“Hey What’s Up Dude?!”

After being in Vietnam for almost two weeks, I have encountered many humorous and eye opening situations. One day in Hoi An, a few of us rode our bikes to the nearby beach. Upon entering the beach, we had to park our bikes and pay a small fee to a local. Seeing four clueless white people come up to him, he immediately hollered “Good day mate!” It was interesting to notice that he assumed we were from Australia. This made me think back to when we were on our cruise in Halong Bay and we met a couple from Australia. They explained that a bunch of Australians travel to Vietnam because it is close to them and relatively inexpensive. After correcting the local that we were from America, he quickly responded, “Hey what’s up dude?!” It was funny for us to see how American greetings were stereotyped and the different greetings he had for people of various countries.

A similar experience occurred when we were visiting a local tailor in Hoi An. He explained to us that it is easier for him to understand people speaking English from California because he is used to hearing that type of accent from Hollywood films. Then he said understanding people from New York was more difficult, but he still attempted to replicate the New York accent by saying, “Hey I’m from New York.” It did not sound like any New York accent I’ve ever heard … but then again, it was a Vietnamese New York accent.

Another funny experience on this trip was when Hailey and I were riding on a small boat through rice patties and caves on our day off. We were peacefully admiring the views and enjoying our surroundings when suddenly our tour guide turns around and asked us if we liked Justin Bieber. I was completely caught off guard and had no idea Justin Bieber was popular in Vietnam. After replying yes to the question, he began singing to Hailey and I his favorite songs as we played the music from Hailey’s iPhone. You could say this completely killed the tranquil mood of the surroundings, but it made me think of how much social media and music impacts our lives. You can be half way around the world in a third world country and still meet people who listen to the same music as you. This was definitely an experience I will never forget.

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