don't visit their hair salons in Vietnam.
If you're planning to travel to Vietnam, remember one thing: don't get your hair washed or visit their hair salons in Vietnam. Otherwise, you'll discover something about Vietnamese culture that is not only very similar to Chinese culture but in some aspects, even more exaggerated. Vietnamese people are extremely gossip-prone! If you get a haircut there, within 30 minutes, the stylist will bombard you with all sorts of questions about where you live, what your parents do, where they work, etc. They will incessantly inquire about the most minute details of your life, anything and everything, making it feel more like an interrogation than a hair wash. It's quite over-the-top.
This is actually a very popular and aggressive sales strategy in Vietnam, which can be quite annoying. The phrase they love to remind you of is "What would others think if you do this?" Vietnamese people care a lot about others' perceptions to fulfill their sense of social belonging. To them, how others view them is more important than their own true feelings. Vietnamese are obsessed with meeting societal expectations, about how one should act based on their origin, rather than pursuing their genuine thoughts and happiness. Moreover, they have a strong judgmental stance towards anything that deviates from social norms. Vietnamese enjoy gossiping among each other, believing nothing can remain a secret.
Of course, chatting with your hairstylist is not an issue, but most of the time, you should let the customer initiate the conversation and then respond accordingly. For instance, if my client mentions their children, I would ask about their wellbeing, age, activities, and interests, and steer the conversation in a direction the client prefers. I can't imagine starting off by asking customers personal questions.
Their ultimate goal in doing this is to establish a relationship with you and then sell you products, which can be quite bothersome. Some Vietnamese have told me a good way to avoid this is to dodge answering or simply make up stories.
"Where are you from?" North Korea.
"Do you have a wife?" Three, and a girlfriend.
"How many children?" 13.
"How much do you earn a month?" I don’t earn money. I spend my days at bars and playing games.
Then most people realize you don't want to chat. They'll also get bored. Most people who gossip are not malicious; it's just their popular way of communication. But when it comes to privacy, you can't just approach a sad-looking woman and say, "You seem sad, you might be getting a divorce, but it's okay, I have something you can buy to cheer up."
Especially in Vietnam's beauty industry, it's full of personal attacks and toxicity. If you're single, they'll tell you that you need to beautify yourself to attract men. If you're taken or married, they'll say you need to stay beautiful or else your man might cheat. They love to exploit your insecurities to sell you things.
However, if you're Vietnamese, you might be used to this. Marriage and family are of utmost importance to Vietnamese women. Vietnam has one of the lowest divorce rates on the planet. So if you're single, they might find it odd. People might think you're a lesbian or have other issues, and they'll want to help you.
It's annoying, but that's how collectivist places are; there are no personal boundaries unless you assertively say you don't want to talk. If you can articulate that, they usually stop. They're just doing their job in sales, and they'll do as you say. Gossiping and nagging are part of their job, or part of what their management urges them to do. So, if they can't sell enough products that month, their income suffers greatly.
This is the culture in Vietnam, lacking a sense of boundary, especially when getting your hair done, which is such an intimate setting. They will seize the opportunity to chatter incessantly. Vietnamese society has a culture of meddling, and there are countless reasons why a person becomes who they are. If you can't accept this, you might experience some cultural shock in Vietnamese salons. That's just how it is.
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