Stuff Vietnamese people like

Blackout is a chance for inspiration, from procrastination. Slackers appreciate blackout as the genesis for their creativity, outside the confines of the office.

For Vietnamese students, blackout is their most favorite thing on earth. Even if some evening classes use generators to provide substitute power, a student will complain that the weak light affect their eyesight badly and call it a night. Another one will get up and follow her/him. Others will copy them immediately.

Many Vietnamese people like noise, but there is an exception. There are people who like blackout just because there’s no sound of the neighborhood karaoke singers, machines running at maximum capacity (including TV sets, computers, fans, etc.) It’s no better time to get the stress out and enjoy a real silent night.

For people who think they are romantic, a blackout night is perfect for a candlelit dinner. What a feel of European aristocracy in Vietnam! For real romantic people, it’s time they reminisce their childhood when blackout happened almost everyday, rain or shine, hell or high water. Back then, people gathered around a candle in the garden/terrace/balcony enjoying a juicy chit chat and natural wind. Kids managed to squeeze into a single bed singing a song together, telling a ghost story, or giggling with the animal shadows they playfully made on the wall.

If you’re a foreigner, you may like the last paragraph I’ve just written the best. If you’re stuck in the dark with Vietnamese people and don’t wanna go home to sleep, ask about their experience in their childhood. Don’t ask what they intend to do, because you may see them see you next time.

Vietnamese people work overtime a lot, due to the nature of their work in specific industries like IT, advertising, PR, etc. And that means they spend more than the average one-third of a day in the office. What’s better to compensate for the unpaid overtime (applied sometimes) than downloading in the office?

Unsurprisingly, the truth is, Vietnamese people download in the standard 9-5, too. Because ISP cost in Vietnam is rather high while the speed is quite slow. Most people limit the use of Internet to minimum, only web browsing or chatting. Downloading at home, no matter how irritatingly tempting the prospect seems, is a road they are not going to travel.

In the office, there are more than one connection, with much higher speed. Vietnamese people are very economical. They think that it would be a waste if they didn’t take the opportunity to download pirated software, music, American movies, TV shows, e-books, etc.

Of course, when there’s an Internet downtime or a blackout, they will feel exasperated. They will make it sound as if they wanted to work, while in fact, they don’t like their downloading corrupted. Their downloading habit affects the office operation, causing low productivity as well as slower connection. So often do they hide it from their colleagues. In companies where downloading is limited or prohibited, people remain more discreet.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Vietnam, do download in the office.

Days off work are not holidays. Of course, people don’t go to work on public holidays, but in Vietnam, people observe only 9 a year. For sure, the number is among the lowest in the world. So it’s not so surprising that Vietnamese people love days off work.

There are 12 to 16 annual leaves with full pay, or even days without pay. But the best days off work are the days when there’s a blackout day. For some people, blackout is a pain; for Vietnamese people, anything but. Even though most people will have to work some other day to compensate the day off work due to blackout, they don’t mind. It’s never better to relax a bit, especially when there’s a stressful meeting or deadline coming.

Vietnamese people enjoy the days off work to the fullest. They go singing karaoke when it’s cheaper (on weekday mornings and afternoons), go shopping when the supermarkets are not crowded, sleep off their extreme tiredness or chat with their friends–from the comfort of their beds. If they take a few consecutive days off, they’ll pick some place to travel alone.

If they come to you saying that they have a day off work, be nice. Don’t criticize that they’re not productive. They’re not at work. They don’t love money that much. They have the right to have more holidays. They have no control over blackout. They have more reasons why they need those days off work. You envy them. Blah blah blah!

Yahoo Messenger is the most popular means of online communication in Vietnam. Yes, if you don’t wanna lose contact with Vietnamese people, it’s best you set up a Yahoo account and start learning Vietnamese way of chatting (passing everything people send you to your acquaintances, except your bosses).

Vietnamese people choose Yahoo Messenger because they exceptionally like the emoticons set (smileys) from Yahoo Messenger 6.0. They consider it the best way to transfer their emotions in a message. If they are on Linux and use Pidgin or Kopete, for sure they try their best to find a way to install the Yahoo emoticons. They prefer chatting to downloading in the office, though both are often disallowed. If they have a day off work due to blackout, they’re available to chat once they’re at home.

Another Yahoo product Vietnamese people don’t wanna give up is Yahoo 360. Since Yahoo announced the closure of this poorly performing social network, they have been scared to lose their blog entries. Even though there are better blog services, Vietnamese people always choose Yahoo 360, because they can easily connect with the Yahoo Messenger network they’ve already used.

Vietnamese use the “status” to update you about their thoughts. Their “status” changes every day, every hour, even minute, every time Vietnamese people think of something interesting to share with others.

Don’t suggest Vietnamese people to use Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, or anything that most people use in your home country. In Vietnam, either of those IMs would come a very poor second!