Personality of a Vietnamese girl
There are several traits of character many women from this country share:
- They are very loyal and don’t mind planning the common future. Getting into relationships is very serious for a Vetnamese lady, so if you give her a hint of your serious plans, she will be happy to discuss building the family with you. If you are in long-term relationships, she will never cheat or betray you;
- They are quite emotional. They won’t hide anything from you and expect the same treatment in return. At the early stages of dating these girls can challenge their new boyfriends to see how serious the intentions are. But when they are sure of your loyalty, they will do everything to maintain the relationships;
- They can be a little conservative. Public signs of affection are not very welcome in Vietnam, so girls are taught to behave appropriately. For someone outside the country, they can even seem a bit modest, since they don’t approve of kissing or hugging each other in public. Vietnamese girls also don’t drink alcohol, they mostly allow themselves a drink or two at special occasions like weddings or birthdays, but definitely not on dates. And don’t expect any sexual interactions on the first dates - this is rude and vulgar.
Dating a Vietnamese girl - how to organize the dates
Vietnamese society is quite patriarchal, so men are expected to be more initiative. Most probably, you as a man will be choosing the venue for your meeting. For the first date, the ideal option is just a coffee shop or a nice place to walk about. Drinks on the first date are not acceptable and a fancy restaurant is just kind of inappropriate. You should be concentrated on each other rather than try to fit the place you went to. Though if you are sure, you both really like each other, you can invite her to dinner a couple dates later.
It is always the man who takes financial responsibility while dating.
The question of paying the bill shouldn’t even be raised in Vietnam. It is always the man who takes financial responsibility while dating, so if you offer your girlfriend to split the check she might be offended.
There is also another issue in dating in Vietnam, which is transportation. The city traffic is quite busy, so many people here own a motorbike. But if a woman doesn’t have her own transport, she might ask you to order her a taxi. It is also man’s responsibility to pay for it, because women in Vietnam don’t earn very much.
Family and relationships
In Vietnamese families it is common to get the approval of the elder generation before seriously dating someone. It doesn’t mean that you will meet the parents on the very first date, but when it happens, you can be sure your girlfriend has serious intentions on your behalf.
When you meet your girlfriend’s parents, be ready to answer a lot of questions. They are not nosy, it is just that their generation wants the best for their children, so questioning the potential partner is considered the right thing to do. And don’t get offended by too personal questions - just ask them, briefly but honestly.
Intercultural relationships also start to spread in Vietnam. That means you don’t have to worry too much about the acceptance of her parents even though you are a foreigner. But in this case it is better to be prepared and learn something about Vietnamese culture, just to be more polite and not offend anybody by accident. Everything is actually very simple: you can bow to greet the eldest members of the family and let them choose the food and the chopsticks, while at the table. Shaking a hand is also not very common in Vietnam when it comes to greeting each other, but there is nothing wrong in this gesture as well. Just use your curiosity and you will be soon prepared for any family interactions in Vietnam.
