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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In Asian cultures , when they see some who is fat, they believe that person is rich because his/her family has money to buy food to feed you. It means your family is doing well. In the West, we want 6 pack abs, but my girlfriend (x girlfriend now), said she wanted me to have big stomach. It is a sign of prosperity. Not all people will make fun but you. We have all kind of people in every country.
You will likely experience being turned away by most clothing ahop keepers, and heckled by so keepers that sell XL, lol. Happened to me and my husband.
Put on fifty shades of grey and you’re all set!!!!
They will say eat eat.. 10 minutes later lose weight.. at least with my relatives
I was in a produce market and the old women were laughing and joking about a fat foreigner walking around. The young woman showing us around for the cooking class was embarrassed
Very common! They will tell you you are fat and stare at you. I don’t think it’s malicious they are just very blunt and don’t realise or care that it’s rude.
Avoid motorbike taxi and you survive
Yes they’ll said it out loud, my girlfriend is a big girl and couldn’t fit in the clothes she was trying on, shop girls told her to “loose some weight, you too fat, no man will marry you”
A couple of people rubbed my belly and said I was a happy Buddha 🤣
Yes, comments and jokes about body weight are fairly common in Vietnam, especially toward foreigners or those who stand out due to size, as it’s often viewed as neutral observation rather than malice. This stems from a culture where direct remarks on appearance—like noting someone is “fat” (béo or mập)—are everyday small talk among friends, family, and even strangers, similar to commenting on the weather. Vietnamese society prizes slimness amid low obesity rates, so overweight Westerners may draw stares, questions like “Why are you so big?”, or playful nicknames like “Miss Fatty” in casual settings such as markets or cafes.[reddit +3]