Hanoi is considered the Paris of Southeast Asia. During the French occupation, there were a number of structures built with the French architecture of the time. Coupled with the numerous lakes in the city, the French architecture creates a European ambiance in certain parts of Hanoi.
While I've made a couple of other trips to Hanoi for business, this was the first time I stayed the weekend and experienced more of the social scene of the capital city. Interesting enough, the city is hotter and colder than its counterpart in the south. From a Vietkieu's perspective, I would liken Hanoi to being a beautiful woman (or man) from afar until she (he) opens her (his) mouth.
They are generally friendly to foreigners, and being a city where the government is based as well as primary location for state-owned enterprises, it is generally a more political, serious, structured type city whereas Ho Chi Minh City is more 'chill' and liberal. Although there are a number of Vietkieus who come to Vietnam to flaunt, and in many cases flaunt some wealth that they don't have, there are also a large portion who come to learn more of their history and connect with their birth country. The former though give the entire category a bad reputation though. Yet I have yet to feel any discrimination from the locals in Ho Chi Minh City towards Vietkieus. Quite the opposite...in fact, many are overly gratuitous with their flattery for any Vietkieu trying to speak the language, assuming in most cases that either I'm not Vietnamese or only speak English.
So when my friend (Canadian Vietkieu) and I stayed in Hanoi, we were a bit taken aback by the rudeness to us, including pretending they didn't understand our Vietnamese for something as simple as an order of 'lemonade with ice'. I've taken years of French classes in high school and college. I was excited during my first trip to Paris to practice my skills, but soon learned that unless I spoke with the perfect French accent, the Parisians were snobbish in anyone who tried to speak the language. I have had a mental block for speaking French ever since then. Hanoi has adopted that attitude, and my friend had to remind me when I ordered dessert to just speak English, and sure enough, that was a much easier task.
They are generally friendly to foreigners, and being a city where the government is based as well as primary location for state-owned enterprises, it is generally a more political, serious, structured type city whereas Ho Chi Minh City is more 'chill' and liberal. Although there are a number of Vietkieus who come to Vietnam to flaunt, and in many cases flaunt some wealth that they don't have, there are also a large portion who come to learn more of their history and connect with their birth country. The former though give the entire category a bad reputation though. Yet I have yet to feel any discrimination from the locals in Ho Chi Minh City towards Vietkieus. Quite the opposite...in fact, many are overly gratuitous with their flattery for any Vietkieu trying to speak the language, assuming in most cases that either I'm not Vietnamese or only speak English.
So when my friend (Canadian Vietkieu) and I stayed in Hanoi, we were a bit taken aback by the rudeness to us, including pretending they didn't understand our Vietnamese for something as simple as an order of 'lemonade with ice'. I've taken years of French classes in high school and college. I was excited during my first trip to Paris to practice my skills, but soon learned that unless I spoke with the perfect French accent, the Parisians were snobbish in anyone who tried to speak the language. I have had a mental block for speaking French ever since then. Hanoi has adopted that attitude, and my friend had to remind me when I ordered dessert to just speak English, and sure enough, that was a much easier task.
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