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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The Vietnamese are typically polite and courteous especially to visitors.
Being overweight in Vietnam used to be a sign of Wealth because people who eat that much must have large amounts of money to afford it. Also being white skinned is a sign of wealth as well. Since it means you either have a nice office job, own a company, or retired since you’re not doing hard labor in the sun.
They are good natured but not PC when it comes to interacting with overweight folks… you may even have them asking to have a photo taken with you. No overt insults and just interaction with something that is unusual for them and mostly seen only on television. For street food they often have flimsy plastic chairs which may not be strong enough to hold someone over normal Vietnamese weights… the shops that know will double the chairs up atop each other for the added support that will be offered. Again, it is not intentional attention, but dealing with something unusual in their culture.
I lost count of the times I was called ‘Happy Buddha’ but it was always in a warm hearted manner!
Omg people are the same everywhere- some are nice and some are awful.
Weight comments are not considered rude in VN. I know it’s weird, but don’t take it badly. It’s nothing personal
Yeah, they’re straight forward about it. I’m not even that big and my ex from there calls me fat 😂
You can’t control what other people do. Anyone can say something about your weight in any country. Are you going to not travel because of that?
If you are not thick skinned you will be hurt and find offence. Even people who are not overweight get called fat. They mean zero harm, but it will be said. Prepare for it, but dont avoid Vietnam, its a stunning country.
In Vietnam, it’s completely normal for friends to greet each other by saying something like, “Why have you gotten so fat/so skinny lately?” When that happens, the person being asked usually jokes back with a response such as, “I’ve been unemployed lately, so all I do is eat and sleep—that’s why I’ve gained weight!” Most of the time, no one feels offended or reacts negatively, it’s just friendly banter.