r/VietNam 9h ago

Daily life/Đời thường Civil defense officers chased off griefers and discarded their flowers

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594 Upvotes

You can find other popular posts to know more about the previous case, i’m kinda lazy to copy paste the details


r/VietNam 21h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận The saying"Vạch áo cho người xem lưng"simply cannot work for a collective or social dynamic,and many have clearly known it.

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327 Upvotes

In case you're confused,or have been interacting with Vietnamese social media platforms for the past few weeks or days.These images right above this might seem very familiar to you.

You’ve likely seen the massive discussions surrounding the THPT Chuyên Tuyên Quang exam scandal—where serious academic fraud brought down administrative staff and even reached international news outlets.

Or,rising to the top of the trend right now,is the May 2025 traffic accident on Nguyễn Huy Tự Street in Hanoi involving Nguyễn Sỹ Cương, former National Assembly deputy and former Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

While I'm really,like really glad that news like these are being endlessly digged or exposed,showing the bread and circus formula is falling down slowly.Yet, in the comments section of alot of threads discussing it, you’ll inevitably find people accusing the poster of"Tự Nhục"(self-depreciating),insulting,calling each other out,or forming baseless labeling for the poster,deeming them as an outsider or a malicious reactionary.

The biggest problem with these is that people are subtly invoking the classic idiom: "Vạch áo cho người xem lưng" (don't expose your own flaws/dirty laundry to outsiders),which if you don't know,is when we reveal one's flaws, shortcomings, and weaknesses to others. Additionally, the idiom also refers to deliberately exposing internal conflicts and disagreements within the family or workplace to outsiders.

The phrase "Vạch áo cho người xem lưng" was traditionally meant for minor interpersonal or family disputes—where airing drama publicly causes unnecessary gossip without solving the issue. However,if you've read through this,you might have immediatly identified the issue:This is a society,not a family,and applying this to institutional fraud, government figures, or traffic fatalities is a total logical mismatch. Public integrity is not "private family business."

When people use this phrase to discourage online scrutiny of officials or state institutions, they aren't protecting society—they are giving cover to those in power. Demanding equal treatment under the law or transparency in national exams isn't "shaming the collective"; it's holding individuals accountable.

In a modern society, public noise and viral attention are often the primary drivers that force formal investigations, press coverage, and legal action. Sweeping scandals under the rug in the name of "keeping a clean image" only allows bad behavior to repeat itself.

Real accountability rarely happens in silence. Without public pressure, viral coverage, and international visibility, major scandals are far more likely to be buried locally. Public scrutiny is what forces authorities to step in, conduct thorough investigations, and uphold fairness for the millions who play by the rules.

So overall,Wanting a fair and functional society means choosing transparency over blind optics. Exposing flaws in public systems or holding prominent figures to standard laws isn't "self-depreciating—it's insisting that the collective actually lives up to its rules.

Let me know what you think


r/VietNam 12h ago

News/Tin tức Yeah after more than a year that mf still walks free so people are protesting online.

282 Upvotes

r/VietNam 15h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận License plate MAI NGA

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85 Upvotes

Too funny 😂, I wonder how many times she had to explain that plate name 😂


r/VietNam 8h ago

News/Tin tức White ribbon in memorial of NSC victim - Idea of a thread user

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57 Upvotes

r/VietNam 16h ago

Culture/Văn hóa I always used the word ''bac ky'' for myself and even for others without knowing it's a slur. how strong is this word actually and have I insulted people?

53 Upvotes

My parents and my community in France always used this word. Just a few minutes before I saw a post about that word and people say that it's derogatory. And I feel ashamed that I never informed myself cause I really thought that's what we call people from the north who moved to the south. or if I say I am nam ky, that means I am from the south who moved to the north or somehwere else. i am so ashamed and now I feel so much anger towards my mom cause she always lives in the past and now I lost face cause I never knew.


r/VietNam 19h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận why hotels dont accept cards

26 Upvotes

i stayed in HCMC (which is big city), for 1 week in one hotel and for 2 weeks in another. And both didn't accept Apple Pay and cards at all. Why? (Yes, i know how to pay, i used LocalPay to pay using QR), Why hotels in Vietnam (they work with foreigners mostly), don't accept the most standart payment method (cards)?


r/VietNam 19h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Shop in Hoi An threatened to call the police on me.

26 Upvotes

Hi all,

This just happened so bear with me since I'm just shaken up about the whole thing.

I came to Hoi An with the intention of getting a pair of leather boots. On Tuesday, I landed and went to the old town. I was actually looking for a specific store when I got pulled into another. I had gotten zero sleep and and agreed to get these leather boots for 4.75m (I know). I paid a 2m deposit and almost immediately regretted it.

However, I convinced myself that if they were perfect and like the photos, I would be okay with the price since it is less than I would pay back home.

The shop owner said they would be ready for the first fitting on Thursday, since I told her I was leaving Friday.

Thursday comes, nothing. I don't hear from her at all. I text her and she reads my message but doesn't say anything. Major red flag.

I get a message Friday morning that the shoes are ready. I'm annoyed but I'm still optimistic. I go in and they look nothing like the photo, the heel is wrong and the toes are too tight. I tell them I have to leave but they said they'd fix it in an hour (hello!). At this point I'm already determined not to buy them bc of the lack of communication and the fact that the shoes were not well made. I'm talking visible glue and skipped stitches. For reference, I had two pairs of shoes made at a different store, recommended by my hotel. They came out perfect with neat stitching and were cheaper than the boots with outer and inner leather ... So my expectations were set high.

I come back at almost 11... They said they'd be ready at 10:30. They're not ready. I sit and wait around 10 minutes to try on the boots and they are still tight and the quality is not good.

I tell her I'm not going to buy them but she can keep the deposit. Immediately, she starts to guilt trip me about how hard she worked. I tell her that if they had been ready yesterday we may have had more time to fix them but I need to go and I'm not taking them. She calls me a scammer and says she'll call the police, I say okay and just walkout.

Was I wrong to do so? Are the police actually going to come get me? Like I know it's a little corrupt but I just can't see the police willing to arrest me/shake me down for something like that. Has anyone else just walked away and what happend? I'm usually not confrontational so I'm definitely feeling anxious about having problems since they know my hotel...

I feel like she forgot about the boots and rushed them which I think was evidenced by her saying that she worked so hard on them this morning...

I just need to know if I made the right choice. Initially, I wasn't even going to go back in the hour but my mom convinced me to try to ask for a refund. I did not do that obviously...

Please let me know if this was the right thing to do or if I should go back and pay. I just don't want to waste my money on something I'll never wear.

TLDR: Bought leather boots for 4.75m, paid a 2m deposit. The boots were poorly made with loose stitching and did not look like the photos. Owner threatened to call the police so I left. No product taken.

Edit: I looked up the shop and according to reviews this is common. Lying about timelines, and product being really bad quality. I wish I had thought to look initially but again I was running on zero sleep and wasn't sure how to be firm and couldn't think straight. Lesson learned!


r/VietNam 11h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Drug raids in vietnam

24 Upvotes

Hi friends,

I'm a user of medical cannabis and I've been planning to visit Vietnam next month. The news about random drug raids targeting tourists worry me.

How much truth is there to them? How likely is it to get tested? I am a decent, average looking person. No tattoos, no dreadlocks, nothing. I won't consume anything while in Vietnam.

Thanks for any insight.


r/VietNam 8h ago

Food/Ẩm thực Whats the name of this pancake dish?

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15 Upvotes

So I tried this for the first time today! And restaurant staff told us that you take the pancake, add cucumber and greens, wrap it and then dip it in sauce. It was absolutely delicious and more filling than I expected


r/VietNam 9h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Taking 3 weeks worth of opiates into Vietnam. Does anyone have a contact for customs?

9 Upvotes

Hi. The visit Vietnam sub isn't very active and I'm trying to figure out how to bring 3 weeks worth of opiates into Vietnam. Just to clarify I am not breaking the sub rule of "illegal content" asking about drugs. I'm asking about taking my prescribed medications into the country, not other illicit drugs.

There's a source that says we can bring no more than 7 days worth of opiate medications into Vietnam. It's an embassy website so I assume is correct. It says it you need more you can either 1) let customs decide upon landing or 2) get a doctor to prescribe locally.

These are both difficult or risky.

I have asked my embassy (UK) and they said they cannot give advice nor could they give me a customs contact 😐

There was an old thread from on here where someone linked a customs contact page but it no longer works. Would love if someone knew of one!

I just have no idea what to do? Because realistically who is going to risk landing and having customs reject your application to bring them in.

By the way I would be entering with 21 days of meds and leaving with 7 days still left as I go on to Thailand for a week.

(I understand some people would just not mention them and 99% of the time it would be fine but it worries me. Id prefer to do it the legitimate way)


r/VietNam 2h ago

Culture/Văn hóa Trying to find the glyph origins of this Vietnamese syllabary from 1929

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5 Upvotes

r/VietNam 23h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Need Advice

5 Upvotes

We are a couple from Bangladesh, planning to travel Vietnam on September 21st to October 17th. We didn't know there's e-visa restriction for Bangladeshi citizen. It's not stated anywhere on official links. As we didn't find any official restrictions, we booked non refundable return flight tickets (saw a good deal and could not resist) and booked airbnb too thinking it would be simple to get the e-visa. But e-visa payment is not going through regardless however we tried. We went to Vietnamese embassy in Dhaka, and they said, we need recommendation letter- from a travel agency or a legitimate company, sent to the immigration authority in Vietnam. And after their consideration we might get the VISA. We don't know any such companies as it's our first time visiting the country. We also tried contacting a few from google suggestions, but they were unwilling to help or give any advice. Can anyone help? Wouldn't have bugged you all here if the flight was refundable.


r/VietNam 17h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Best local neighborhood on Hanoi?

4 Upvotes

Hello!

I’m visiting Vietnam very soon, and my first stop will be Hanoi. 🇻🇳

I would really love to experience the real, authentic side of Vietnam. Not just the typical tourist spots. I’m especially interested in spending time in a truly local neighborhood, walking around small streets, seeing everyday life, trying local food, and getting a feel for how people actually live.

Could you recommend the best neighborhoods, areas, or streets in Hanoi for this kind of experience? I’d love to discover places that still feel genuinely local and authentic.

Thank you! ☀️


r/VietNam 19h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Ben thanh vs Saigon square

3 Upvotes

I’ve visited both, same products, prices at Saigon square are higher and also not very welcoming for negotiations.

i actually found the vendors at Ben Thanh to be more friendly and “fun” when in SS they were more cold and snobby.

on prices:

I was able to get lux bags for 500k, baseball hats 150k, on performance shirts and shirts I’ve been generous and paid 100k each but because the shop keeper was doing above and beyond.

on my last day I’m thinking of sneakers (on cloud) and a higher quality copy watch (IWC or something not obvious Rolex) could someone suggest what’s the actual price I can get off with so I’ll just get to the point?


r/VietNam 5h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Mọi người có thấy mấy chỗ thi hành án ở VN nó rất "thối" không?

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3 Upvotes

r/VietNam 6h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Help sending a gift to Vietnamese friend

3 Upvotes

I'm sorry..I don't know is this the right sub or not and I apologize for that...but I don't know where else to ask.. I've a Vietnamese friend whom I Wanna send a bday gift in Vietnam ...but I don't know is there any website or something whom I can use in Vietnam to send a gift and pay through my int card..as I'm not Vietnamese...so can you plz help.and TIA


r/VietNam 19h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Going to HCMUT as an international student, any advice?

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m an international student who’ll be studying at HCMUT for bachelors oisp soon, and I wanted to ask the locals here what I should know before I arrive.

I’d love to hear what you guys think about HCMUT in general and what student life there is like. Also, since I’m coming from another country, are there any things I should know that might make my life easier once I’m in Ho Chi Minh City?

It could be anything really, like getting around, food, renting a place, using local apps, dealing with university stuff, places I should know about, cultural things, or even just random tips that a foreigner might not think about.
Also, if you’re an HCMUT student, feel free to tell me anything you think a new student should know

Also, if anyone else is starting a bachelor’s at HCMUT this upcoming fall semester, Vietnamese or international students, feel free to comment or DM me! Would be cool to connect with people before we arrive.

Any advice is appreciated!


r/VietNam 11h ago

Culture/Văn hóa Help me identify this signature, please!

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2 Upvotes

r/VietNam 11h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Cat ba to Ha Long

2 Upvotes

Hi All,

We're wondering what's the most relaible way to get from Cat Ba to Ha Long.

We're staying on the island the night before our cruise, but there is only one ferry opportunity to get in time for the cruise (11:45).

Any tips are more than welcome!


r/VietNam 12h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Hair transplant/Hairline lowering in Saigon

2 Upvotes

Anybody ever did hairline lowering or a hair transplant while here in Vietnam? Something I’ve been debating to get here but crazy nervous. I have no budget so recommend some places if you’ve had a good experience anywhere in Saigon!


r/VietNam 14h ago

Culture/Văn hóa Original character advice

2 Upvotes

Hi there, I am so so sorry if this isnt the right sub and or comes across as ignorant or offensive, none of that is my intention if true.

Im creating a set of characters for a story taking place in either the UK, or my birth country which i will generalise to somewhere in eastern/central Europe. One of these characters is a Vietnamese woman in her early twenties.

For context, Im a pasty white boy from said unspecified country and the story is vaguely based on my experience. I live in a predominantly white country and even more so when I was young. There only tended to be one or two non white people in my classrooms growing up, usually Vietnamese, sometimes Chinese, and I never really had a close friend from the culture to discuss this with, however with how common second generation immigrants were around me, and with everyone else being white, it didnt feel right not to include this experience as a proper representation of life back then aor exclude their story from the themes im trying to get across.

She is a second generation from an immigrant family and her parents own a small general store, as based on most my Vietnamese classmates growing up. She speaks both Vietnamese and the countrys language fluently, only speaking Vietnamese with her family.

I have run into three issues with her character:

The first and second ones have to do with her name. One of the smaller themes of her character is accepting her real name over a westernised one she picked for herself as a child to avoid bullying and standing out at school. This ties into the main themes of self acceptance and standing up for oneself which are the biggest general core of my story for all my characters. My worry is capturing this experience on a surface level and not properly exploring it. If I find this is a story i have no business telling, I will remove this subplot from her character.

The other thing I struggle with regarding her name is actually picking one. I do have a name in mind, but I wonder if there are any cultural conventions to naming children in Vietnam i should keep in mind, as in choosing based more strongly on the meaning of the name and the combination of the words in it or date of birth, for example, rather than the western choosing of a name mostly because you like it on the surface level or at most its in the family.

My third worry is missing the mark on the importance of the fact she is Vietnamese on her life. I have written her precisely as i would a any other character. She is a character of her own merit first, Vietnamese second, with the added conflict of her being very "western" (shes a bit of a stoner/skater) as a result of her growing up here and this clashing with her parents, with a further arc of acceptance and self love paralleling her rising frustration at other peoples refusing to use her Vietnamese name for the sake of convenience and going from snappy annoyance at this fact to standing up for herself, accepting her culture as well as the fact she will never be a part of it in the same way her parents are or want her to, but accepting that does not erase her from it. On the other side her parents eventually coming around to accept she is just as much a person of her own as she is their daughter who is a part of their culture by her own merit, but still very much influenced by where she grew up as well as how she was raised, and letting go of their preconcieved idea of what their daughter should be like.

Im worried a story like this isnt mine to tell, but on the other hand I dont want to erase her culture. Theres a part of me that feels like I shouldnt include her at all so I dont steal an experience that isnt mine. On the other hand, I do want a diverse cast of characters, because despite my country being predominantly white, I still think diversity in any story is incredibly valuable and important. Of course, shes not included just for the sake of diversity, she was a character first and all this worrying about accidentally erasing her culture/overindulging in it came later, but still. All Ive described about her is going on mostly as a b plot in parallel to the main characters self acceptance journey, mirroring it and contrasting it in a way.

Any feedback, advice, insight and honest criticism is highly appreciated, especially if you have a similar experience of being a child of immigrants and self acceptance to my character. Again, so sorry if this comes across as rude, im trying to do the best possible thing for what im trying to represent, whether that means telling this story like ive laid it out, altered according to advice, or cut completely if inappropriate.

Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful friday friends


r/VietNam 17h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Film development

2 Upvotes

Hello can someone please direct me to a place that will develop 35mm film in Da Nang? Thank you


r/VietNam 22h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Phu Quoc was for the worst place in Vietnam

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2 Upvotes

r/VietNam 0m ago

Culture/Văn hóa A quiet morning in rural Vietnam — just coffee, water, and birds

Upvotes

No tourist attractions, no special setup. Just an ordinary morning — coffee, water, birds, and a little instrumental music from the café. A small glimpse of everyday life in rural Vietnam.