Why don't Vietnamese understand Vietnamese spoken by a foreigner?

OBB wrote:

some of these comments are comical.   Vietnamese are lazy and stupid because they dont understand your Viet speak?   you come to a foreign country and you expect them to think like you?   talk about arrogance.   maybe thats why some locals dont want to speak to foreigners.

If they want to act like ' us ', perhaps they should start to think more like  ' us '???
One of the main reason the locals won't speak to Foreigners, is their xenophobic tendencies, ( especially where I live ), but no different than the attitudes of some of ' us ', towards Foreigners in our countries.

bluenz wrote:

OBB wrote:

some of these comments are comical.   Vietnamese are lazy and stupid because they dont understand your Viet speak?   you come to a foreign country and you expect them to think like you?   talk about arrogance.   maybe thats why some locals dont want to speak to foreigners.

If they want to act like ' us ', perhaps they should start to think more like  ' us '???
One of the main reason the locals won't speak to Foreigners, is their xenophobic tendencies, ( especially where I live ), but no different than the attitudes of some of ' us ', towards Foreigners in our countries.

who are these people that wants to be like 'us?'   the educated young or the uneducated migrant workers that some members have labeled as lazy and stupid?   these dirt poor peasants who often work 10-14 hours days and if lucky get 1-2 days off per month is inherently too lazy to engage with foreigners in conversation?   i can guarantee you that they are more worried about putting food on the table and sending home whatever is leftover to their families than caring about how to be like a foreigner.  the lack of sympathy and respect for the destitute working class is sad and apalling.

OBB wrote:

bluenz wrote:

OBB wrote:

some of these comments are comical.   Vietnamese are lazy and stupid because they dont understand your Viet speak?   you come to a foreign country and you expect them to think like you?   talk about arrogance.   maybe thats why some locals dont want to speak to foreigners.

If they want to act like ' us ', perhaps they should start to think more like  ' us '???
One of the main reason the locals won't speak to Foreigners, is their xenophobic tendencies, ( especially where I live ), but no different than the attitudes of some of ' us ', towards Foreigners in our countries.

who are these people that wants to be like 'us?'   the educated young or the uneducated migrant workers that some members have labeled as lazy and stupid?   these dirt poor peasants who often work 10-14 hours days and if lucky get 1-2 days off per month is inherently too lazy to engage with foreigners in conversation?   i can guarantee you that they are more worried about putting food on the table and sending home whatever is leftover to their families than caring about how to be like a foreigner.  the lack of sympathy for the destitute working class is sad and apalling.

You must have to go up into the Mountains to see these ' dirt poor people '?, I live amongst these ' poor peasants' , ( Central coast ),  since they have worked out they can get 3 crops of rice a year now, ( instead of the 1 crop under the old communist regime ), they are living high off the land, in the 3 years I've been living here, many farmers and fisherman have built big, new houses, bought new m/b's, and household appliances, etc,  their land is worth heaps now also. These are the rude and xenophobic ones I've been talking about, even given the opportunity to learn English for free, doesn't interest them.

OBB wrote:

ofcourse because most rural peasants have big houses and drive new cars/motorbikes even though theyre lazy and stupid - insert eyeroll here.

Where does it say that I said they are lazy and stupid?,( and definitely no mention of motorcars, thank god, they are dangerous enough on m/b's ), once you come to VN , you will be able to see for yourself????

bta87 wrote:

I wonder how many native American farmers, with big homes, new cars etc. would jump at the opportunity to learn Vietnamese in the U.S.

I know what you mean, I should have said the opportunity was for their children.  The rich don't need to learn English because they have VN subtitles on their 80 plus cm flat screen TV's.

bluenz wrote:

I know what you mean, I should have said the opportunity was for their children.  The rich don't need to learn English because they have VN subtitles on their 80 plus cm flat screen TV's.

I know of many Vnese that have no desire to learn English but still fork out money to send their kids to English classes. Just because I have no desire to improve my math, does not mean I have the same desire for my child. Vnese are kind and warm, but also wary of change and new things, English intimidates those of the older generation.

bluenz wrote:

OBB wrote:

ofcourse because most rural peasants have big houses and drive new cars/motorbikes even though theyre lazy and stupid - insert eyeroll here.

Where does it say that I said they are lazy and stupid?,( and definitely no mention of motorcars, thank god, they are dangerous enough on m/b's ), once you come to VN , you will be able to see for yourself????

ive been to VN for the last 6 years ive seen plenty of poor people most of whom do not have big houses  and new motorbikes.   what percentage of the rural population have big houses and new bikes?   so a fortunate few makes it big and that applies to most peasants?  and if by the grace of god or luck a poor Viet strikes it rich why is he/she required to learn english?

NinaVamp wrote:

bluenz wrote:

I know what you mean, I should have said the opportunity was for their children.  The rich don't need to learn English because they have VN subtitles on their 80 plus cm flat screen TV's.

I know of many Vnese that have no desire to learn English but still fork out money to send their kids to English classes. Just because I have no desire to improve my math, does not mean I have the same desire for my child. Vnese are kind and warm, but also wary of change and new things, English intimidates those of the older generation.

Not only English, practically any change at all by many older VN's, living in the past, but want all the modern amenities, technologies, and comforts.
  Lets just hope your children do not need to improve their maths, it is the cornerstone for any educational ambition in VN.

bri597 wrote:

I run into the exact same problem. My wife (VN) tells me that I say things correctly but they don't understand. I will even repeat the words a few times and they just stare with a blank look. My wife also says that they expect me to speak English. I say BS to that. I think that because my wife is used to my voice, she understands what I am saying. I think my intonation is slightly off for the rest of the population. That doesn't mean that I think they try hard enough to understand the foreigners that are making an effort to learn Vietnamese. I also think it would be helpful to have a "musician's ear" to learn Vietnamese as a second language. Anyway, I also get discouraged and I let my wife do most of the talking. That's what women do, isn't it?

Do not give up, that your wife can understand your Vietnamese means all Vietnamese women can also understand . It is not very logical but true. The thing is that you still have not spoken well enough. This makes Vietnamese different from other languages. You must pronounce perfectly. I have a Singaporean friend, 24, he self-studyed Vietnamese and has never officially stayed  in Vietnam but we can communicate in Vietnamese (in Singapore). He impressed me. In conclusion, you can do better than him since you have more chances to practise than him.

colinoscapee wrote:

So to get the attention of a young female waitress at a restaurant your suggesting"cô em ơi"

I wonder what ' hey you ' , sounds like/translates to, in Viet?

rhinoq wrote:

They are very task-oriented (get the work done first).

I'm in stitches.

ssuprnova wrote:

rhinoq wrote:

They are very task-oriented (get the work done first).

I'm in stitches.

I also haven't been to that part of VN .

bluenz wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

So to get the attention of a young female waitress at a restaurant your suggesting"cô em ơi"

I wonder what ' hey you ' , sounds like/translates to, in Viet?

depends to who youre talking to:
It should be " Co oi (to ladies), Chu oi (to gents) etc "

Adding an "Oi" is similar to Hey!

bluenz wrote:

ssuprnova wrote:

rhinoq wrote:

They are very task-oriented (get the work done first).

I'm in stitches.

I also haven't been to that part of VN .

Not sure anybody has found that area yet!

OBB wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

OBB, travelling in a country and living in a country are two totally different things, if you think you know Viet Nam you are in for a big shock. My brother who used to come here for visits of 3 months at a time over the  years has now been spending around 9 months of the year living here. His opinion of the locals has changed since living here, so once you spend some long periods of time here your opinion may also change.

i married an ethnic minority and have been living with them 3-6 a year in the central highlands.   when im there i volunteer to teach english to the local poor children.  my next visit i will get my certificate to make it official.   i share a tiny room with my wife and daughter until i expanded a little bit 2 years ago.   so i do have a little knowledge of the mountain people and its culture and will never bash them for being poor.

Your wife's family must be one of the lucky ones, many Minority lost their land during the ' American ' war, ( not only Minority , American sympathisers, etc, as well ). Your wife's family may be poor , but I'll bet they are happier than the poor trying to survive in the cities.
  Just curious about this Certificate to make things Official, is that for Teaching or residence?

hoangkim wrote:

IF a Vietnamese can't understand you. One reason:
You don't speak like a native.
Trust me: Vietnamese is not easy to learn
But some can do that and they really made me suprised.
youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ShVsLaGSU

That's just an admission of mental laziness. After all, there are hundreds of millions non-native English speakers in the world, and I'd wager that most of them succeed in getting their point across when talking to a native speaker.

I'm genuinely at a loss as to why we have a hard time being understood. Sometimes I'll say something to a coworker (all of whom, notabene, hold university degrees) and all I get are blank stares. Other times, I'll use my paltry vocabulary to talk to the parking lot attendant or one of the neighbors and they'll get it on the first try. My best guess is that people who are actually interested in understanding you will do so, while the rest won't make any effort, no matter how hard you try.

What is perplexing to me is the proportion of people who have zero interest in trying at all. Although this is purely anecdotal, I've recently had more success in getting my point across in Cambodia and Thailand, even though I would only need the fingers of one hand to count the number of words that I know in their languages. I guess this is one of those things that is best explained by the broad "cultural difference" moniker.

I do believe wrote:

... I was born and raised English speaking in Canada on the US border near Buffalo ...

I went to University of Buffalo ... been to 'the nice side' of the falls many times

When I get to Vietnam in June, maybe we can meet up for coffee or a beer and chat sometime.

Thanks.

ssuprnova wrote:

hoangkim wrote:

IF a Vietnamese can't understand you. One reason:
You don't speak like a native.
Trust me: Vietnamese is not easy to learn
But some can do that and they really made me suprised.
youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ShVsLaGSU

That's just an admission of mental laziness. After all, there are hundreds of millions non-native English speakers in the world, and I'd wager that most of them succeed in getting their point across when talking to a native speaker.

I'm genuinely at a loss as to why we have a hard time being understood. Sometimes I'll say something to a coworker (all of whom, notabene, hold university degrees) and all I get are blank stares. Other times, I'll use my paltry vocabulary to talk to the parking lot attendant or one of the neighbors and they'll get it on the first try. My best guess is that people who are actually interested in understanding you will do so, while the rest won't make any effort, no matter how hard you try.

What is perplexing to me is the proportion of people who have zero interest in trying at all. Although this is purely anecdotal, I've recently had more success in getting my point across in Cambodia and Thailand, even though I would only need the fingers of one hand to count the number of words that I know in their languages. I guess this is one of those things that is best explained by the broad "cultural difference" moniker.

Ok
I agree that someones are not good at listening or trying to understand.
Otherwise Someones are quite good at that ( your parking lot attendant or one of the neighbors...)
The same in your country. Some are good, some are bad.
So may be it is not "Cultural" thinghere.
I understand how hard it is when you wish people to understand but they don't
Complaining can't help you
One solution: you need to master Vietnamese (big adventure: not anyone can do)
The basic words: "Cảm ơn" means "thank you". 90% of you guys speak wrongly. You guys say: "Come on"
The important part in Vietnamese is Mark (' ` ~ . ). They make "tone": wrong tone- different meanings. So In short, speaking Vietnamese is like singing a song. Hope you good at singing...
Tips:
1. Stop complaining
2. Speak slowly, clearly
3. None of your friends or the ones you know will be suprised if you always try to speak Vietnamese with them. This won't work if you are afraid of making mistakes
4. Watch people who master Vietnamese so you got motive to continue your learning...

hoangkim wrote:

ssuprnova wrote:

hoangkim wrote:

IF a Vietnamese can't understand you. One reason:
You don't speak like a native.
Trust me: Vietnamese is not easy to learn
But some can do that and they really made me suprised.
youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ShVsLaGSU

That's just an admission of mental laziness. After all, there are hundreds of millions non-native English speakers in the world, and I'd wager that most of them succeed in getting their point across when talking to a native speaker.

I'm genuinely at a loss as to why we have a hard time being understood. Sometimes I'll say something to a coworker (all of whom, notabene, hold university degrees) and all I get are blank stares. Other times, I'll use my paltry vocabulary to talk to the parking lot attendant or one of the neighbors and they'll get it on the first try. My best guess is that people who are actually interested in understanding you will do so, while the rest won't make any effort, no matter how hard you try.

What is perplexing to me is the proportion of people who have zero interest in trying at all. Although this is purely anecdotal, I've recently had more success in getting my point across in Cambodia and Thailand, even though I would only need the fingers of one hand to count the number of words that I know in their languages. I guess this is one of those things that is best explained by the broad "cultural difference" moniker.

Ok
I agree that someones are not good at listening or trying to understand.
Otherwise Someones are quite good at that ( your parking lot attendant or one of the neighbors...)
The same in your country. Some are good, some are bad.
So may be it is not "Cultural" thinghere.
I understand how hard it is when you wish people to understand but they don't
Complaining can't help you
One solution: you need to master Vietnamese (big adventure: not anyone can do)
The basic words: "Cảm ơn" means "thank you". 90% of you guys speak wrongly. You guys say: "Come on"
The important part in Vietnamese is Mark (' ` ~ . ). They make "tone": wrong tone- different meanings. So In short, speaking Vietnamese is like singing a song. Hope you good at singing...
Tips:
1. Stop complaining
2. Speak slowly, clearly
3. None of your friends or the ones you know will be suprised if you always try to speak Vietnamese with them. This won't work if you are afraid of making mistakes
4. Watch people who master Vietnamese so you got motive to continue your learning...

Excellent example, most VN's don't know what thank you is anyway, ( along with excuse me, please, and ,' is this the back of the que? ' ), maybe that's why they don't understand?
When the words have no other meaning,  the pronounciation shouldn't have to be exact, and they still make no attempt to understand, that is just laziness, or ignorance????
My wife must speak different Viet than you, ' come on ', is exactly how she tells me to pronounce, Cảm ơn, I'm well aware of it, because every time time I call my dog, ' come here,  Mate ', I think they must be wondering why I am always thanking my dog?????