In 2015-2016, I was becoming more and more Vietnamese over the 6 months period I stayed to live, learn and work.
I previously when back in 2006, 2002 and 1995.
An odd thing is this: Why would you stay in Vietnam for a 6 month period in one location? Aren’t you a ‘First Worlder’ wanting to travel the World?
I was 33 at that time ready to work and try something new and settle in Vietnam as I could not find myself getting traction in Canada because of whatever reason … Explain later.
It was time to think like an married adult with responsibilities for the next 45 years LOL basically.
The funny odd feeling after staying there for maybe the 5 month is that I felt like a local. After 5 months you feel like “What the heck!?”
It is crazy feeling. I will explain it.
As a Vietnamese coming back home to Vietnam to live, you feel like a small person attached and reflecting your country. All the achievements and strides Vietnamese people have done over the last 30 – 40 years are seen in the people after the last War.
You see students who are 19 years old preparing for the worse. They are looking to travel abroad and get into Oxford or Harvard studying extra night classes.
The constant wars of the past stopped development of Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Boat People generation from ’75 are finally achieving some success as doctors, engineers, scientists and educators. Some are even moving back home. They open education centers and use their expertise for Vietnamese companies and government.
But because you are you and are attached to Vietnam’s success and failures as a Vietnamese, you only have about 40 years of modern growth since the War.
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The puzzling thing about being Vietnamese in the modern world.
“Vietnamese” might be tied to the climate. We rely on nature providing us food and everything.
We don’t want to harm something that provides us and provides us enough … That is the natural response to living in an abundant rich tropical country.
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You can usually spot two or three types of merchants selling goods and services: Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese.
The Chinese come to Vietnam hopefully harnessing mother nature for life and profit. They are also bringing in manufacturing and expertise to Vietnam.
Some Chinese have restaurants. Won Ton is a staple Chinese dish.
But the weirdest feeling is this.
You see them as Chinese sometimes but it is so brief like a microsecond. They transition to becoming like me, a full South Vietnamese in Long Xuyen/South Vietnam in the South.
The children of Chinese immigrants are divided but evolving to South Vietnamese if born in Vietnam. They are proud of two nationalities but are “Vietnamese”.
The offspring end up marrying more Vietnamese because the transition is real. Climate and location change them to think and feel Vietnamese. They become Vietnamese at the end with all the needs and wants and mannerisms.
I was becoming like a Vietnamese local after 5 months staying in one location. I forgot I was Canadian after 5 months almost.
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This is so odd feeling. Compared to living in Canada in Scarborough, different cultures have their own community.
In Spadina Ave in Downtown Toronto, the Chinese people kind of stay Chinese ??? I am not sure.
But in Vietnam, all the Chinese become Vietnamese at the end.
Yes, they do the businesses and have their own community but they are transitioning evolving to Vietnamese which messes up my thinking.
I am like what is going on here compared to Canada where Chinese dominant Asian areas out West.
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Basically, it is the opposite effect here in Canada.
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That is why I want my brother to come back to Vietnam soon and stay for 1 year to feel how it is like to be a Vietnamese local.
It is the oddest feeling in the world.
And probably healthy and refreshing to change back and forth. Kind of shocks the system in a good way.
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Like I am kind of lazy, but because I am Vietnamese with a small country with small achievements, I feel the need to move out of the country and aspire for more.
It is crazy after 5 months. You become a native of Vietnam and then want to get out and chase more.
You look to go to East Asia, UK or America.
That is what I felt in 2015-16.
If my brother goes back he will yearn for education and a hardworking lifestyle ignoring all the negatives of life keeping him healthy.
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Then you realize why people study engineering … Engineering offers the most impact for your time. Study it for 10 years and the impact you have in whatever country you reside will be 10x.
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The reason why I could not get traction in Canada was the bipolar thinking of people in the West about Vietnamese people.
The already established people in Canada mainly want nothing to do with us. They want us to do to services. Serve soup mainly. Serve our food. So they maintain their status and jobs for their family.
North America has some nepotism which is natural in North America. It seem natural here to have some of that here I feel.
But that is ‘rot’.
I did not get a chance to study computer science and realize the real way to learn it later. Real way to learn it is to avoid the public view entirely and do what I like alone with same frequency friends that are allied with full South Vietnamese origin heritage.
The public naturally demands everyone to stand in line in the racial hierarchy since 1800s.
But the people of the Americas have not brought in all the immigrants from all Old World countries and let them work it out.
So eventually I learned life is 200% open minded passionate work and got all this good stuff in 2021 working with Ben Cybulski (Polish-Canadian) who is allied with me (Vietnamese-Canadian). We brought in a fresh take.
No one is really complaining about immigrants, Vietnamese and Polish people.
Americas need immigrants at the end to provide ‘something’.
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That is the funny thing about immigration to Americas. The hate and the need for immigrants.
It comes to a point when you have worked a lot and hard and in depth that ‘working hard’ is what it is.
Harder than normal by double is usually when you see something different and undeniably useful.
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So if my brother went home to Vietnam he would not complain about his health, thinking and not worry about the public because they actually need his unique singular thinking.
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If you look at it from my perspective, you realize that if a country only had 40 years of modern development, the citizens are lacking basic self-esteem not being able to be independent and self-sufficient. And are still in constant scuffle.
The drive for its citizens to do better is right and normal.
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But when you go on YouTube you see people still making video commenting on Vietnam underdeveloped state.
Then when they live in Vietnam long term, they see it is part of the design and life.
But people still continue to look Vietnamese the most negative state like in the 1960s War caricatures for what … for profit.
At that point you complete forget people that have negative opinions of you because they don’t understand the deep root of the lived experience.
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All of this is odd … I am talking like I am a native of Vietnam.
The bipolar nature of the Americas is so odd.
I am 2nd generation and still get treated as a fresh off the boat immigrant for laughs and giggles from North Americans if I don’t serve soup. That is how hard life is in North America as things are valued externally here 200%.
Therefore for socialization all I can do is browse national newspapers and YouTube and Facebook for family friendly content. All other forms of social media is weird.
Talking to the general public is a total waste of time in this bipolar world for Vietnamese in North America.
At the end when Vietnamese do stuff other than services it can cause drama …