Losing Your Face in the Street

A Vietnamese Cross Cultural site describes the Asian concept of face as "a quality that reflects a person's reputation, dignity, and prestige." It goes on to say that, "It is possible to lose face, save face or give face to another person" and that "silence is common where someone disagrees with another but remains quiet so as to not cause a loss of face." Foreigners are cautioned not to exhibit great displays of emotion in public because this could cause you to lose face or cause the person you are yelling at to lose face. But apparently face isn't as important to all Vietnamese people as the sites/tour books would like you to think, as evidenced by my bus driver, who, after stopping short and throwing everyone in the bus into the seat in front of them, ran out of the bus and began screaming at the guy on the motorbike apparently responsible for the short stop. Nor was it that important to the guy on the motorbike, who, in-between bouts of yett back, appeared ready to get off and pound the his fists into the driver's face. Nor was it such a face-losing event that the bus passengers had to turn their heads in shame - they were all standing in the isle, craing their necks for a better view, in rapt attention.

I have been impressed with the seemingly impentrable veneer of patience of Vietnamese drivers on the roads in Ho Chi Minh, but it is always interesting to witness a crack in the cultural norms.