In our interactions with the UEF students, I have seen that the culture is very hospitable and celebratory, as the welcome ceremony was very enriching and fun to participate in. Additionally, during the tour, it was so fascinating to see so many people on motorbikes instead of cars, as in America, most people opt for transportation via cars or public transit. A signal of development that I noticed was the fact that there are stable amounts of technological adaptations that there are for foreign devices. For example, in order to charge my devices, I thought that I would have to buy a charging adaptor. However, when I arrived, I noticed that the hotel had configured the charging port in a way that accommodates multiple foreign charging ports, which is innovative and helpful for us as foreigners. In terms of culture shocks through food, I would say that the one thing that was interesting was that they gave us a wipe to clean ourselves and our area after we ate. It was very convenient and helpful, and I think that is something that the US could start implementing in their own practices. Moreover, one aspect of Vietnamese culture that differed from the Culture Smart book was the fact that smoking cigarettes is still a major part of Vietnamese life. The book said that the recent bans of electronic cigarettes had lessened the number of Vietnamese smokers, but I found that smoking is still a definite part of their everyday life.
In terms of an ethical issue that I observed was the fact that beauty standards and appearances play a very large role in the job / hiring market. I feel like this could be something that Vietnamese could begin to stray away from, as this type of behavior could prevent more qualified applicants from receiving positions that they work harder for, which may decrease a business’s economic efficiency.
