In this edition of, "Did you know?"...
-Did you know there is actually no phrase in Vietnamese for the equivalency of "bless you." When someone sneezes, they sneeze and life carries on.
-Did you know every single word in Vietnamese is one syllable? So the word for "encyclopedia" is actually 4 separate short words. This also means that the slightest change in accent marks to a monosyllabic word completely changes the meaning.
-Did you know it takes 20,800 Vietnamese Dong (VND) to equal 1 US dollar? So each month I get paid TENS OF MILLIONS of dong.
-Did you also know that the smallest note in the currency is 500 VND but most items are priced at a value that cannot be made with the currency? Example: lets say a pack of gum costs 6,483 VND. You literally cannot pay that amount. So you give 6,500 VND and since the cashier literally cannot give you change, she gives you a piece of candy instead. And yes, this whole paragraph is real.
-Did you know there are about 90 million people living in Vietnam (that is shocking enough!) and 40 million motorbikes? Yes, almost half the population drives a motorbike. Keep in mind there are 30 million children in the country...
-Did you know that if you give someone a scarf as a gift, you are giving them "difficulty." This was what my Vietnamese coworker told me when I gave her a scarf for inviting me to her home. She had to actually give me money for it so it was as if she purchased the scarf rather than receive a gift of bad luck. Epic gift-giving fail on my part.
-Did you know that sweet potato fries in Vietnam are regular french fries with sugar? Sweet + Potatoes = Sweet Potatoes. Duh.
-Did you know this is the most popular Karaoke song in Vietnam is this?
-Did you know it is not inappropriate or rude to ask someone their age and marital status the first time they meet you? It's also not inappropriate or rude to tell someone they are fat at any given moment.
-Did you know 40% of people in Vietnam have the surname Nguyen? And its pronounced "nween" with the very light "n" sound.
-Did you know Vietnam is the world's largest distributor of cashews? Randommmm!
I have three more entries in the works... stay tuned!
:)
-Did you know there is actually no phrase in Vietnamese for the equivalency of "bless you." When someone sneezes, they sneeze and life carries on.
-Did you know every single word in Vietnamese is one syllable? So the word for "encyclopedia" is actually 4 separate short words. This also means that the slightest change in accent marks to a monosyllabic word completely changes the meaning.
-Did you know it takes 20,800 Vietnamese Dong (VND) to equal 1 US dollar? So each month I get paid TENS OF MILLIONS of dong.
-Did you also know that the smallest note in the currency is 500 VND but most items are priced at a value that cannot be made with the currency? Example: lets say a pack of gum costs 6,483 VND. You literally cannot pay that amount. So you give 6,500 VND and since the cashier literally cannot give you change, she gives you a piece of candy instead. And yes, this whole paragraph is real.
-Did you know there are about 90 million people living in Vietnam (that is shocking enough!) and 40 million motorbikes? Yes, almost half the population drives a motorbike. Keep in mind there are 30 million children in the country...
-Did you know that if you give someone a scarf as a gift, you are giving them "difficulty." This was what my Vietnamese coworker told me when I gave her a scarf for inviting me to her home. She had to actually give me money for it so it was as if she purchased the scarf rather than receive a gift of bad luck. Epic gift-giving fail on my part.
-Did you know that sweet potato fries in Vietnam are regular french fries with sugar? Sweet + Potatoes = Sweet Potatoes. Duh.
-Did you know this is the most popular Karaoke song in Vietnam is this?
-Did you know it is not inappropriate or rude to ask someone their age and marital status the first time they meet you? It's also not inappropriate or rude to tell someone they are fat at any given moment.
-Did you know 40% of people in Vietnam have the surname Nguyen? And its pronounced "nween" with the very light "n" sound.
-Did you know Vietnam is the world's largest distributor of cashews? Randommmm!
I have three more entries in the works... stay tuned!
:)
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