Travel Experiences in Vietnam: How to order foods

31, March, 2021

Travel Experiences in Vietnam: How to order foods

The first time eating a local restaurant in Vietnam, the Canadian man was surprised because he did not know who the employee was, sometimes had to call the owner to wake up to sell.

Living in Da Nang since the end of 2019, Tobias Bremner, 28 years old, noticed some differences in the service of a Vietnamese restaurant to his hometown. When Tobias first came to Vietnam, he had difficulty in ordering food because the staff often did not actively come to the guests, but he had to find them by himself.

"It is very difficult for the waiter to notice you, you have to try to find the right person and talk to them to order. The restaurants often do not have uniforms so it is difficult for me to recognize who is the staff." , Said Tobias. "Sometimes I go to the restaurant and sit still, wondering how to order food. I skipped meals because I felt too shy to constantly look for the waitress." According to him, restaurants in Canada, whether serving locals or tourists, customers just need to look at the door, the staff will come to greet them, ask them what they want to eat.

The second thing that Tobias found strange is that the owner of a street restaurant in Vietnam can sleep even without serving. Sometimes he had to wake them up to buy food. "At midday, a woman who sells bread to take a nap is considered perfectly normal. However in Canada, a person who sleeps while working is considered unprofessional and difficult to accept,"

After living and traveling around Vietnam, Tobias gradually became acquainted with the service of the local people and thought that he was more brave when visiting sidewalk shops. This Canadian guy is also learning Vietnamese to be able to communicate in everyday life.

"Once I went to the bun cha restaurant but no one was there. I knew that the owner's house would normally be behind the restaurant. I went in, confidently called 'Sister, sister', and the owner immediately appeared, "said Tobias.

Occasionally, when seeing that Tobias is a foreigner, the waiter or the shop owner actively chats to learn English. "I am very happy to speak Vietnamese and they can improve their English speaking ability. Language is no longer a barrier and I am more confident now," he said.