10 differences between a normal friend and a Vietnamese friend

Traveling is not just about going and visiting places. It’s also about making experiences with people you never knew before and who would ultimately become your best friends.

I have been in Vietnam already a couple of times and for almost 4 months, where I made a lot of Vietnamese friends. Here are the differences between a normal friend and a Vietnamese friends.

1. A normal friend will search a good hotel for you. A Vietnamese friend will ask you to stay at his home, however small it may be. He will sleep on the floor and make way for you on the couch.

2. A normal friend will call you a dude or buddy. A Vietnamese friend will call you dong tinh (meaning a gay), even if you are not one.

3. A normal friend will find some drugs for you, when you fall sick. A Vietnamese friend will get a bowl of chao (rice soup) along with traditional herbal root medicine.

4. And then a normal friend asks you to take rest. A Vietnamese friend would force and take you out for some  ca/tom lau (fish/shrimp hot pot).

5. A normal friend won’t bother when you are busy at the office. A Vietnamese friend will buy you a lunch and deliver it to your office himself when you busy.

6. A normal friend talks a lot. A Vietnamese friend is the most talkative among all other friends and the conversations do not end until he sleeps.

7. A normal friend takes an appointment and asks for confirmation. A Vietnamese friend knocks your door and says “let’s drink ruou gao (rice wine)”.

8. A normal friend will ask you to eat normal food. A Vietnamese friend will ask you to eat weird foods like Hot Vit Lon (fetal duck egg) or frogs.

9. A normal friend will drink coffee in the morning or evening. A Vietnamese friend will drink ca phe da (cold coffee) before every meal or even once every hour.

10. A normal friend will teach you his language. A Vietnamese friend will take you to Vietnamese karaoke even if you don’t know the language.

If you have any Vietnamese friends and find differences with your other friends, post it in the comments.