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.
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A lot of vietnamese people rubbed my fat belly, felt like the reincarnation of buddha 😃. You might hear comments about being fat, but note, they are not being rude, just stating something obvious… vietnamese people are quite direct about this without any back thoughts…
They don’t hold back on staring or saying something
I am overweight and when I was in Vietnam I kept having my belly rubbed by strangers. The first time was by a hotel manager who checked us in when we arrived and then met us the next day was at the breakfast area. He greet my wife and I as he would if we were old friends then he rubbed my belly and said “lucky”. At first I was shocked and as we sat down to eat my wife laughed at me. Over the next couple of weeks it happened a few times, in shops and on a tour but always in such a friendly way that it was obvious that it wasn’t meant in any way to be hurtful more as a way of pointing out that you are lucky and touching your belly as a way of maybe getting so lucky themselves.
Warning: Asian has no filter😅especially when it comes to your weight😁so you won’t hear any discouraging remarks about your weight: just don’t go shopping especially in the market, because they will tell you right in your face: you very big😅😅😅
I’ve been here for 2 weeks and have a few people stare, I’m assuming bc of my weight but no one has said anything to me
When you see being fat as being negative then you feel that it is body shaming. If being overweight is just another body type same as underweight or normal body type, then you will understand that it is just a way to describe you. We do joke a lot about another person’s appearance but only to people we are comfortable with.
Short answer is yes, but I think it’s not to be nasty it’s just how they communicate and the language barrier doesn’t help. Don’t take anything personal. It’s a lovely country to visit and we met amazing people 🌹Enjoy your trip. More important is to learn how to cross the road, I think it’s a skill especially in Ho Chi Minh City.
When we were in Vietnam, a bellboy at the hotel rubbed my husband’s belly every time we left. Like rubbing a Buddha for good luck. We just laughed.
From all the comments above ,sounds like don’t bother buying clothes whilst on holidays and avoiding that experience may help
It’s nothing to worry about.. not like the west were the person actually means it.. no idea why but in Asia and other countries it’s very common and non belittling to say if one’s overweight etc…