HomeBlogLive the Vietnamese Lifestyle during Your Internship in Vietnam
Live the Vietnamese Lifestyle during Your Internship in Vietnam
ABROADER February 26, 2023 8 minute read
Live in vibrant cities, get to know locals, and earn new experiences while embracing the Vietnamese lifestyle with our internship in Vietnam!
Going for a study program or an internship abroad is about immersing yourself in the destination’s culture and lifestyle. For many students doing an internship in Vietnam, there are new experiences and revelations about the country every day that either shock them or please them. Some just shrug it off, some get used to it and feel proud of doing things the ‘Vietnamese way’ upon returning home. Want to learn how to live the Vietnamese lifestyle during your internship in Vietnam? We have got your back! Here are some of our tips on how to go about your days like a real Vietnamese.
Having a Big Breakfast
A big bowl of soup with greens like this is a very common breakfast meal for Vietnamese. Photo source: Van’s kitchen
What do you usually have for breakfast back home? An apple? A quick homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a takeaway burger from Mcdonald’s? If you want to live the Vietnamese lifestyle while doing an internship in Vietnam, you shouldn’t be having those for breakfast, why? In Vietnam, we enjoy eating a big breakfast. It is usually a bowl of noodle soup like Pho or a dish of broken rice. Sometimes we do eat takeaway but that means enjoying a delicious banh mi (baguette with meat filling) or sticky rice of different flavors. These are fast to take away but they are no short of deliciousness. In general, whatever it is that Vietnamese people choose for their breakfast, it should not be less than a small feast – diverse in ingredients and flavors.
Banh mi is another quick choice for breakfast. Photo source: bbanhmi.com
Having Pho for every meal
Pho – Vietnam’s national food, can be eaten almost every meal of the day. Photo source: Vietnam online.
Getting headaches over deciding what to eat for each meal of the day? Have Pho! Now you may know that Pho is considered the Vietnamese national soul food. What you don’t know is that we can eat Pho for every meal in the day, whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is one of those yummy and easy-to-eat types of soul food that just keeps Vietnamese people and even foreigners coming back for more.
Sipping a cup of (super affordable) coffee before you start working
One of the things that might surprise you as a foreign tourist coming to Vietnam is how much time people spend on sitting in a coffee shop. Stylish Starbucks takeaway is a thing in your country? Not here. A majority of Vietnamese people like to sit down in a nicely decorated coffee shop on the street. Watching the busy weaving street outside sipping their delicious, aromatic cup of iced/hot coffee is a pleasure. Even in the early mornings, Vietnamese people like to take it to chill with their coffee with friends.
Travel by Motorbike
Photo source: tinhhoa.net
Vietnam is a country with a large population. Once you are here, it is clear that the country’s primary means of transportation are motorbikes. And the sheer number of motorbikes used here will surprise you. As public transportations are not the most reliable, convenient, and fast means to travel, the majority of Vietnamese use motorbikes to commute.
During your internship in Vietnam, you might have a hard time choosing between public transportation and using motorbikes. Public transport is a safer and cheaper way to communicate. You can travel as far as 30 kilometers with only 25 – 50 cents (6.000-9.000 VND) in the fee. However, bus stops are not readily available. Buses are often not on a schedule so this might not be an ideal option if you are running late for work. Another option for a convenient and fast way to travel is using motorbike taxi mobile apps. Grab and Uber are the two most popular motorbike taxi mobile apps with affordable prices and good service. They have an extensive network of drivers so it should be no fuss about finding a motorbike taxi with them.
Sometimes, the best way to immerse in a culture and learn about its styles is to observe the locals. The more you spend time paying attention to what’s going on around you, the more accustomed you will become to Vietnamese culture. In case you are still looking for a chance to live the Vietnamese lifestyle, we offer various opportunities right here:
Over 4000 international university students has joined
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Physiotherapy
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Fulfill the mission of healing the “broken ones” through the rotation of different rehabilitation departments while learning the art of Vietnamese physiotherapy
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It might not be too much of an overstatement to say that Vietnam is heaven for cheap buys. Everything, from clothing, and handicrafts to locally made food products surely would cost you less than what you pay for at home. If you don’t want to pack too much in your suitcase before coming to Vietnam, you can just leave the clothes shopping for when you are in the country. At common middle-priced stores in Ho Chi Minh City, t-shirts, skirts or dresses would only cost you only around $10-$15 per piece. And if you go to a big local market and are willing to throw in some haggling, you will surely be in for a good bargain.
However, if you want something fancy that you might not afford back home, grab your chance. Because Vietnam is a perfect place to get those affordable suits and dresses made from quality materials like silk or cashmere. You can even make yourself a tailored fit embroidered ao dai to bring home as a memory from the trip.
Want to bring back a memory from your internship in Vietnam? Get an affordable tailor-made ao dai. Photo source: ht-shop
Aside from clothing, Vietnam is also famous for intricate handicrafts. For example, ceramic teapots, kitchen utensils, and wooden sets of chairs and tables. These are usually made by Vietnamese people and the designs are traditional patterns and very typical of Vietnamese culture, suitable as souvenirs to bring back home.
Cute souvenirs like these are perfect for a gift to bring home. Photo source: blog.bizweb
Learn how to haggle
Haggling is a signature art in the Vietnamese lifestyle. Products in Vietnam are very cheap when you know how to negotiate with the store owners. Certainly, this can be very intimidating if it is your first time. However, once you get used to it, you will realize how awarding it feels to be able to buy something for half the price they offer. So, how to master the art of bargaining? We know you would love to learn and this tutorial on how to bargain is for you.
Dining out on the street
Dining out on the street with your friends
So it’s time for dinner and you just don’t feel like cooking, great, time to eat out. In Vietnam “eating out” literally means you are eating out on the street. You will be given a small table and stools to sit on just outside a store looking out on the busy street. The Vietnamese lifestyle experience is not complete without tasting street food. Trying street food while in Vietnam is mandatory. Because they often offer finely crafted staple dishes passed from mother to daughter for generations, in other words, the best of Vietnamese food. If it seems too intimidating for your personal liking to try eating Vietnamese street food out in the open air, there is an alternative, you can look for in-door restaurants or cheap local food stores that sell the same types of street food and try out. The food is the same, just a different experience.
Going to the local market
Exhilarating is not an overstatement to describe the experience of going to a Vietnamese local market. It seems like everything possible is happening there. Once you take a trip down a major local market, you will not be able to take your eyes off any activities of the vendors on both sides. Markets in Vietnam especially in the South offer a variety of mouth-watering tropical fruits from pineapple to coconut to dragon fruit. Vietnamese love eating greens so vegetables of all kinds are well displayed. In addition, a wide selection of freshly caught seafood, and frogs is ready to be made into your meals. And you might often get a live-action scene of the vendors preparing the fish.
Making the most out of your experience in Vietnam is not just about enjoying the beautiful landscapes and the good food. It is also about accepting the country and its people for what they are: busy, chaotic, and sometimes a bit too strange for your liking but always very welcoming.
Fancy getting started on your own internship in Vietnam to experience our Vietnamese lifestyle? Pack your luggage and let’s go!
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