polite, such
questions are private ones.
According to Nguyen Quang “Cultural differ as to whether directness or
indirectness is regarded positive” (38, 1998b). In the mainstream the English
culture , the ideal form of communication includes being direct than indirect.
Many English perhaps, believe that “Honesty is the best policy” and their
communication reflects this. Honesty and directness in communication are
strongly related. There are several expressions in English that emphasize the
importance of being direct for example:
 Get to the point
 Do not beat around the bush!
 Let…s get down to business.
Nguyễn Dương Lan Anh Group K11G
25