Vietnamese vs American Styles

First, communication – the French influence is readily observable in the Vietnamese communication patterns and use of language (Lewis, R. D.). “Facial expression is much more evident than in [other countries], and some body languages reminiscent of the French is to be seen. Emotional factors can be used in argument. Good education and a high rate of literacy lends people confidence in communication. The literary tradition is strong particularly in poetry (Lewis, R. D.).” Next, behavior at meetings and negotiations – “in essence the style is a combination of French rationality and Vietnamese tenacity. Though basically courteous, negotiations are cautious and give little away. Bureaucracy is, however, still tortuous and corrupt, according to most standards (Lewis, R. D.).” Third, the French introduced many materialistic things such as “Western values of individual freedom and sexual quality, which undermined the traditional Vietnamese social system. In urban areas, Western patterns of social behavior became increasingly common, especially among educated and wealthy Vietnamese attended French schools, read French books, replaced traditional attire with Western-style clothing, and drank French wines instead of the traditional wine distilled from rice. Adolescents began to resist the tradition of arranged marriages, and women chafed under social mores that demanded obedience

For this paper I will examine Vietnamese culture according to the five essential questions all cultures must answer (according to Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck). I will then take those answers and compare then to out culture here in America. I realize that some might argue that using North American culture as a starting point is an attempt to simplify this writing, but I believe that any initial examination of something new is most effectively done in comparison to what one already knows.

According to Kashima (2010), defining what culture means is a difficult task. Culture can be considered the individual differences of identity. Culture is established by numerous things such as ideology and beliefs. While categories of culture are not limited to only country, a common classification of culture is that of different countries. Vietnam’s culture is diverse, influences from many countries have played a role in shaping Vietnam’s culture. Years of Chinese rule, French imperialism, social conflicts and war have given Vietnamese culture a unique richness of language, music and history.

My research is focused on the problems associated with cross-cultural communication and how awareness of culture, language, tradition, and business practices can increase the advantages to globalization. This report will be field specific in

Knowledge of other cultures is one of the keys to being successful in business dealings. This paper reports on real experiences in cross-cultural business interactions from three different perspectives. I interviewed three successful businessmen, one who worked with Iranians, one with Chinese, and one with Indians. I interviewed them independently, and my questions covered four different elements: cultural behavior in business negotiations, management as symbol of high power distance in the companies, knowledge of high context or low context culture, and finally knowledge of each of culture to have better business negotiation in future.

In a business perspective, the oriental and western cultures remain a huge difference. Low-context societies such as American egalitarian culture, they emphasize on logic and facts, verbal messages are more direct and concise, individualism and extremely tolerant to changes. However, high-context societies such as Chinese hierarchy culture, they prefer non-verbal methods to express meaningful communications, group-oriented, and pay more attention to interpersonal relationships during business interactions. For example, a successful business interaction will count on interpersonal relationships among businesses and government. On the other hand, business dealings can be completely transactional with Americans, without building relationships to do so.

Therefore, it is important to increase our knowledge of Asian cultures, languages, negotiation styles, and business practices to further develop business relations that are favorable to the continued growth and development of our own country and the global marketplace. The Asia countries make a massive impact on global economics and trade relations which also affects the political aspects related to international relationships.

During her memoir, there are multiple instances where she displays herself being stuck between Vietnamese and American culture, but on one instance she explicitly describes her realization of being stuck in-between cultures. There is a particular moment in her memoir when she talks about herself and her sister, Anh attending a Vietnamese party (Nguyen 113). She and her sister had attended multiple Vietnamese parties before but they eventually lost interest in them (Nguyen 113). As they had not celebrated Tet, which is the Vietnamese New Year, in their usual manner, they decided that they would tag along their father and Noi who were going to a Tet party (Nguyen 113). Upon arrival, they are alone and confused as they realize that they could

In time focus parameter, Vietnamese have polychronic culture that opposite from the monochronic culture of American. As monochronic culture, American respect schedules and committed to schedules and deadlines, things are usually arranged in order so

Whenever my father revisited Vietnam, all my family members and relatives gathered to discuss the cultural differences between Vietnam and America. In their discussions, some would ask questions based on the American politics, government, law enforcement, education and freedom. In turn, my father would explain that the American culture and way of socialization was completely different from Vietnam. In addition, he supported the American social belief in equality and freedom of religion regardless of a person’s background, origin and social imagination. After listening to their discussions, I would go and share the vital information acquired, with my friends and neighbors, who would completely disagree with the social institutions set-up in

On the whole, the Vietnamese values are consisted of three major components: obligation, veneration, and education. These notions have brought positive connotation to human construction process even in the past or in today’s world. Sadly, these values are no longer maintained and cherished as before. The humane value is going down the hill due to the dramatically change of the society. Every Vietnamese generation should be seriously

Communication – verbal and otherwise – remains an important dimension of international management, and there are different communication styles, how communication is processed and interpreted, and how culture and language influence communication and miscommunication (Luthans & Doh, 2012).

They don’t call other’s name without Mr. Ms. in Vietnamese. Even for younger people, they have a word for it. They have very interesting verbal communication style which is they avoid to say no in their conversation because it would be disrespectful. For instance, if someone invites you to a party and you won’t be able to go, but still you should say “yes” at the moment. Even if they said yes, they might not show up. The host won’t get mad or upset in a situation. In their culture, it’s better for them just not showing up with “yes” answer instead of saying “no” in person because they want to keep their face positively. They highly use an indirect communication method. Indirect communication method is common culture in Asia. Still, yes answer which means no would not be acceptable in Japan. Vietnamese also avoid to correct others’ mistake or praise only one person in front of others. They rely on more non-verbal communication than vernal communication. Men use handshake and bowing slightly, but women are not very comfortable to handshake with a man, but it has changed for a younger generation. It’s not necessary to have eye contact like the US. They don’t also use hand gesture much. For verbal communication, it’s very important for them to keep their tones. If a person have a loud voice, they might take it as a negative impression. They want to keep a

Introduction. Vietnam is a unique civilization with highly cultured people. It is a country filled with natural beauty, tranquil rural settings, and bustling urban centers. In this period of renovation, Vietnam is emerging as an economic powerhouse in South East Asia. From the bustling commercial center of Ho Chi Minh City to the gracious capital of Ha Noi, local business is flourishing and international companies are lining up to invest in new projects. The nation, strangled by years of war, is now flexing its muscles. To succeed in international business is to understand the uniqueness of the culture you will encounter. The purpose of this report is to inform you of some of the business customs you could encounter in

When dealing with businesses there are always going to be cultural barriers and obstacles. This is because no two countries are the same and each person is different. Cross cultural communication looks at how people from various backgrounds interact and communicate and this is what this report will cover. It will look at how people from different backgrounds pass information and make negotiations despite the barriers of culture between them. The case study ‘Journey to Sharahad’ displays the cross cultural exchange between the Americans who have just arrived in Sharahad are completely oblivious to the culture and people of Sharahad and what