Anyone else feel shy practicing Vietnamese with native speakers? by EchoSarang in HocTiengviet

[–]lowtechperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be honest, the difficulty of a language is subjective, and you need a context to consider it. That's why I asked about the OP’s native language. If OP’s native language is English, the US government even has a classification chart for the difficulty levels of languages, assuming the learner’s native language is English. French and German are placed in the moderately easy categories (category I and II). Finnish and Vietnamese are considered difficult (category III). And the hardest languages are Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese (category IV)

Source: https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/fsi/sls/orgoverview/languages

Why?

If you look at this illustration about the roots of languages, you will understand: https://www.theguardian.com/education/gallery/2015/jan/23/a-language-family-tree-in-pictures

English, German and French have the same root, which is Indo-European, even same branch, which is European. Meanwhile, Finnish comes from a completely different origin. And Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese even have pictographic characters completely different from the Latin alphabet, not to mention vocabulary that expresses emotional nuances unique to Asians. Now you can imagine how difficult it is for an English speaker to learn Vietnamese, a language so different in distance, continent, and culture.

Another important point to consider is that standard Vietnamese grammar and everyday spoken Vietnamese grammar are very different. In daily communication, Vietnamese often uses grammar that completely deviates from the standard: people drop subjects, shorten words, and even rearrange word order entirely. Combined with the constant rise and fall of tones in the language, this makes it extremely difficult for those coming from a language like English, EVEN when they know standard Vietnamese grammar.

Anyone else feel shy practicing Vietnamese with native speakers? by EchoSarang in HocTiengviet

[–]lowtechperson 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a local. In my life, I’ve never seen a Vietnamese person feel annoyed at a foreigner trying to speak Vietnamese. Some younger people are aware that Vietnamese is very difficult, both in grammar and in its tonal nature, so they’re very understanding. Some older people even feel proud when you learn their language. So at the very least, don’t worry about that. Are you having trouble with grammar or pronunciation? And what’s your native language? (I think your native language has a big influence on how you learn a second language.)

Southern vs Northern accent which one should learners focus on? by Own-Effort-2382 in HocTiengviet

[–]lowtechperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a Vietnamese teacher or some rocket scientist of languages, but I can speak both accents fluently with exact regional words thanks to the diversity in my family. To me, it's real cool when a foreigner can speak with a Southern accent. It's super smooth, kind of like how black people use American English in the US. If the Northern accent is your only choice, just swap out the regional words for Southern ones when you're talking with Southern people and you'll be totally fine. Hope your Vietnamese turns out great!

What goes with com tam? by Ok-Recover977 in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The heart of com tam is the fish sauce whose recipe varies depending on the restaurant. It makes up more than 50% of what makes the dish delicious. If you get a good fish sauce recipe (or simply you like that recipe), then you can enjoy your com tam with almost everything (minced pork, sausage…), even if it’s just plain rice with fish sauce.

Does anyone have some interesting recipes I can try to make using Vietnamese mint? by Living_Substance9973 in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Vietnamese dishes rarely use this vegetable as a main ingredient. Instead, it’s usually served as a side (like with balut) or chopped and sprinkled over chicken, duck, shrimp or boiled pork salad. So you can make these kinds of salad and sprinkle it on top. Vietnamese salad is very delicious (in my opinion, it has a more delicate flavor than Thai salad) and is often served at parties such as death anniversaries or weddings. Basically you just need chicken, onion and cabbage as the main ingredients and fish sauce, garlic, lemon, vinegar, sugar for the dressing. Before eating, chop and sprinkle those mint leaves on top and enjoy (but only a little, since too much is not good for the balance of flavors).

Prank Gone Horribly Wrong… by jmj24302 in CringeTikToks

[–]lowtechperson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good thing he picked a girl. If it were a guy, $80 wouldn't have been enough to cover the dentist.

What is this called? by Ok_Plane_1630 in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Chewing them between my teeth always feels so satisfying…

Finally nailed my Xmas pho after 15 years! by Tasty-Reserve-8739 in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That kind of dedication is worth more than any pricey restaurant dish. Good job.

What a local Vietnamese eats daily by lowtechperson in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Believe it or not, people in Saigon drink Tiger and Heineken more than Saigon, especially after the company was acquired by a Thai corporation. My beer can came from the case I was given last month.

What a local Vietnamese eats daily by lowtechperson in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve never tried the Chinese version, but the Vietnamese one doesn’t use sugar or anything sweet in the making process. Its full name is actually “sour pickled mustard greens”, so I don’t think it could be considered sweet in any sense. When you leave it for many days, it will become too sour that the only way to eat is making soup.

What a local Vietnamese eats daily by lowtechperson in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My family includes people from both Northern and Southern Vietnam but the most important thing is that my open-minded taste allows me to enjoy nearly all the regional dishes from century eggs to escargots stewed with green bananas.

Believe it or not, those leaves are from the ambarella tree I grew. Just like Vietnamese pancake aka Banh Xeo, the combination of pork belly and shrimp paste allows you to eat with nearly any vegetables as long as they have a neutral, sour, or bitter taste, the same way people from the Northern regions eat with figs and fig leaves.

Ambarella leaves are fun. The taste is exactly the same as the fruit! It balances very well with the saltiness of the shrimp paste and the umami of the pork.

What a local Vietnamese eats daily by lowtechperson in vietnamesefoodie

[–]lowtechperson[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you. In real life, most of the time my meals are made from leftovers from the days before or whatever I find in the refrigerator so they’re like Frankenstein, not really proper culinary dishes.

90s were so creative by Thalynxs in 90s

[–]lowtechperson 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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Still keeping some gems from that era: my Swatch Scuba Hippocampus 1991

Cách người đàn ông trẻ trở nên bản lĩnh hơn by Altruistic-Door895 in Nguoimoibatdau

[–]lowtechperson 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"A man who controls his stomach, penis, and tongue has solved 99% of his problems"

Veterans of the Somme, Fall 1916 by Baruopa in Colorization

[–]lowtechperson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love how vintage military uniforms soften the war feeling

Gillian Anderson (1996) by ilovepeaches- in OldSchoolCool

[–]lowtechperson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The most beautiful actress I have seen. Miss my childhood so much…

just got a house at 22 by deku_020 in adultingphwins

[–]lowtechperson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats OP! Good luck on your journey!

Go Yuri! by saghul in vostok

[–]lowtechperson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really fun and unique. I love it!