Topic 1: Talk About Vietnamese Gestures and Customs
Topic 1: Talk About Vietnamese Gestures and Customs
1. Are the greeting customs in Vietnam different from other countries? how?
2. How do Vietnamese people exchange business cards?
3. How do you usually give business cards to others?
4. How do you take business cards from others?
5. What are the topics Vietnamese people usually have for small talks?
6. What are the topics that you should avoid for small talks?
7. How do you point at someone?
8. How do Vietnamese people indicate numbers with their fingers?
9. What does the “thumbs-up” sign mean in Vietnam?
Hello teacher, my name’s Nguyen Thi Thao. I’m 19 years old. My hometown is
An Giang province. I’m a student at FPT Polytechnic Can Tho and my major is
Marketing and Sale. I'd like to talk about Vietnamese gestures and customs. The
traditional Vietnamese way of greeting is to cross their arms and bow to other people. I
greet older people by bowing and sometimes I say "How are you?". I greet younger
people by saying hello and smiling. I rarely shake hands. I like gentle handshakes
because It makes me feel comfortable. Vietnamese people exchange business cards by
standing up, handing the card with their left hand, the main side of the business card
facing up, and the full name part to follow the recipient's gaze. I often use the above
method to exchange business cards. When Vietnamese people have small talk, they often
talk about their jobs, sports and hobbies. We should avoid to talk about their salary, age
or personal information. I often use fingers to point at someone. Vietnamese people
usually indicate the number one by their index finger and number two for the next finger,
and the number five is an open palm. In Vietnam, the notation holds hands and the
thumbs-up sign means what they see is done very well, or a good idea.