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HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
___________________

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

By:
Student ID:
Group:

Duong Minh Quang
0741180111
English 2 – Intake 7

SUPERVISOR
Ms.Nhat Hanh, MA

Hanoi, May, 2016


HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
___________________

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

By:
Student ID:
Group:

Duong Minh Quang
0741180111
English 2 – Intake 7

SUPERVISOR
Ms. Nhat Hanh, MA

Hanoi, May, 2016


COMMENTS AND MARKING
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CONTENTS

THE HABIT OF POSING QUESTIONS IN VIETNAM......................................2
Literature Review...................................................................................................2
Describe the Situation............................................................................................2
Analyze the Situation.............................................................................................3
Recommendations..................................................................................................4
RESOURCES...........................................................................................................6

1


TH E HABIT OF POSING QUESTIONS IN VIETNAM
Literature Review
Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a
cultural environment, which is different from one’s own. It is also the personal
disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to

immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or
simply transition to another type of life. Many people believe that if someone is
good at a certain language, they will successfully communicate. Is that correct? Why
do so many people, who can speak English very well, fail to communicate with
native speakers? What is the problem? In fact, there are many non-linguistic factors,
which contribute to success in communication. One of the most important things is
understanding the role of culture. The very popular cultural phenomenon in
Vietnam, which often causes cultural shock in Westerners, is the habit of posing
questions.
Describe the Situation
There are many examples of cultural differences in communication between
Vietnam and the Western countries. A German diplomat shared: “Vietnamese people
are very curious. They ask a lot, about all issues. The way they communicate is like
their communication pattern”. German Ambassador to Vietnam Rolf Schulze said:
“Before coming to Vietnam, I was recommended to ask a lot of questions about
family even during the work to create an atmosphere of openness and friendliness.
Because of these questions, they will be able to judge if the person or people they
talk to are trustworthy or friendly, etc. And characteristics of them will reveal
through their questions and answers”. Thus, where is the limit between friendly and
nosy? A Singapore postgraduate in Vietnam Damien wonders why he is frequently
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asked endless questions like: “How are you? Are you married? Why are you not
married? Do you have Vietnamese girlfriend? Where do you work?” Or even
specific questions like: “How much money do you earn every month? Does your
wife often come to Vietnam to visit you? If I tell them that we broke up, they will
continue to ask why we broke up, whom our children live with. Indeed, these
questions made me feel very uncomfortable and awkward. I do not want to answer,
but I also do not want to make them feel unhappy”.

Analyze the Situation
As far as I am concerned, asking a bunch of questions is one of Vietnamese
cultural specificities, which often cause cultural misconception. In fact, the issue that
Damien met not only is the questions of foreigners but also is becoming a cultural
conflict between the generations and cultural areas. Westerners rarely ask each
other's age and this can be rude for a first meeting, especially for women. The
simple reason is that they do not like to create opportunities for you to make the
evaluation, judgment about the appearance in comparison with age. The profound
reason is the difference in age do not really affect the communication (not
complicated like Vietnamese, it only has two forms of vocative "You" and "I"), so
they do not need to care about ages. For Westerners, the people of any age deserve
respect as adults - even with the boy who has just turned five. To know their true
age, the best way is not to mention it at the first meeting. You should wait until the
relationship is close enough and you have become their friends on Facebook, and
then you will know how old they are without asking. As for weight, height and
especially 3 measurements certainly are what foreigners do not want to share with a
stranger. If you meet someone who is over 2 meters tall, underweight or oversized,
your questions will make him or her feel more self-esteem about appearance. On the
contrary, when asking about age, which is an essential question for Vietnamese
people to know how to determine the form of vocative, Vietnamese people disturb
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foreigners with personal questions and this is inconsistent with the overall context of
communication.
Although these kinds of questions create discomfort in daily communication
in Vietnam, it can be sympathized because its roots lie within the traditional
worldview of Vietnamese and its stems are from the system of vocative in
Vietnamese. In fact, this "communication pattern" is one of the valuable features of
Vietnamese people. They would like to care about other people. This has been

expressed through the traditional Vietnamese saying such as “when a horse is sick,
the whole stable refuses grass" or “a stitch in time saves nine” …etc. These things
have become ethical standards and unwritten rules to exist in the community,
particularly in rural areas. However, this routine seems to create conflicts, especially
when life separate from the villages. This way of communication considered
friendly is becoming inconvenient, even rude. It is obvious that nobody wants to live
in solitude and estrangement from others and no one can live apart from the
community. Nevertheless, how can we show interest without going over the limit of
the preposterous and nosy? The essence of the problem is not because of asking
many questions, it is because Vietnamese people remain the right mindset is holding
information about other people and enjoy sharing them. In other words, people only
ask questions to satisfy their own curiosity, they absolutely do not aim to share or
help someone asked. Because of that, the story will spread out putting the subject
into difficult situations.
Recommendations
“Vietnamese people are friendly” is the common comment when stars or
foreigners come to Vietnam to travel or work. It is understandable that this
compliment is the confirmation of the Vietnamese value. However, if there is any
comment such as “Vietnamese people are nosy” leaving unpleasant impressions
after polite courtesies or not? After all, in order to avoid misunderstandings,
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Vietnamese people should first have a basic understanding of the culture of some
countries and regions in the West. This understanding will help us be more confident
when communicating and understand why the circumstances in which people
behave like that. We need to be cautious when communicating and always maintain
a friendly, courteous and sincere attitude towards foreigners, but do not be too
friendly and do not rush to ask for private information. Meanwhile, foreigners
should try to understand the culture of Vietnam and sympathize to avoid negative

reviews affecting the overall relationship.
Word count: 1059

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RESOURCES
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