"Time" to a Vietnamese national?

Actually a topic of considerable study.  The most precise expression of time is in newspapers, where there are more tense modifiers (đã, vừa ... sẽ) than anywhere else.  In English if we say "next Thursday" on Tuesday we mean nine days hence, not two.  Odd.  I suspect you're running into some Vietnamese equivalent.

Time is endless to Vietnamese. That's why you don't say I'll get back to you on this because they will assume you won't get back to them. Or tell them to show up later which could mean a year later.
Ever wonder why they don't book appointments? Or sit outside sipping coffee and watching traffic for hours. That's what I love about Vietnam. Hard working people but knows how to spread out their time so it's not always a rush rush like in Western countries where punctuality is the norm and time is money.

I thought it was just my family at first as well, but it is just the chill way of Viets.

My cousin moved from Vn to US awhile back and asked me to go to the dr. with her, she said "It's at 2, so come around at 2 and we'll head out to it in a bit." Took me a long time to explain in US when they say 2, they actually mean 2 and will not see you any other time. Just like I had to learn the opposite in Vn.

I think it is a Vietnamese thing. When in Vietnam, we would be told to come and eat at auntie's house and when we arrived, my father was irritated that the she had not even started supper. Then there's my mom, when you ask her when is she going to do something she says later, but when she wants you to do something she wants it yesterday.

MIA2013 wrote:

I think it is a Vietnamese thing. When in Vietnam, we would be told to come and eat at auntie's house and when we arrived, my father was irritated that the she had not even started supper. Then there's my mom, when you ask her when is she going to do something she says later, but when she wants you to do something she wants it yesterday.

At first I believed it was the gods of time working against me, now I understand it is a genetic thing related to the double X chromosome..lol.

Lao are no better. Time is irrelevant, no such thing as being on time.

The exception to this are airline flights and ferrys. My Vietnamese wife has learned this the hard way

VTD,
   That's funny, I'll bet she did. To her utter amazement I presume!  The other half is suppose to be at work at 8 a.m. She is lucky to be out of bed by then.

Yes, she did learn her lesson. But she is always at work at 7:45

bta87 wrote:

Is it just the one I'm with or do VNese have some odd meaning of time. For example SHE must be late to everything. Everything will happen in 10 minutes...10 becomes one hour, ten hours, just depends. They invite you to attend, and oh by the way it's tomorrow.
Latin countries have a similar meaning of time. They tell you it will be done "Monday", but never tell you which Monday. You invite them to a dinner party at 7PM and they show at 10pm.
Would love to hear from some Vietnamese on this as well. Maybe, it is just a family thing in my family.

I usually ask my wife, is that VN time or Foreigner time?, you have to watch out for the VN calendar too, been caught out on that one before.

VTD,
I take it she is suppose to be at work at 7 then?

The average American isn't likely to even lean the country, much less relocate to Vietnam, but that average American has a vocabulary of about a thousand words and a fifth of them are about automobiles.  It's shocking to go to a place like Singapore and see a word like "irrespective" on a sign at a food court.maybe two Americans in ten would have that in their vocabulary.

This thread really could be incorporated into the "Why would you want Western culture in Vietnam" thread. Vietnamese time management and respect (or lack thereof) of time is definitely part of Vietnamese culture. I know  this because I work with many Vietnamese, who must CONSTANTLY be reminded of deadlines, and who CONSTANTLY procrastinate and are still working to make a deadline 5 minutes before it's due.

It's not a part of Chinese culture. My wife is never late, does everything yesterday, and expects everything to be done yesterday! I pity our daughter when she's older and it's time to do homework, or complete some project for school. It'll be WW3 at my house!

SM,
   Thanks, you explained it well, and this is exactly what I see. They raise procrastination to another level. However, I still love it and all the other differences we find here. That is not to say I don't get irritated. However, they say there is a time for every season for a reason…the spice of life!

The average American isn't likely to even lean the country, much less relocate to Vietnam, but that average American has a vocabulary of about a thousand words and a fifth of them are about automobiles.  It's shocking to go to a place like Singapore and see a word like "irrespective" on a sign at a food court.maybe two Americans in ten would have that in their vocabulary.

There's enough truth in that to make it hurt. I used to work for a boss from Montana, He was state college educated, but could never avoid saying "He don't...", 'She don't...". Yet he was brilliant and highly productive. And realizing his foibles with English, always employed a proof reader. Yet when it came to speaking, it was back to "he don't..."

What he lacked in educational polish he more than made up for in common sense. As they used to say in the old days: "Quod Natura Non Dat, Salamanca Non Prestat" Roughly: "What Nature didn't give you, not even Harvard can improve."

lirelou wrote:

The average American isn't likely to even lean the country, much less relocate to Vietnam, but that average American has a vocabulary of about a thousand words and a fifth of them are about automobiles.  It's shocking to go to a place like Singapore and see a word like "irrespective" on a sign at a food court.maybe two Americans in ten would have that in their vocabulary.

There's enough truth in that to make it hurt. I used to work for a boss from Montana, He was state college educated, but could never avoid saying "He don't...", 'She don't...". Yet he was brilliant and highly productive. And realizing his foibles with English, always employed a proof reader. Yet when it came to speaking, it was back to "he don't..."

What he lacked in educational polish he more than made up for in common sense. As they used to say in the old days: "Quod Natura Non Dat, Salamanca Non Prestat" Roughly: "What Nature didn't give you, not even Harvard can improve."

He would have said , ' what nature don't give ', hahaha

Oh, and I forgot to mention the favorite word of the Vietnamese - "Tomorrow". "Please come back tomorrow." "We can have it for you tomorrow." "We will send technician to check your internet tomorrow morning." A few months ago, I was in the bank to pay my electric bill. I was there at 4:25pm. Was told to "come back tomorrow, because time is late and we finish at 4:30"...REALLY?? That's funny, because I was here YESTERDAY and there were so many people waiting I was told then to "come back tomorrow"! I said, "Tomorrow is TODAY, and you are going to accept my bill payment NOW!" She did. Now, she gives me a cold glare everytime I go in to pay my bill.

saigonmonkey wrote:

Oh, and I forgot to mention the favorite word of the Vietnamese - "Tomorrow". "Please come back tomorrow." "We can have it for you tomorrow." "We will send technician to check your internet tomorrow morning." A few months ago, I was in the bank to pay my electric bill. I was there at 4:25pm. Was told to "come back tomorrow, because time is late and we finish at 4:30"...REALLY?? That's funny, because I was here YESTERDAY and there were so many people waiting I was told then to "come back tomorrow"! I said, "Tomorrow is TODAY, and you are going to accept my bill payment NOW!" She did. Now, she gives me a cold glare everytime I go in to pay my bill.

We get, ' it will be here 2 days ', up here. ( Da Nang is only 3 hrs away, ( 2/12 by my m/b ).
  VNPT are the best, internet/cable TV would keep cutting out during rain/wind, ( obviously a connection problem?? ), this went on for months, until I'd finally had enough, ( at least when the power is off , you don't pay, not with VNPT up here, you still pay even if it you can't use it ), the usual answer was , ' oh we can't came out because it is raining????? Wouldn't that be the best time to check a line/connection, I see the EVN guys out in the rain, no problem . And when VNPT does eventually come out, it only takes them a minute , and it's fixed. ( Until next time????? )

We are on to something else here. No Vietnamese whether high ranking or lower,  likes to be CONFRONTED! Even if they know they are wrong because it causes them to lose Face and you are henceforth on their Blacklist. At every chance, they will serve you last. So, ' truth ' is hard for them to take and apologies are very uncommon. Would we call that 'complacency' and thus, there is no motivation to improve for the better? What for? Without a shift in values, no society can hope for societal change.And we are back to square One, why bother to change?

sploke77,
   Although getting off topic, you bring up a good point. I see it in my relationship. There is never any attempt to improve oneself , no matter how much of a need there might be. Things seem to simply remain stuck on stuck. They just get up the next day and all is to be forgotten….until the next juvenile tantrum over some pedestrian event. What would not even move our anger needle seems to sink there ship for a bit. Forget working on the issue.

What's that old saying go something like if it ain't broken than leave it alone. Yeah Vietnamese are content with themselves and their lifestyle. After all they've been through countless wars in the last century I think any stability is welcomed. To improve oneself means having to deal with stress and that's a no no for Vietnamese lol.

bta87 wrote:

sploke77,
   Although getting off topic, you bring up a good point. I see it in my relationship. There is never any attempt to improve oneself , no matter how much of a need there might be. Things seem to simply remain stuck on stuck. They just get up the next day and all is to be forgotten….until the next juvenile tantrum over some pedestrian event. What would not even move our anger needle seems to sink there ship for a bit. Forget working on the issue.

Anyway to get back to the subject (the rest of the post surely being moderated sooner or later): there isn't much grammar in Vietnamese so it is always a question of context.

If a Vietnamese tells you "Monday I go", you must make sure if it is "on next Monday" or was "the Monday earlier" (so if he will go or went already correctly speaking).

Thank you for the trick about the "next Thursday"; that makes sense now!

AnhToan wrote:

Thank you for the trick about the "next Thursday"; that makes sense now!

Just spoke to a VN today, asking if I could "wait to take care of it on Friday". The response I got: "Friday this week?"

Guess I should have said "next Friday". But because I know this person very well, instead I said, "No, Friday, in the year 2025. :-)" My sarcasm was actually well-received, so I guess my "Westernization" is rubbing off a little.

AnhToan wrote:

Anyway to get back to the subject (the rest of the post surely being moderated sooner or later): there isn't much grammar in Vietnamese so it is always a question of context.

If a Vietnamese tells you "Monday I go", you must make sure if it is "on next Monday" or was "the Monday earlier" (so if he will go or went already correctly speaking).

Thank you for the trick about the "next Thursday"; that makes sense now!

I have had that same problem with my friends here. Now I use the date for meeting instead of the days of the week.

Khanh44,
  "Stress", I too have noticed that will really tip over their apple cart in a hurry. Yet they often place themselves in a stressful situation e.g. being late for work, then you are unable to speak to them at all. Time  management is an enigma here. I find they can not multitask at all. If they are doing something you had better not try and speak to them. Do others see that as well? Organization is another subject that they seem to not be able to get their arms around.
  Mind you I'm not complaining, just trying to understand a bit about the culture differences.

   P.S. No spellcheck or grammar ran on the above!! So read at your own risk.

I'm trying to get the bus back on the road here, but a few folks keep jerking the wheel... Oh well...

Oh wait! bta87 has come to help me drive!

SM,
That is so funny!

SM,
I meant 2025, then I saw the driver assist and that was just as funny. You missed your calling. You should switch from furniture to comedy..serious. I'm not pointing fingers at you.

Heck, I go to the bathroom and the police show up. What did I miss out on?

So I have my wedding venue picked out 2 months ago and I asked my fiance to get her uncle to book it. She keeps telling me it's too early to book it. I tell her what difference does it make if we book it now or less than a month before the wedding day. By booking early at least we have one less task to worry about and not have someone book it before us.

She keeps telling me no one will book it before us.

Procrastination at it's finest.

Kanh44,
   Yeah, and guess who's fault it will be when someone else books it. This story happens to me no less than twice a week. We were coming back from DL on the bus Sunday. I asked her if the bus driver might drop us off closer to the apartment. She said " I'll ask". This was about an hour out of HCM. We are now in D2 and and she finally asks. One hundred meters later he is dropping us off.
Guess who's fault it was that we were not prepared to get off the bus, and left stuff behind?

lirelou wrote:

The average American isn't likely to even lean the country, much less relocate to Vietnam, but that average American has a vocabulary of about a thousand words and a fifth of them are about automobiles.  It's shocking to go to a place like Singapore and see a word like "irrespective" on a sign at a food court.maybe two Americans in ten would have that in their vocabulary.

There's enough truth in that to make it hurt. I used to work for a boss from Montana, He was state college educated, but could never avoid saying "He don't...", 'She don't...". Yet he was brilliant and highly productive. And realizing his foibles with English, always employed a proof reader. Yet when it came to speaking, it was back to "he don't..."

What he lacked in educational polish he more than made up for in common sense. As they used to say in the old days: "Quod Natura Non Dat, Salamanca Non Prestat" Roughly: "What Nature didn't give you, not even Harvard can improve."

Well my intent wasn't to hurt but it is a fact, and it's getting worse.  Pressure from religious conservatives to water down science has been devastating.  I saw a high school graduate break into a sweat filling out a gift certificate in a clothing store and even so he misspelled almost every word and had upper- and lowercase mixed.

A man who can't even conjugate a common verb in the present tense is simply pitiable.  Sorry but I don't believe in the notion of common sense, not even as a shorthand;  there is reason with knowledge or there is visceral impulsiveness and I see no evidence of any continuum between the two. 

OTOH I've worked with programmers who were smarter than I yet who were nevertheless morons helplessly acting out impulses so I do know what you mean.

I used to teach job search skills ... salary negotiation, interviewing, résumé, etc.  it takes one (1) grammar error like the above to get your résumé tossed.  When I was growing up one would hear federal spokesmen say "ain't" on camera, that was just chilling.

This is something I'm really adamant about and as I study Vietnamese I'm determined to not only learn crude survival phrases but speak it well, very well, to have a broad vocabulary and to end up sounding university educated,  it's not going to be easy but I'm not stopping at "da, ăn cơm rồi."

Back on Topic: I spent the last week in HCMC, due to the typhoon my flight was cancel and I decided my next 2 nights would be in the backpacker area.  Nice room, cheap, balcony, near the 10000 dong Saigon beer places I like. Lots of noise till like 3am.  Then as I am sleeping good, there is aparently a temple and they rang a bell at 4am both mornings. Would have been nice if they would have been on regular viet time and not on ferries or plane time.

ancientpathos wrote:

... Then as I am sleeping good, there is aparently a temple and they rang a bell at 4am both mornings. Would have been nice if they would have been on regular viet time and not on ferries or plane time.

Were you in D1?  Did you hear the Cathedral bells?  That sounds like a church....introduced by the French....and the bells are PRECISELY because the peasants were on Việt time and didn't wear watches in the olden days.  Oh, I hear a bell...time to stop my harvest, go wash up, then go to Church.  Or, in this case it's time to get up, then go to Church.

Roosters here are very much on "rubber band time", sometimes they start their squawking at 2am, sometimes not until 4, just whenever they feel like it. I thought moving to HCMC would get me away from that but somebody around here owns a rooster that wakes me up nightly. I'm hoping it's not someone in a condo.

Tran Hung Dao wrote:

ancientpathos wrote:

... Then as I am sleeping good, there is aparently a temple and they rang a bell at 4am both mornings. Would have been nice if they would have been on regular viet time and not on ferries or plane time.

Were you in D1?  Did you hear the Cathedral bells?  That sounds like a church....introduced by the French....and the bells are PRECISELY because the peasants were on Việt time and didn't wear watches in the olden days.  Oh, I hear a bell...time to stop my harvest, go wash up, then go to Church.  Or, in this case it's time to get up, then go to Church.

No the bell had the buddhist swastika aka "The Seal on Buddha's Heart" on it. Although I wouldn't mind blaming a Church. Yes I have some unresolved issues.

I have two cockatoos.  They're louder than roosters.  But they wait till daylight.

Hi all,

Please note that some posts have been removed from the thread for being off topic.
I guess we all agree that closing threads is not fun, so i suggest we stay on topic and show enough respect to other members and their contribution.

Thanks
Armand
Expat.com Team