True or False?-Cracking Vietnamese Stereotypes

***Update: I haven't posted in this blog for quite some time, but in the meantime I've noticed that the most popular post on here seems to be about Vietnamese stereotypes. This doesn't strike me as particularly odd since some of these stereotypes cover topics that people wold like to discuss with a Vietnamese person but don't because of the potential awkwardness of bringing said topic up. So to encourage more open discussion I've decided to answer a question a week that you might have on Vietnamese culture and life. So start asking away and please submit your questions by commenting on this post or the post on Vietnamese stereotypes. I hope to see everyone's questions!

I came across a list of Vietnamese stereotypes on a website the other day which made me laugh; some of them were scarily accurate while others were way off.

1. Your parents use the "Eagle" brand oil for every type of sickness.-I certainly don't use this for every sickness but it is very good for muscle aches. I know alot of older people rely on it alot so maybe my answer to this will change when I get older. This might not be related but I believe many Vietnamese people use Tiger balm and "Eagle" brand oil almost interchangeable so you technically Tiger balm could fit in this stereotype.
2.  At least one of your parents are in a self owned business like a laundromat, nail salon, or apartment building.-I've never heard of any Vietnamese person who owns a apartment building or a laundromat. Maybe this was true a couple decades ago? It is indeed true that many Vietnamese people work in the nail industry but Vietnamese people are also teachers, doctors, lawyers, and a variety of other professions.
3. There's Chinese in your family line somewhere.-Well, this one is true for me since I'm 1/16th Chinese. Unfortunately, I don't speak Chinese though since it would be cool to know another language.
4. You don't own an American car.-True, I honestly don't think Vietnamese people really put alot of weight on what country a car was manufactured in when they go to buy a car. I think it's more important how many mpg their car can get and if the car is safe.
5. You played the piano once in your life.-Semi false, I played the violin but you might as well substitute violin with piano in this stereotype and you'd get around the same thing.
6. You take 2 or more showers a day.-What is this? I don't even know what they are trying to say. I guess they could be suggesting we're clean freaks?
7. Your parents always boast about you to all the other Vietnamese parents, or your parents totally dogg on how stupid you are to other Vietnamese parents.-False, my parents don't do this. My parents are always trying to tell others about their garden and their love of gardening.
8. No matter what you are, people think your Chinese or Korean.-True, people have said I'm Chinese. Perhaps, because Vietnam is a somewhat small country it gets forgotten?
9. In your house, there's always multiple pictures of your family and you when you were small, side by side in every room.-Semi true, there are family photos in each room but I seriously think this would be true for any family.
10. You have the last name or are related to someone who has the last name: Nguyen.-Semi true, I know alot of people with the last name Nguyen.
11. Your parents always remind you to greet every older person in Vietnamese if they're Vietnamese.-Semi false, my parents don't remind me because it's pretty much ingrained in me by now. It's a part of Vietnamese culture to address older people with different titles and it's considered extremely rude if you don't do so.
12. Your parents hate pets except for harmless, CHEAP goldfishes.-False, We have two adorable dogs and we used to have two parakeets.
13. Your parents know how to make Pho.-True, it's a Vietnamese staple that almost every household has their own slightly different version of.
14. You put Soy Sauce or nuoc mam on every food.-True, nuoc mam is used on many Vietnamese dishes and gives them their distinctive flavor.
15. You know where all of the Vietnamese restaurants in town are.-True, it's really not that hard for my town though since there's only one here.
16. Your family own a copy of "Paris By Night".-True, I grew up on this show. I think every Vietnamese kid remembers growing up with these too.

3 Artists to get you into Vpop

Even as an avid listener of Vietnamese music, I have to admit it’s a little hard to get into Vpop these days. It doesn’t really help that the music videos are sort of cheesy and the songs are liberally sprinkled with questionable Engrish rapping. There are some exceptions though and here are some artists that I believe will have you taking a closer listen to this often overlooked music genre.

1. My Tam

 

 

 

My Tam is the reigning "Queen of Vpop" and one of my favorite singers. She is a wonderful technically trained singer and a great dancer as well. She's been on the music scene for almost a decade and she's still as popular as ever. In fact, she is such a good singer that she was chosen to represent Vietnam in 2004 at Asia Song Fest. I can't even begin to start to list all of her music because she's released so much material and all while touring the country and having sold at concerts almost every night.

Recommended Listening

"Uoc gi" is really her breakout song that started her career.

Here is "Chuyen Nhu Chua Bat Dau", one of her newer songs.

3. Hồ Ngọc Hà

 

 
I am somewhat divided over Hồ Ngọc Hà. On one hand, she is a good performer, dancer, and her music is very accessible. On the other hand, she has a tolerable recorded voice which translates into her sounding not so good live. She was originally famous as a model having first made her mark by winning several beauty pageants. Some of you might know her already since in 2009 she represented Vietnam at Asia Song Festival.


Recommended Listening 
"Xin Hay Thu Tha" is probalby one of her most famous and popular songs. It was so popular that the year it came out literally everybody was performing as their audition song on Vietnam Idol.

"Lang Tham Mot Tinh Yeu" is a duet she sang with Thanh Bui, a contestant on an Australian singing contest.

"Hãy Nói Với Em" is one of her newer songs. I really like the storyline and the music video is just stunning.

4. Noo Phước Thịnh

 

Probably one of the younger singers on this list, he was initially discovered because of his good looks but he soon proved to be a talented singer as well. I like the emotion he brings to his songs plus his willingness to experiment with his music. He hasn't been on the music scene that long so there's not as much of his stuff to listen to but the stuff that is out there is really good.

Recommended Listening
Check out his ballad version of "Nỗi Nhớ Đầy Vơi".

If you have time listen to the duet version of this song where he's a featured singer with Hồ Ngọc Hà. 

Some other good songs include "Lặng Thầm" which contains a somewhat strange interpretive dance and a little too much eyeliner but is quite enjoyable if you can look past that and enjoy the music.

His musical direction has changed with the release of his second album with the songs having a smoother  and more elegant feel. I sort of miss the raw emotion in the old songs but in exchange the production budgets for the music videos seems to have gone up. The music video for "Lạc Bước Trong Đêm" definitely benefited from the extra money except for the fact that I still can't quite understand who thought that dying his hair blond was a good idea.