How to haggle, what to talk about carefully and why Vietnamese coffee is a culture of its own.

Vietnamese people are friendly, hard-working and value politeness. A couple of touches will make conversation warmer.

Good to know

  • Haggling at markets is the norm and part of the game; bargain with a smile, but without pressure.
  • “Face”: avoid public arguments and irritation — a calm tone achieves more.
  • History: touch on the subject of the war delicately; Vietnamese people look to the future.
  • Take off your shoes when entering a home or temple.

Coffee culture

Be sure to try iced coffee with condensed milk (cà phê sữa đá) and Hanoi’s egg coffee — it is a local ritual, not just a drink.

A couple of cultural keys

  • The question “how old are you?” is not tactlessness but a way to pick the right form of address: in Vietnamese people address each other by relative age (older brother/sister/younger).
  • Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee exporter (mostly robusta), hence the cult of strong coffee with condensed milk and egg coffee.