INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION REPORT

THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE OF BINH DUONG PROVINCE
THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES



Accumulative Report
Title: DIFFERENCES IN NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
VIETNAMESE AND AMERICAN
STUDENT

: BUI THI HONG TAM

STUDENT’S ID

: 1722202010294

CLASS

: D17AV06

----Binh Duong, 2019----


ASSESSMENT
Score
In figures

Examiner’s Signature 1

Examiner’s Signature 2

In words

Criteria for assessment
 Content (40 pts):
...........................................................................................................................
 Languages (40 pts):
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 Resources (20 pts):
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Total:
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Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1
CHAPTER 2: DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................2
I.

Background concepts...................................................................................................2
1.

Definition of Intercultural Communication.........................................................2

2.

Definition of non-verbal communication..............................................................2

II. Three main differences in non-verbal communication between Vietnam and
America.................................................................................................................................3
1.

Posture.....................................................................................................................3

2.

Gestures...................................................................................................................4

3.

Touch........................................................................................................................7

CHAPTER 3: CONCLUSION.................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9


Bui Thi Hong Tam

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Being a student of English Faculty, so I always desire to learn other countries’ cultures as
much as I can. Through Intercultural Communication, one of my favorite subjects at
university, I have known custom, communication ways, view-point of many countries, many
group of people. In this subject, I concern most is non-verbal communication. It is a kind of
language that people use to communicate, transfer information...This kind of language is as
effectively as words maybe even more effectively. We use it in daily life, almost instinctively,
from beckoning to a waiter, or punctuating a business presentation with visual signals to
airport ground attendants guiding an airline pilot into the jet way or parents using a whole
dictionary of gestures to teach their children…

From those things above, I found that non-verbal communication is indispensable way to
communicate among people and people in the world. Each country has its non-verbal
communication with its own meanings. So make this study in order to understand much more
about the differences in non-verbal communication between Vietnamese and American to
know how people of two countries express their information, emotion .… through non-verbal
communication. Through this study will be some help for Vietnam learners of English in
general and students in Foreign Languages Department in particular to avoid culture shocks
when being abroad or in communication with foreigners.

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Bui Thi Hong Tam

CHAPTER 2: DEVELOPMENT
I.

Background concepts.
1. Definition of Intercultural Communication

Culture


Shared background (Ex: national, ethnic, religious, ....) reflect a common language and




communication style. Shared customs, belief, attitudes, and values.
Culture mentioned here does not refer to art, music, literature, food, clothing style, …

Culture refers to the informal and often hidden patterns of human interactions,



expressions, and points of view that people in one culture share.
The hidden nature has been compared to iceberg, most of which is hidden under the




water.
Like the iceberg, most of the influence of culture on an individual cannot be seen.
The hidden aspects of culture have significant effects on behaviors and on interactions
with others.

Communication


The process of sharing meaning through verbal and nonverbal communication or



behavior.
Intercultural communication is communication between people from different
cultures. Communication is influenced by cultural values, attitude, and behavior. The
influence of culture on people’s reaction and response to teach other.

Intercultural Communication is
 Communication between people from different cultures
 Communication which is influenced by cultural values, attitudes, and behavior.

 The influence of culture on people’s reactions and responses to each other.
2. Definition of non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through
sending and receiving wordless messages. Nonverbal communication can be communicated
through gesture and touch, by body language or posture, by facial expression and eyes
contact. It can also be communicated through object communication such as clothing,
hairstyles or even architecture symbols. Speech contains nonverbal elements known as
paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion and speaking style, as well as prosodic
features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written texts have nonverbal
elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the use of emotions.
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Bui Thi Hong Tam
II.

Three main differences in non-verbal communication between Vietnam and
America.
1. Posture

American’s bowing
Like any culture that came out of Europe, bowing was and in some case still an appropriate
action. For instance, Americans still bow after a performance or after being granted an honor
or an award. However, American people do not make their bow to their partner because in
American culture bowing is a sign of submission, the admission that another person is
superior to you. The Americans fought a war of independence that, essentially, asserted their
equality with who they considered thought was better than they. “We bow to no one!”
Therefore, if someone else bow their partners or enemies, those persons are supposed that
they are betraying themselves or their country and called “God Damn” by the others.
In short, while almost everywhere else, bowing is still considered just being polite (on the

same level as a salute or a handshake), in the US it becomes associated with disrespect to one
who has to bow. This is why they don’t do it as much and when they encounter such practices,
automatically associate it with subservience.

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Bui Thi Hong Tam

Vietnamese’s bowing
Vietnamese greeting custom has expressed the “Respect the old, love the children” culture
that was built and developed for thousands of years by the local people. It is impolite if
someone ignores or does not respond the others’ greeting. They will suppose that person
doesn’t respect them and are not willing to talk to him or her next time.
In Vietnam, children always cross their arms and slightly bow to show great respect to their
seniors and elders people. Children need not to bow their body too low, a 30 degree angle is
good. Moreover, children should actively greet the elder instead of letting them greet first.
When the children do that, they will receive a lot of congratulations from the others or their
parents. On the other hand, when people meet someone younger than they are, it is fine to nod
their head, showing that they acknowledge their presence. Nodding their head usually be
accompanied by a smile.
In short, bowing becomes an important part of Vietnamese’s culture. Not only the children but
also the adults, they always bow the other people when they meet them even those people are
elder or younger than them. It shows that Vietnam has a beautiful custom.
2. Gestures
Impossible to catalog them all. But need to recognize: incredible possibility and variety and
that an acceptable in one’s own culture maybe offensive in another. In addition, amount of
gesturing varies from culture to culture. Some cultures are animated; other restrained.
Restrained cultures often feel animated cultures lack manners and overall restraint. Animated
cultures often feel restrained cultures lack emotion or interest.

Even simple things like using hands to point and count differ.

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Bui Thi Hong Tam

Some special gestures in the USA
To state the obvious, different coutries interpret gestures differently. When those cultural
wires cross, Americans abroad can end up in a lot of troubles
American will often wave to another person and then turn to make hand scoop inward; or
raise the index finger palm toward one’s face, and make a “curling” motion with what finger
means to beckon or summon annther person.
Arm raised and the open hand “waggles” back and forth means Signaling “hello”or “good
bye” or trying to get someone’s attention.
Palm facing out with the index and the middle fingersdisplayed in the shape of a “V”, initially
was used to signal victory by Alllied nations during World War II. Antin-war activists later
adopted it as a symbol of peace, and today the gestures is known as “the peace sign”.
Thumb and forefinger form a circle with the other three fingers splayed upward; it is used
frequently and enthusiastically “OK”. It means that’s “fine” or “yes”.
Thumb up with a close fist means support or approval, “OK” or “Good Going!” or “Good
Job!”.
First raised with index finger and little finger extended. Texas rallying call “hook’em horns”
means that “two outs” in baseball.
Extened the forefinger and make a circular motin near the temple or ear symboling for
something or someone is “crazy”

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Bui Thi Hong Tam

Some special gestures in Vietnam
Custom of shaking hand is the customary form of greeting, but often nod of the head or slight
bow is sufficient.
Waving hands is not really common with old people in Vietnam, but opposite to young
people, wave hands is very common and friendly way when say goodbye to their friends.
Thumb and forefinger form a circle with the other three fingers splayed upward also used by
Vietnamese people to give signal or it means “ good” or “great”….
“V” showed by forefinger and middle finger also means “victory”. However, “V” aslo means
two (two fingers), and in Vietnam, the number two is pronouced “hai”, similar to saying “hi”
in English. So when the other people meet the local person (usually someone who can not
speak English well) and see them putting their fingers in a “V” shape to another one, they are
saying “hi”. If that “V” shape appears when people are taking photos, it means “victory”.

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Bui Thi Hong Tam
3. Touch
In the USA

Handshake is common (even for strangers) n the USA. In America, common greeting practice
for newly acquainted individuals to merge hands in what is colloquially known as a
“handshake”. Crucial to the success of this salutation is if the hands of each party are
matched: right for right, or left for left. One clasped, the hands-now as one-can oscillate up
and down for as long as feels appropriate. Shake hands is a polite way to greeting. At early
age they are taught to do with a firm, solid grip when greeting one another.
Giving hugs, kisses for members of family or relatives or friends is on an increasingly more
intimate basis.

Native Hawaiians hug and exchange breaths in a custom called “aha”.
Most African Americans touch on greeting but are annoyed if touched on the head (good boy,
good girl overtones).
Americans see that is very weird if people of the same sex hold hands in public places.
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Personal space becomes much larger, people are not comfortable when the others stand close
to them, especially if they are not well acquainted.
In Vietnam

In Vietnam, hugging and kissing when greeting are uncommon. Especially, in public it is
unacceptable to display of affection like kiss or hug or any action that too affectionate.
People of the same sex may be seen holding hands in public places, which is simply a gesture
of friendship.
If two people meet at the first time they keep the distain not too far but not so closely.
However, when two people are friends or relative, they stand closer or touch to each other.

CHAPTER 3: CONCLUSION
The differences in nonverbal communication between cultures are pretty striking. This means
that when people need to communicate with people from different cultures, it makes sense to
learn in advance about their nonverbal communication. This can save people a lot of
embarrassment and misunderstanding. Of course, cultural stereotypes are just stereotypes, and
people can’t say that every single individual from a different culture exhibits the same forms
of nonverbal communication. Still, even individuals with a lot of international experience
continue to carry some or many of signs and their culture of origin
To sum up, as the global villages continues to shrink and cultures collide, it is essential for all
of us to become more sensitive, more aware, and more observant to the myriad motions,
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Bui Thi Hong Tam
getures, and body language that surround us each day. As many of us cross over the cultural
borders, it would be fitting for us to respect, learn, and understand more about the effective,
yet powerful “silent language” of body language.

References
[1] Varner, Iris &Beamer, Linda. (2005). Intercultural Communication in the Global
Workplace, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York
[2] Kathryn S Sorrells. (10/11/2015). Intercultural Communication: Globalization and Social
Justice, 2nd Edition, SAGE Publications Inc
[3] Molefi Kete Asante, Yoshitaka Miike, JingYin. The Global Intercultural Communication
Reader, 2nd Edition.

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