Anyone who has come to Vietnam is guaranteed to not leave without strong emotion. Some people love it, some hate it, but one thing is certain – this country is unique. Vietnam has a lot to offer with its vast array of cultural practices. In this article, we gathered for you some of the most interesting facts in Vietnam. These cultural insights may seem pretty strange, but they are prevalent throughout the country. Here’s a selection of some of the oddest yet most fascinating things in Vietnam.

Learn more about other Vietnam’s cool cultural facts and traditions here

Wearing Pajamas as Day Wear

There’s nothing better than staying in a set of soft and comfy pajamas at home. And in Vietnam, you see women in pajamas literally everywhere! They are on motorbikes, walking down the streets, or serving in food stalls, especially in the rural areas. It’s basically normal, no big deal here; it’s not that they forgot to dress up before going out, it’s that pajamas are a fashion choice here. Pajama sets come in a range of sizes and styles, from matching floral T-shirts and shorts to full-length silk pants and long-sleeved shirts.

Self Ear Cleaning anytime anywhere

You might have noticed many people in Vietnam, especially men, have an incredibly long pinkie fingernail; it is actually linked to the purpose of sel-ear cleaning. Not just that, the Vietnamese use little spoons, chopsticks, tweezers, or even toothpicks wrapped in tissues to scoop out the wax and tickle the skin. You might think it is terrifying but many Vietnamese people love it. Convenient. Anytime. Anywhere.

English songs for Holidays and Anniversaries

‘Beautiful in White’ on Weddings, ‘Merry Christmas’, ‘Last Christmas’ played in shops over the holiday, and Happy New Year – ABBA on the New Year’s Eve – All the good old English songs are all over the place in Vietnam when the right events come. There is no explanation for why the Vietnamese stick with those songs for decades. It becomes an indispensable and unexplainable tradition in this country. If you want to trace back to the holiday vibes in the 20th century, Vietnam seems to be the right place.

Fun fact: The top and most recent comments on Happy New Year ABBA come from the Vietnamese

Bamboo Pipe Smoking

Smoking in Vietnam is highly common, with an estimation of over 15 million tobacco smokers, and over 33 million non-smokers who are heavily exposed to tobacco smoke. Communal smoking started as an integral part of Vietnamese culture in the way men exchanged cigarettes in greetings. A popular and traditional form of smoking in Vietnam is Thuoc Lao, or Dieu Cay – the farmers’ bamboo pipe, which is often passed around after a meal to help with the digestion process. Thuoc Lao are leaves of Nicotiana rustica plant put inside a long pipe in which people can smoke through and just one shot, a flood of high nicotine to the bloodstream pushes even the heaviest regular cigarette smokers down onto the floor, off the limit, with a strong dizziness in the head and a rapid heartbeat out of the chest. Despite the health risks that Thuoc Lao poses, it remains very popular in Vietnam, mainly in the Northern part.

While having some free green tea on the sidewalks, you might be offered some bamboo pipe shots, it’s up to you whether to say no or give it a try. But remember, we give you a warning in advance already!

Foreigners tried smoking the bamboo pipe and the results

Choosing a custom phone number

In Vietnamese culture, lucky numbers play a big part in most people’s life. Numbers like 1, 6, 8, 9 are thought as lucky, and the opposite normally goes to number 4, 13. The Vietnamese also believe a good combination of digits in their phone number can bring them luck. They choose their phone numbers based on their birthday, or just a sequence of “beautiful digits”, most popularly triple, quadruple eight or nine. Some wealthy people pay a lot of money in order to acquire a phone number. For instance, mobile number 0989 999 999 was sold for USD 664,000 in reality in Vietnam. Whereas some people find the joy out of those lucky phone numbers, we find it frustrating to keep double-checking the sequence whenever we try to save contacts.

Phone wallpaper as a picture of themselves

Most Vietnamese peoples phone wallpaper is a picture of themselves. It is not only common in Vietnam but also in Asia where people (mostly women) like setting their phone wallpaper as the picture of themselves. Whether it is a selfie, a picture of themselves traveling around, or an artistic shoot, there is always their face, just there. It has become a trend that we can hardly explain. It’s probaly a very good thing. Imagine … if they lost their phone and you found it, you don’t have to check if it had a lock that they could open to confirm, because just by looking at their wallpaper, you know it’s theirs, just like an ID card.

Coffee Made from Weasel Poop

Traditionally known as one of the best coffees in the world, Vietnam’s weasel coffee is made from the poop of weasels after they eat the ripest and sweetest coffee berries and let the seeds out. These seeds are picked, washed, dried for 3 days under the sun, then ready for roasting, bagging, and selling, just like other coffees. What makes weasel coffee stand out is its great aroma thanks to the interaction between the weasel’s digestive enzymes and beans. The finest coffee can cost you around $100 for 100 grams, and for every 1kg of coffee berries, there is only 0. 3 kg of poop.

If you also have discovered funny, exciting things in Vietnam, please feel free to share us!