Vietnamese Discriminating Against...Vietnamese?

During the three months of living alone in Vietnam, I had more time to get better acquainted with my Vietnamese friends. As such, I got multiple views into what living in Vietnam is like from their local perspective.

One topic that seemed to incite irritation and frustration was the workplace preferential treatment towards non-Vietnamese in general and Anglo-Saxon foreigners in particular. While this type of treatment may not be the norm across the country, it's a reality that some of my Vietnamese friends have encountered at some point in their professional career, or continue to face in their current job.

The following paraphrased anecdotes will give you an idea on what this kind of preferential treatment looks like.

"They don't know the local market."

One friend explained that a particular job position that required knowledge of the local market was filled by a foreigner mainly on the basis that they were a foreigner with a foreign education.

While the qualifications of said new hire were probably impressive in their own right, my friend explained that a local may have a better understanding of local market demands and purchasing habits, a qualification that should have been prioritized. My friend was confused and miffed to learn that someone who was less likely to possess such knowledge was potentially hired over plenty of local candidates who not only had that knowledge of the local markets, but also possessed the adequate education, relevant work experience, and language abilities.

"I don't even know why they were at the meeting!"

One friend described an instance when a foreigner was brought into a particular business meeting for the sole purpose of being the foreigner in the room.

Said foreigner didn't contribute to the discussion, and from what I recall from my friend's story, that person didn't even say anything at all. They just sat there.

My friend explained that sometimes foreigners are hired, perhaps at the expense of hiring a more qualified local person, mainly because having a foreigner present creates an element of prestige to be used to impress office colleagues or business partners.

"Foreigner teachers make much more, but have much less experience."

Many foreigners who live in Vietnam turn to teaching English as a way to pay the bills. It's a job that is relatively easy for foreigners to find, and the salary provides for a fairly comfortable lifestyle. However, you might be surprised to know that teaching English is also a sought after career for many local Vietnamese.

Two friends who teach English at two different English language schools both shared similar stories about how foreigners who have far less to practically no experience teaching English are automatically paid significantly more than local Vietnamese.

You might think that this is a no-brainer. "Of course foreigners should get paid more. They're native speakers." Yeah, not so fast.

It's worth remembering from a previous rant of mine that some of these foreign English teachers are NOT native speakers. They may have white skin, but that doesn't necessarily mean that English is their first language, that they're a native speaker, or that they're fully capable of teaching the nuances of the English language.

Furthermore, Vietnamese who have spent most of their adult lives learning the English language and who speak it with a high degree of proficiency are--as I and they themselves will vehemently argue--inherently more capable of teaching these subtle nuances in both English and Vietnamese, thus helping their students quickly and more thoroughly understand what they are learning.

These two friends explained that foreigners are likely to earn a salary that is at least four times higher than Vietnamese locals simply because the foreigners are assumed to be native speakers, bring more prestige and credibility to the school, and, as a consequence, attract more students. No regard is given to the actual quality of English instruction.

Why does it matter?

I took a number of insights away from these conversations.

First, the Asian inferiority/Western superiority complex is still very much alive and well in Vietnam. It's one thing to hear a foreigner talk about all of the perks that come with being an expat living in Vietnam. It's another thing to hear about how locals feel about it...and that's a side of the story that may make us feel much less comfortable.

Second, I've heard plenty of foreigners and overseas Vietnamese alike complain about getting ripped off whenever they go shopping for personal effects and souvenirs at the market. For some, this frustration may highlight a deeper feeling of resentment for not being treated equally as they might expect back in their home country. For a select few, this frustration might represent a more hidden feeling of disappointment for not being placed on the pedestal that they thought came with being a Westerner in an Asian country.

Whatever the case may be, what I don't think those who complain about such low-level variable pricing realize or want to recognize is that while they're getting overcharged by a few dollars at the market compared to their local counterparts, some locals are dealing with much larger personal, professional, and economical disadvantages due to deep-seated cultural and social beliefs in what, or rather, who is superior to who.

I realize that this might be an unfair and completely irrelevant comparison of discrimination to make. Nevertheless...

If you're an expat living in Vietnam and you don't like being overcharged at the market because you think that it's unfair, then would you also be comfortable with making the exact same wage as a local? Either instance is unfair to you. You just happen to benefit handsomely from one and are occasionally and mildly inconvenienced by the other.

If you're a tourist visiting Vietnam and you don't like the inequity you experience when you're shopping for trinkets or for fabric for that suit that you're about to have tailored on the cheap, then you might want to check your expectations at the immigration counter, because you're not in Kansas anymore. Yes, it's not pleasant or nearly as equal as you or I would like, but I suppose that's travel for ya'.

Third, locals like to have these honest and candid conversations. Locals definitely do notice the discrimination and bias towards foreigners, and some dislike it very much. Some recognize it for what it is: A lack of confidence in their own people. Despite acknowledging any challenges related to or dissatisfaction with their own government, society, or economy, at the end of the day, many Vietnamese are still proud to be Vietnamese. To be passed over by a foreigner based solely on the color of their skin is disheartening and frustrating. However, as with many other sensitive (nhạy cảm) topics, it's also less likely to be brought up in a conversation, especially when that conversation is with a foreigner, one who is likely to benefit from the perks of being foreign.