My old Vietnam blog

[iendo]

10 to 15 years ago, I wrote blog posts about Vietnam. I had not thought about it for a while, but somehow I got reminded of it and did some digging. Here is an example, and if you guys are interested, I can post some more.  
 

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May 4th 2009

BOYS OF VIETNAM

It didn’t take long for me to come up with the topic for this first post. Who of us isn’t interested in these Asian delights.

Follow up:

Even though I’m not a specialized Rice Queen, I do enjoy the spicier things in life. People often ask me “what are the VN boys like?” Good Question! Wouldn’t it be easy if I could just compare the VN boys with (for example) the Thais? If only it was so simple.

Of course, there will be some similarities with boys from other Asian countries, but not as many as you would think. There are two types: “gays” and “boys.” The “gays” are the feminine type and the “boys” are manly. Please don’t confuse this with top and bottom, otherwise you might end up missing out.

Money is almost never motive in any encounter with a VN boy. Compare that with Thailand, where it almost always is. Needless to say; there will always be exceptions.

If a boy doesn't have a motorbike, which many of them don't, you can forget about him coming to meet you. Even though the bus system is HCMC is excellent, the boys refuse to use them. Part of this comes from their lake of independents - the other part is keeping up appearance. They expect you to pick them up at a place of their choosing.

Like many Asian boys from other countries, VN boys are not interested in foreign foods. Taking them to a high class western restaurant, usually ends up in a waste of food and money.

These were just a few thing that came to mind.

To be continued…

 

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May 9th 2009

To continue what I started in my first post, here are a few more observations about Vietnamese boys.

Follow up:

Part 1 here

When I was young, my parents taught me what was right and wrong social behavior. This of course was measured by western standards. A few examples would be:

Don't pick your nose
Cough with your hand in front of your mouth
Don't stare at people
Be care full what you say about people's outside appearance

let me address the last one first. When a Vietnamese boy says you're fat, it doesn't have the same meaning that we westerners give it. Our first impulse might be to feel insulted or maybe hurt, but that's probably not what the boy was aiming for. Having a little extra weight in Vietnam, means that your well off. I like slim boys, and I used to tell them they were slim, and if they didn't understand, thin. I always meant it as a compliment, but it was never received that way. http://www.pinkvn.com/rsc/smilies/icon_lalala.gif

Vietnamese boys are like children, even if they're all grown up. That's how they look at the world - with a childish curiosity. Everything new, different or in any other way interesting has to be closely examined. How many times I haven't been waiting in front of a traffic light with boys staring at me from the left and from the right. In many western countries that's enough to get you into a fist fight.

I'm also amazed about the total nonchalance with which a Vietnamese boy can poke around in his nose. And I'm not talking about a little pinky feel, to see if there's a blockage, no no, I'm talking about a full - five minute live digging show - in plain sight, with or without a happy ending, which of course would be the consummation of any found treasure.

A lot of Vietnamese boys have bad teeth and/or a bad breath. I have sent a boy back home on several occasions. It's something that I just can't deal with. A friend told me that the boys from the north had it worse then their counterparts in the south, and come to think of it...it might be true.

Aren't you being really negative about Vietnam, you might ask. NO! All the generalizations I just made are predominantly based on what I think a gay foreigner will notice more here than in any other country. Most Vietnamese boys are very clean, healthy, have good teeth, a fresh breath and are very well behaved.

IMHO

 

There were a few comments to this post:

 

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Comment from: TOQ [Visitor] · http://toqs.wordpress.com

It took me a long time not to react to seeing some pick their nose in public. But what really amazes me is that they will cover their mouths when using a toothpick but digging in the nose, no problem.

I found that the bad breath comes more from what they eat versus not brushing the teeth. At times I still have trouble with the smells and that is when I m not eating it

All in all, I'm not moving

john

18/05/09 @ 08:01

 

Comment from: ursphincter4me [Visitor]

They will happily pick their noses anywhere....crowded buses, restaraunts, church...no place is too sacred for a good nose picking. And that isn't bad enough....it's when they inspect what came out of their nose with overwhelming interest that turns my stomach. Like they've found a big prize or they are looking for brain tissue.....unbelievably disgusting! The covering your mouth while using a toothpick trick is absolutely foolish when the same person has no problems with public nose picking!

20/05/09 @ 06:57

 

 

Some of you may remember TOQ

[Novarunner]

I’m very interested.  I’ll be passing through vietnam shortly and try to figure out what to do.  Does anybody have any experience with Nadam Spa in Saigon?