Synopsis
At one point in this fascinating book, the author says "don't be offended by personal questions and remarks: people will often ask not only surprisingly nosy questions like; "how old are you?", "where are you going?", "why are you late?" but also make quite wounding personal remarks, such as: "why are you so fat?" and "your husband is quite ugly!" These would obviously be considered very rude in many cultures - but not this one". Forget about political correctness, or at least the Western usage of the term. In Vietnam, a blind person is blind, a dwarf is a dwarf. Even more so, an ugly person is ugly and a fat one is fat. You don't have to mince your words, because the Vietnamese won't. Not when they are with you nor when they are among themselves. But, believe it or not, it's all done with respect and, more often than not, with a smile. "How fat you are!" they will say while stroking your belly or assessing the size of your arms. You'll get your body hair pulled and your bald head stroked. They'll point and laugh... and the best response is to laugh with them.
