Honest question: my wife and I are overweight and not thick-skinned. Are comments or jokes about body weight common in Vietnam? Just want to know what to expect and how to react.Thanks.Honest question: my wife and I are overweight and not thick-skinned. Are comments or jokes about body weight common in Vietnam? Just want to know what to expect and how to react.Thanks.
Share your experiences or just ask people a question? Click to see the community
Got a question or an idea you want to discuss? Start a discussion here to get opinions and connect with other members.
Have a story, valuable experience, or a detailed guide to share? Contribute a high-quality article to enrich our community.
To ensure quality, all new posts are not immediately visible on search engines like Google, Bing... Our team prioritizes reviewing high-value, insightful posts to feature publicly. You'll receive a notification when your contribution is selected!
Ha Giang
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City
Ha Long
Sapa
Mekong Delta
Da Nang
Hue
Hoi An
Ninh Binh
Da Lat
Nha Trang
Phan Thiet
Phu Quoc
Quang Binh
Quy Nhon
Vung Tau
Thai Nguyen
Tiếng Việt
한국어
中文 (中国)
日本語
ไทย
Deutsch
Español
Destinations
Instagram
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Threads
Tiktok
Most definitely! 😆
My husband is slightly overweight – size XL. A vendor at one of the markets told him she has “king kong” size for him – jokingly and laughing. Another one called him Happy Budha. I think because most of the Vietnamese people are tiny and petite, any largish person will look fat to them. Don’t take offence…..
I am an AU size 10 (on the smaller end) and I had one instance where I felt shamed – I was buying a pair of shorts in a shop and I like them a little loose, I ended up needing to get a 3XL – the sales assistant looked visibly annoyed when I kept saying “ a larger size please” after they gave me an L to try on.
Yes they will pass comment but it’s not said in a nasty way, just smile, laugh and play along with it. It’s not said to offend just more of an observation.
I am a bit overweight (😀) and a guide nicknamed me Happy Buddha. Spontaneaous with no filter but in a friendly way. I was almost flattered😂
I haven’t felt like anyone has been judging me or said anything. However I do feel like I take do a lot of space as im also 177cm tall and have dreadlocks in a large bun on to of my head so im constantly ducking! I do worry when sitting on small chairs! Haven’t broken any yet so that’s a plus!! Ive been in hanoi since monday and HCMC for 2 days prior.
It’s gonna be very hot
Well, looks like you’re just going to have to acclimate to Vietnam. If you don’t like what you hear , just walk away. Seriously you ARE traveling to a whole different country with a different culture. You can’t change that.
There beautiful people, but also curious about westerners…if you feel offended, with respect, thats gonna be on you…enjoy the holiday 🙂
Even if u are average they will make fun of you. But u won’t understand it 😂