Month: July 2021

Etiquette in Vietnam – Be Nice

There are things in Vietnam that are polite and not polite, that are specific to the culture. Also, it is good to know what should or should not be done in some situations. And learning a few words in Vietnamese will open a lot of doors for you. Here we go, let me explain.

  • Patting or touching someones head is not as serious for the younger generation, but do not do it. It is rude.
  • Do not point the soles of your feet towards any shrine inside or outside the house. ( Buddhist or otherwise) Also do not point them at a person. Once aagain the younger generation do not care so much, but please be polite.
  • When you want someone to come to you and you are using your hand, keep your fingers down. Like you are digging in sand.
  • Do NOT put toilet paper in the toilet. You will find a basket or bin (Yucky) next to the toilet, put it there. Even after a wipe. The pipes in Vietnam are not big enough for paper.There is normally a water gun ( bidet , foreigners call it a bum gun ) next to the toilet, do NOT drink the water. This is to wash your bottom and other parts.
  • Do not drink the tap water, you will get sick.
  • Do not put boiling or very hot water down the kitchen sink. Most houses have thin plastic pipes that will disolve and there will be water all over the floor. Then you have to go to the hardware store and buy more. They will not speak English.I Know from experience..
  • Take your shoes off before entering a house. Sometimes you will be offered house shoes.
  • Cover your tattoos, especially if you are a teacher. Tattoos here still have meanings. Mostly negative involving killing, murder, rape etc.
  • Kissing in public is becoming more acceptable. But try to refrain. Vietnamese consider this is for the bedroom. 8-).
  • Drinking beer is a BIG part of Vietnamese culture and is used to relax after work. Quite often you will see the workers out having a good time, and where are the wives?. But please do not vomit or fall asleep at the table, that is what the toilet is for. Also be pepared to have ice in your beer, it keeps it cold and waters it down. A good idea if you drink 15 beers. You may get asked, “how many beer can you drink”. LIE, say only 2 or 3, it could be a challenge.
  • Vietnamese do not like to lose face. If they do not know something they MIGHT make it up. Check everything.
  • When signing contracts. OMG why do I have to say this. Please read it first and negotiate. If you do not like it, say why and ask for it to be changed. So many jobs.
  • Money talks volumes in Vietnam. Police, hospitals, government departments, motor bike licence, everything. But try to get a Vietnamese person to “give the gift”.
  • Vietnamese think all foreigners are rich. If visiting someone take a small gift ( Food or alcohol, not flowers). It will mean a lot.
  • Get your drivers license if you stay. Avoid paying weekly bribes to the local traffic mafia, i.e. police. And do not drink and drive. Vietnamese are born on motorbikes and a damn sight better than you and although it is common to drink and drive  the death rate on the roads is terrible. We should be educating.
  • Smell nice. Because we eat so much meat and shitty food we smell different and a bit “off” to the Vietnamese.Use a cologne or at least a spray, please. Once you are here for a couple of years you will change your smell. This was the first thing I noticed in Vietnam when I got off the plane.
  • Don’t be mean. It is OK to bargain, but when I see foreigners quibbling over $1.00 it makes me angry. That is their profit and it is normally done by those who think they understand Vietnam.
  • Be polite. Do not get angry. Sometimes not easy but if you get angry……you lost.
  • Be warned. If you are with a large group of Vietnamese out drinking and eating and the end of the night is rolling around. Suddenly, a lot of people are taking out there phones and talking and walking. Do the same, the bill is coming.
  • If you invite someone for coffee or lunch, dinner etc you pay. Even if they bring their friend or family. You invited , you pay.
  • If you invite your GF out, guess what, you pay. Even if she brings her friends or family. It also happens for the Vietnamese so not just trying to get money for nothing. If a Vietnamese person invites someone out they pay, even if that person brings a friend or several.
  • Learn some Vietnamese before you come. A little bit of language will open so many doors for you. The most basic phrases you should learn are…..Thank you, What’s your name, How old are you, What’s your job, I want to buy beer, I want to buy food, How much money, Be quiet, and numbers for counting money.

The best app for learning Vietnamese is Mondly. Link provided. I do make a bit of money but use it to help others. I have tried Duolingo and Memrise, but all that is left on my phone is Mondly.

Here is the link. Hover and click. Mondly.

Please remember this is not the USA or Australia or England,  we are guests. If you can get your head around that you will have a ball. Looking forward to seeing you in Vietnam.

Please leave your comments below. I will reply. If you like this please check out my other posts           ==> HERE <==

Stephen.

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Coping with Covid lockdown

Ho Chi Minh City has been in a partial lockdown for the last 6 weeks. Now the government has announced that all of ho Chi Minh City will be in complete lockdown mode for the next 15 days. wearing masks and social distancing is being enforced.

ESL Teachers ( English as a Second Language)

The teachers that are here are either waiting for the schools to re-open or teaching on line. Some, like me, have opened a second business or undertaken a new job like Affiliate marketing with Wealthy Affiliates.. For those who wish to come to Vietnam you will need to do a couple of things to prepare. First off, get your Covid shots done and along with your normal paperwork (degree, teaching certificate, police and health check) you will need a sponsorship letter from your future employer. When you do arrive you will need to quarantine yourself for 14 days.

Then, when here, you will need to get a work visa and a temporary resident card. The schools normally help with this and depending on the school you can negotiate who pays and how much. Some will pay the lot, some 50/50 and others nothing at all. At the moment the schools are starting to prepare to recruit teachers and the public schools should re-open in September. This is the start of the new semester. The English centers will hopefully open before this.

But we are at the mercy of the governments decision on re-opening schools. Ho Chi Minh city has been the worst hit for covid19 with over 8,000 people being infected. Yesterday, July 8th, were the final school tests and all students in their final year should have sat their exams.

Government edicts on Covid.

Now the government has said to be prepared for the strictest movement restrictions to curb the spread of Covid 19. The P.M has asked all localities (police etc) and Ministries to implement strict solutions to prevent, detect, isolate, suppress outbreaks and provide active treatment and pay special attention to the implementation of social distancing and lockdown. Ho Chi Minh city will also control the entry and exit of vehicles into the city.

Many traditional markets have been closed down and there are food shortages in the supermarkets (those that are open) as well as steep price rises. And people have been advised not to go outside their houses unless absolutely necessary. Any new arrivals into Ho Chi Minh city from other districts or cities must also quarantine for 7 days with Covid tests being done on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day

 

Tan Son Nhat International airport. H.C.M.C.

Once, Tan Son Nhat Airport ( Ho Chi Minh city) normally received 550 to 720 or between 85,000 to 109,000 passengers every day. in contrast it has handled fewer than 200 flights and 3,000 passengers a day between last Monday and Thursday. Vietnam airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways have incurred short term debts of around VND36 trillion (US$ 1.56 billion).

So, the people and the companies have been hit very hard financially. It will take a long time to recover and for some it is lock the doors and walk away from the business.

 

School recruitment of ESL teachers.

However the schools are starting to advertise and this is an example of what is being offered.

URGENT: Horizon International Bilingual School is looking for Native English Teachers for Primary level Requirements:- Native English speaker(US/ UK/ Canada/ Australia/ New Zealand/ Ireland/South Africa)- CV& application letter- Teaching Certificates (CELTA, TESOL, TEFL. . .)- Holder of university degree with majors in Linguistics, English teaching, Science or Humanities- Experience in Teaching at least 3 years Benefits:-Free Lunch-Bonus salary at the end of school year-Travel expenses up to $800-$1000-Full salary during holidays , up to 2200 $ salary per month-School will provide work permit and resident card.

You can start looking and if you get a job you can then organise your sponsorship letter and all the paperwork I talked about before.

Prior preparation prevents poor performance.

At the same time you may want to learn a little Vietnamese. This is something I highly recommend as it can be helpful in the classroom and in everyday life.My favourite app for learning is Mondly. I have written about this before and you can find more information about this on my website. Click on the link below to find out more.

Mondly App | Best App to Learn Languages – Teaching ESL in Vietnam 2021 (vietnamesl.com)

 

And if you wish to be fully prepared, you can also organise your technology needs. Once more, click on the links below to find out more.

Product review: Blue-tooth headset/Amp. – Teaching ESL in Vietnam 2021 (vietnamesl.com)

Great Teachers Tool – Teaching ESL in Vietnam 2021 (vietnamesl.com)

As my father used to say prior preparation prevents p— poor presentation.

I hope this gives you an update of what is happening in Ho Chi Minh city and how you can use this time to prepare for when classes start again. if you wish to ask me any questions or you would like to leave a comment I am happy to read and reply to all questions or statements.

I wish you all the best in these crazy times and if you need any help when you arrive (Or even if you are here already) please leave a message and I will respond to your request..

 

Great Teachers Tool

The new ipad M1 looks awesome.

The Ipad M1 looks like a great classroom tool. Easy to use and powerful. It is powered by an M1 chip which gives mind blowing performance. It has a liquid retina display that provides an extreme viewing performance.It also has a fast 5g wireless connection.

The M1 chip is the fastest device of it’s kind and is designed for next level performance. but for me the deal breaker is it is thin and light and makes carrying to school very easy. Also the all day battery life is perfect.

The 8 core CPU delivers up to 50 percent faster performance which provides faster graphics so you can show high quality graphics at faster rates.Apple says 40% faster graphics which is bloody amazing. The students will love you.

There is an 11 inch and 12.9 inch XDR display which gives an amazing 1000 nits of full screen brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness. What that means is a true to life color and tone.There is a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio which means detailed content and visual  perfection for your students. Peak brightness on the 11 inch model is not as high at 600 nits but that is compensated by it’s portability. My choice would be the 11 inch model purely because of ease of carrying and set up. The power of these Ipads and the storage capacity is more than enough for work and play..

The Ipad pro comes with a 12mp wide camera and a 10 mp ultra wide camera and is the same for both. And there is a 2x optical zoom and a 5 x digital zoom.It comes with a 5 element lens and advanced red eye correction. Take photo’s in class and use them to help teach English. I record my students and get them to view what they have said. It is a great way to improve their language skills. At a later date, after I get permission, I will upload an example to my website.

The Apple M1 chip has an 8 core CPU and a 16 core neural engine. The 8GB RAM model comes in 128GB, 256GB or 512GB storage. The 16 GB RAM model comes with 1 TB or 2TB storage. The base model would be enough for most classroom activities but I would want 512GB of storage.

There is a 4 speaker audio system, but you will still want to connect up to a remote blue tooth speaker because of the size of the classrooms in Vietnam. However if you only work in an English center you will get away with the ipad speakers. Smaller classrooms, smaller class sizes. You also have audio and video calling if you want to teach online. ( See my website for online teaching info. www.vietnamesl.com )

All the apps look standard except Music memos, Swift playgrounds and support. And importantly it supports Vietnamese as well.

Why am I so excited. When you sometimes have to take your laptop to school …this is so much easier. Also better than using your phone which I have been doing.But not now.

The cheapest place to buy this that I have found is at Amazon. If you can find it cheaper, let me know. The Apple 11inch Ipad pro starts at $899.00. For me this is well worth the investment as it is only what you should save in 1 month. And the ease of use and portability makes it a sound investment. Click on the Amazon product to find out more.


Thank you for reading. If you wish to comment, please do.

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