Vietnamese Etiquettes?

Q: Hi, I have been invited for a stay at my Vietnamese friend’s house. Could you please provide me with some information of local etiquettes?

A: We strongly recommend you to take some time to learn a little about the local culture in Vietnam to avoid any international incident and to endear you to your hosts. Here are a few top tips to help:

Dress code

Respect local dress standards: shorts to the knees, women's tops covering the shoulder, particularly at religious sites. Always remove your shoes before entering a house.

Hats off

As a form of respect to Vietnamese elderly, take off your hat and bow your head politely when addressing them. In Asia, the head is the symbolic highest point – never pat or touch an adult on the head.

Meet and greet

The traditional Vietnamese form of greeting is to press your hands together in front of your body and bow slightly. These days, the Western custom of shaking hands has almost completely taken over.

Watch your feet

Like the Chinese and Japanese, Vietnamese strictly maintain clean floors and it's usual to remove shoes when entering somebody's home. It's rude to point the bottom of your feet towards other people. Never, ever point your feet towards anything sacred, such as a Buddha image.

For more information on Dining Etiquettes and Dress Code in Vietnam, please refer to the links below: 

http://www.vietnamonline.com/overview/dining-etiquettes.html

http://www.vietnamonline.com/living/dress-code-in-vietnam.html