When I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City and got into a taxi to go to my temporary accommodation in the city center, I was immediately overwhelmed by a wide variety of impressions. Looking out of the window, I saw people doing all sorts of things at the side of the road. From cooking and washing dishes to cutting hair, everything was there, but I especially noticed people socializing. Compared to Austria, this was hard to believe, but people here in Vietnam use the streets more as a living space than as a traffic space, even if it is loud and sometimes chaotic.

At first, I wasn't sure where the line between private and public space was, especially since in Austria, the sides of the streets are only for walking and everything else, such as restaurants or even hairdressers, takes place indoors. Even though I had read before that this is fundamentally different in Vietnam, I hardly expected it to be to this extent. Seeing families sitting comfortably on plastic chairs at the roadside, eating amid all the noise and air pollution, it was difficult to comprehend, and even when I did it myself for the first time, it was difficult to enjoy. Hardly could I imagine ignoring everything going on around me, eating comfortably, and simply enjoying the moment.

But after a short time, I realized that it's just a matter of getting used to it and something you have to embrace. Walking through the city every day while looking for an apartment made it seem increasingly normal, and I realized that it's not so chaotic after all. There is a system that is difficult to explain, but after a while you understand it intuitively and you stop seeing everything as chaotic and simply view public space as what it should be: a place to establish or maintain social contacts. I learned that this doesn't require a nice restaurant or luxurious food, just a place to sit and the willingness to engage with it.

After almost four months in Ho Chi Minh City, the noise level doesn't bother me anymore. I subconsciously tune it out, as the locals probably do. I eat at the side of the road amid all the chaos and tune out what's happening outside. My expectations when it comes to food have also changed significantly. I noticed this particularly when my family came to visit and found it anything but normal to eat at noisy street stalls where hygiene is not a top priority. As a result, I have become much more flexible when it comes to structure and order in relation to food. I have noticed that it takes a lot of pressure off you when you lower your expectations and accept situations that are simply normal in another country.

Regarding intercultural learning, I have clearly seen that “normal” is something that is defined by society and the corresponding culture. In Vietnam, streets and roadsides are not just places where people drive or walk but also places for social interaction. This became particularly clear to me when I talked to fellow students who said that Vietnamese people often live with their entire families in confined spaces and therefore spread out on the streets to have the space they sometimes need. Even though this is fundamentally different from what I know in Austria, I have learned to be open to new experiences, as much of the adaptation happens subconsciously when you are open to it.

In conclusion, I can say that it has also changed my self-perception. I have noticed that I am much more adaptable than I initially thought and that I can live comfortably in any environment, even if it is not orderly or organized. Strict expectations only create pressure that subconsciously clouds good experiences. In conclusion, I can definitely say that it has also changed my self-perception. I have noticed that I am much more adaptable than I initially thought and that I can live comfortably in any environment, even if it is not orderly or organized. Strict expectations only create pressure that subconsciously clouds good experiences.

I can't think of a way to describe my entire experience here in Vietnam, so I'll let Anthony Bourdain do it: “Vietnam: It grabs you and doesn't let you go. Once you love it, you love it forever.