Inspired by GaijinPot’s article, “Things that foreigners find annoying about life in Japan,” I decided to write a similar blog post about the annoying things about life in Vietnam. Though my article’s title mentions about Expats, I know that many of the below will also apply to Vietnamese as well.
Of course, this is my personal list in no particular order:
- Seven days a week construction noise which seems to always follow me wherever I move. The jackhammers and drills are the most annoying 7am alarm clocks.
- Buses, cars and/or motorbikes honking at me when the light changes even though they can clearly see that I am being blocked. If I was driving a tank, this would not be an issue…
- Cars honking at me for no apparent reason. I also honk at people for no apparent reason. 🙂
- Motorbikes that seem to always move to the right of the road before turning left. Oddly enough, I have a tendency to do this now for “safety” reasons. 🙂
- Having a xe om ask me if I need a motorbike taxi after he just watched me park my motorbike. Troi oi!!!
- Expats complaining about how bad Vietnamese motorbike riders are after THEY, the Expat, ran into them. I knew a teacher that always accused Vietnamese having a disregard for their lives which is odd, he was the one using drugs while driving, not them.
- Asking for coca cola, being given a coconut. I am not that fat, am I? 🙂
- Being the first to get to the gas station pump and the last to get his motorbike filled. Must be karma…
- Traffic policemen who speak English. Got to pay the fine then.
- Electricity going out towards the end of a movie. Happened again last night. Not sure who Tom Cruise’s character killed in the film yet…
Other annoyances:
- @pedrosaigon wanted me to add the roosters. They are let loose in alleyways, love crowing at sunrise which can be as early as 4:30am in Saigon.
This is just my short list. I am curious to hear about your list.
Funny I am going to publish something very similar soon!
@jonhoff Some Japanese bloggers always come up with interesting articles so I get my ideas from them.
Hilarious
I’m surprised that you don’t mention traffic jam
@SeahorseViet Traffic jams are everywhere. They do not bother me in Saigon since the traffic keeps moving. Try enduring a traffic jam in the US.
yap, that’s a good list of things that are annoying but after having left Vietnam make my eyes watery because I somehow miss them – strange, I know. my favourites: no.5 (xe oms) and no.8 (gas station queuing) 🙂
@RiinaKoch I plan to start walking in the city for exercise after being lazy with my motorbike. I suspect my list will get bigger. I love Saigon for its annoyances. 🙂
haha you even put the no.9 in the list? :))
@HoangTu Yep, that is why I had to pay a ticket. Both policemen spoke English, this was in 2005 which surprised me. They were both funny.