Miscommunication

Miscommunication is a huge source of frustration for travelers to Vietnam.

Travelers who try to learn a little Vietnamese in preparation for their journey are usually disappointed to find that their carefully practiced phrases yield only a blank look or a giggle from Vietnamese natives. Vietnamese is a tonal language--any given set of letters could have up to six different tones and, thus, six possible meanings. It's not something you can pick up from a phrase book.

However, it's just as hard for Vietnamese people to speak and understand conversational English as it is for English speakers to learn Vietnamese. Vowel sounds are very precise in Vietnamese--which is why any variation on standard American pronunciation befuddles most Vietnamese English students. (Most "English-speaking" people in Vietnam have learned English by rote, from Vietnamese teachers who may-- or may not--have been exposed to native English speakers.) On the other hand, Vietnamese pronunciation of consonants is haphazard and regional--and this carries over into their attempts to speak English. For example, their frequent failure to enunciate the final "t" sound in the word "can't" makes it indistinguishable from the word "can." Imagine how much confusion that causes.

Vietnamese verbs have no tenses and, so, matters of time that are intrinsic to English may very well be "lost in translation". This, of course, is a huge hurdle for travelers and others on a tight schedule!

Often, in Vietnam, you'll find someone who knows a little English, but communication goes downhill fast as soon as you leave their particular area of expertise--the contents of their shop or the features of one specific tourist site, for example.

Tam listens carefully and communicates successfully even with travelers whose English is heavily accented. She's comfortable discussing any and all topics and, if she doesn't understand you, she'll ask for clarification, instead of making disastrous assumptions. Tam started learning English from American GIs over forty years ago and she's been communicating with English-speaking Russians, Cubans, French, and Germans ever since. She can even understand the inhabitants of Oz! Tam's Pub and Surf Shop is one place in Vietnam where you can be sure you'll be understood!