“East Asia” = Japan, China, Korea As of late, I have seen a lot of East Asians straight out attacking Vietnamese people here on blind. They call us dark, short, monkeys with the ugliest language on the planet. I’ve even seen my own Vietnamese trying to claim racial blood ties with the Southern Chinese in an attempt to discredit our Southeast Asian bloodline and be East Asian instead. Hey fellow Vietnamese. I understand why some of you want to link the Vietnamese to the South Chinese. I empathize with your feelings, and want you to know that I used to feel the same way, wishing to be East Asian instead of Vietnamese, so I understand. I was raised on Japanese anime and KPop, with a family who loooved historical Chinese stuff (I used to pretend to be a Japanese girl and transform into Sailor Mercury all the time). In contrast, Vietnam didn't really have anything we could be proud of, neither our economy, our culture, our language, nor our people. As a kid, the last thing I wanted to be was Vietnamese, because compared to the aforementioned three East Asian groups, we were darker, had more Southeast Asian facial features, shorter, and (I'm ashamed to say this) I also thought we were less cultured. The way I found self-worth was by trying to link the Vietnamese to the East Asians. I mean, we're right under China - we MUST have some sort of genetic link, right? I tried really really hard to find these connections. I looked up studies to try and prove that the Vietnamese were close to Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese people, even when East Asians called me "Vietnamese monkey" at school. Looking back, I knew that this was an inferiority complex. And tbh, I still do have quite a bit of this inferiority complex. The Viet Kieu that I grew up with also all absolutely despised Vietnam, and we wished to be East Asian. The easiest way to do this was by looking to the people in South China, the closest neighbor whom we share a border with. As an adult now, it's sad because I still feel the effects of this trauma. My crush back in 2003 was a hot KPop star. It was 2013 it was a ripped Northern Chinese actor. Im 2023 it was a luscious Japanese athlete. I’ve never felt anything for Southeast Asian men. Vietnam is still far, far behind the three major East Asian countries, and even though I've tried really hard to get approval from East Asians around me, it hasn't worked. I purposely don't hang out with other Vietnamese, because I wanted to show off that I am a "special" Vietnamese who only hangs out with higher-class East Asians. At the end of the day, I've realized that I'm still Vietnamese. I've tried telling people that I'm Korean or Chinese before, and it made me feel much more proud inside, but a lot of times, people didn't even believe me. They told me that I looked way too "Viet", oftentimes with an air of disgust. I've realized that no matter how much I want to be linked to East Asia, it won't happen. Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese will still look down on us and think we're an uncivilized bunch of apes. With that said, I am still very proud to be Vietnamese. I’ll admit: Some times when I’m depressed, I wish I were Korean or Chinese or Japanese, but that’s definitely not all the time. It's a hard pill to swallow, and I can't say that I've swallowed it yet. But, I am slowly trying to find ways to be proud of Vietnam. Did you know that a company from our country, Vinfast, has made it's way over to America and will become the next major leader in EV vehicles? Did you know that sometimes, white people can't tell East Asians and Vietnamese apart? I like to try to take advantage of this fact to tell them that I'm Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. Did you know that Vietnam is slowly becoming one of the greatest economies in the world? Our growth rate is truly something to be admired. I understand why you're trying so hard to link yourself to the Chinese, because I used to be that way. Truth be told, I still kind of am. It's hard to be Vietnamese in the States, especially surrounded by East Asians. But trust me, life does get better, even for us Vietnamese. Sure, we may never be accepted by the Koreans, Chinese, or Japanese. But, we can still watch our favorite movies on Netflix. We can still eat our favorite foods from Vietnam even here in the States. (Ask me where to find the best Bò né !) We might not be able to marry up with an East Asian, but there are plenty of handsome Vietnamese people. I hope you find peace, and I wish for happiness to find all Viet Kieu. We will eventually have something to be proud of as a country; I know it. Just look at our roaring economy! I wish you the best as a fellow Vietnamese. Việt Nam muôn năm!
Pay the Blind Tax first
Btw, that is their coping mechanism. As an outsider, I found Thai people better looking with well developed facial bone structures than rest. Dark doesn't mean unattractive. Light skin helps only if rest goes well. Mainly because the said regions are more economically developed, they can influence thru media their propaganda. Imagine if Vietnamese are the wealthiest, then you can control the beauty standards.
That won’t happen and East Asians inherently look down on Vietnamese features
Philippines are winning the beauty contests more than those e. Asians. You can look down on their features from now on. You can't because you are addicted to the movies that they produce or you are actually unattractive. That doesn't mean everyone of Vietnamese are unattractive. E. Asians also try to look down on other countries too, but those countries also look down on E. Asians and don't give a F about them.
Stop being so paranoid and blame other people for racism.
This is so cringe. I’m Vietnamese, never felt this way ever. 15 YOE TC 260
That doesn’t mean anything. Just bc YOU haven’t done mean most Viet Kieus in rhe US dont. I speak from my and other Viet-Americans’ experiences.
You’re obviously a mega troll, just recently posting about bi-curious straight men
I am from SEA (not vietnam) living in Japan almost 8 years, went to Japanese univ as well. I look down on Japanese. Most Japanese are dumb as shit, they just follow superior. Many of my high-school friends back in my home country are a lot smarter than most studens I see in my university, and my university is one of the 7 imperials in Japan. So when you said they look down on us, the joke is on them.
Japanese are really one of the worst in looking down on us. Any stories about them being dumb? Wanna feel good lol
Just better economic development and thus cultural influence. Once you understand this you can say F U to anyone who looks down on you, especially when you are an adult now.
White guy here. Vietnamese girls are cute. Not a yellow fever weirdo or anything but maybe u should try spending more time around non asians. I dont like all the racist stuff in asian groups, seems they either admire or despise other asians because of their race. Stop seeing thru that lense and you’ll find you have a lot in common with everybody regardless of skin tone or facial structure.
Lol this post is dam interesting
Go to sleep kids