How I changed my belief towards Saigon youth by Lê Thị Ngân Hà

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200400251 — 2022-09-18 11:39:58 UTC

In the summer of 2018, I went to Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC). Unlike previous trips when travel was solely for recreation, the main purpose of this visit was to study English. For the first time in my life, I was away from home, staying in another city for so long. Indeed, those 2 months in HCMC was a chance for me to experience a culture that has different features from the one I had been used to.

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Sai Gon, July 2018

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As an introvert, I often feel shy when coming to a new environment. When my parents told me that I would stay in HCMC to learn English that summer, little did I feel anxious about my English proficiency. Yet it was the thought of having no friends in the class that worried me the most. At that time, I held a belief that teenagers in HCMC were chic and unapproachable, so they might not like to befriend a girl from another region with a provincial accent like me. The belief was so great that I got pretty nervous about attending the class, even before the course started. I was afraid of being distant for coming from Nghe An province. I was worried about being out of place.

200400251 — 2022-09-18 18:16:03 UTC

Then the D-Day came. On the first day of class, I timidly introduced myself and my hometown. Contrary to my belief, all Saigonese classmates were friendly and affable. They added me on Facebook. They chatted and invited me to hang out at weekends. It's no exaggeration to say that every single day in the English class was full of joy and laughter. Though conflicts occurred a few times due to differences in our ‘subcultures’, the most important thing was that my Saigonese friends never appeared to be arrogant, nor showed prejudice against me because I came from another place - as what I believed before meeting them.

200400251 — 2022-09-18 18:22:45 UTC

Hanoi, September 2022
Missing you guys 💝

200400251 — 2022-09-18 19:31:11 UTC

2 months flew by. I left HCMC and returned home for a new school year. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye, especially after such memories we had together. The amiability of Saigonese friends was the best part of my long ‘vacation’, and will always be what I cherish the most when recalling those summer days. After this experience, I also learned that stereotypes and beliefs are unavoidable, but instead of creating invisible barriers with others due to such beliefs, I should be more open to new relationships.

The summer trip to HCMC in 2019 remains an invaluable experience of my youth. In the future, who knows if I'll have another opportunity to stay, meet and interact with Saigonese for a long period like that? I’m grateful for that experience, and look forward to meeting my Saigonese friends again.