culture differences between the Vietnamese and the Americans

1. INTRODUCTION The process of communicating without using words is known as nonverbal communication (Arapova, 2016). Instead, people will understand the speaker's message or meaning through gestures, facial expressions, and actions. A smile is a nonverbal sign that conveys many meanings in social communication. People interpret smiles according to their cultural or country-specific nonverbal communication system. This is not to suggest that the transmitter and receiver must comprehend smile signals in the same way. “Smiling is a complex social phenomenon that can be explained from different angles, involving political systems, economic conditions, welfare, strategies of self-presentation, and last but not least important, is that nonverbal behavior is guided by specific cultural scenarios” (Szarota, 2010). In this paper, we aim at illustrating the meaning that a smile connotes in Vietnamese and American culture and the reasons for this phenomenon. 2. BODY 2. 1. The Similarities of Smile in Vietnamese and American Cultures The Vietnamese and Americans share several meaning of smiles. Firstly, they all think that smiling is a natural expression, and it doesn't have any bad connotations. Therefore, people tend to associate smiles with people who are genuine, honest, and kind. Secondly, Vietnamese and Americans also consider smiles as a symbol of positivity. Specifically, people smile when they achieve an achievement, win a competition, get a high score, or gather with friends. It's the little things that people enjoy, and a smile is the best medicine to boost their lives. Cross-cultural studies have determined that smiling can connect different cultures, and it is a means of emotional communication around the world (Lewis, 2021). Smiling can convey pleasant emotions such as joy, happiness, and appreciation. 2. 2. The Differences of Smile in Vietnamese and American Cultures 2. 2. 1. America Americans tend to show more with words than with facial expressions. For example, they don't accept an apology with a smile because apologizing with a smile is less indicative of apologetic intent in America (Jing et al. , 2019). Therefore, Americans use smiles as an expression of positivity and openly express emotions. Firstly, they consider smiling as an effective means of communication when combined with verbal message. Smiling is used in the US in both casual and formal conversations, and it gives them a feeling of confidence and security. Smiling helps to create a general atmosphere of peace and stability, especially necessary in public places, where citizens meet the government, where officials are represented (Arapova, 2016). The smiles of leaders generate an atmosphere of solidarity and are seen as a general sign of politeness and willingness to perform. Besides, Lapeyrouse (1997) explains through the belief of "life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness" that Americans suppose that they should be 'happy' and enjoy life with a smile in their daily lives. Second, Americans often smile at each other when passing by on the road, and this is the most obvious difference with Vietnam. This model conveys the positive, non-aggression social intention, and constitutes a sense of belonging to the same community. Many Americans smile as they pass strangers on the street as a simple gesture of goodwill, delivering a sense of comfort to those around them. It is considered a social identity and implies: "I am like you, I am not dangerous" (Solomon, 2020). However, if the Vietnamese are unaware of this connotation, they would be perplexed as to why a stranger would smile at them and seek an explanation. People in Vietnam will consider cases such as "they like me and want to get to know me" or "they know me but I don't remember them" and try to recall who that person is. 2. 2. 2 Vietnam Vietnamese people generally rely on non-verbal communication more than other countries (Vietnamese Non-Verbal Communication, 2013). The smile of Vietnamese people is used in many situations, whether happy or unhappy. Therefore, Vietnamese smiles are easy to understand but also cause misunderstandings, especially for foreigners. Firstly, a smile will bring a positive meaning in many cases. The most typical example is in the greeting. In Vietnam, a smile can be used instead of saying "Hello, Good afternoon, Good evening, etc. " Besides, a smile and a flushed face are appropriate responses to praise. In this situation, the Vietnamese are expressing gratitude for the compliment, and humbly acknowledge compliments without being too ostentatious (Vietnamese Culture/ Communication, 2021). They have tendency to send the message that “Actually, I am also not worthy of praise! " Furthermore, Vietnamese people use smiling as a friendly gesture when inviting friends to their home, or to show their interest in what the speaker is saying, and also to sympathize and encourage other people. Secondly, smiles also show negative emotions and attitudes of Vietnamese people. They are smiles that are used as a polite front to hide shame, ignorance, fear, stress, shyness, bitterness, disappointment, or anger (Nguyen, 2021). Vietnamese people sometimes smile when sad, disappointed, or suffering. They do not want to shed tears and do not want others to know or affect the mood of those around them. They want to keep their emotions of happiness and sadness to themselves and they hope their smiles give them the strength to overcome difficulties. Moreover, in some cases, Vietnamese people use smiles to show contempt instead of saying it outright. For example, some senior staffs often use this attitude with intern’s contributions or achievements. However, this smile is not appreciated in Vietnam because it does not conform to moral and cultural standards. Differences in how each culture perceives the meaning of silence have led to conflicting communication styles. Many foreign teachers in Vietnam have expressed annoyance and frustration when Vietnamese students often smile when they are asked. These teachers often think that students laugh at the wrong time and that it is not only disobedient but also insolent (Duong, 1975). The reason is that in the US, there will be a preference for the use of verbal expressions, and the act of smiling and saying nothing is considered non-standard, and offensive. However, Vietnamese students show embarrassment and shyness through a smile because they don't understand the lesson or don't know how to answer the teacher's question. 3. EXPLANATION 3. 1. America In Americans, they are in low-context communication which emphasizes intention or meaning through verbal messages (Ting-Toomey, 2010). There are not any implications, and they prefer direct and open conversation. They do not hesitate to say “no”, refuse and criticize others. Smiling in public in America is considered as friendliness, harmony with foreigners. This kind of communication is often used in individualistic cultures, they are open and do not mind other attention. They feel free to communicate with someone, including smiling. Evidence shows that the proportion of individual value patterns in America is higher than 10 times that of Vietnam, at 91% and 9% respectively (Compare countries, n. d. ). 3. 2. Vietnam Vietnam has a high context culture, and formal verbal style is a priority. Vietnamese emphasizes how intention or meaning can best be conveyed through embedded context and the nonverbal channels of the verbal message (Ting-Toomey, 2010). And smiling is considered a necessary means of communication. It will be weird if people smile at another person in public. In this situation, smiling is considered as flirting, an impolite activity. In addition, there is a contextual communication style that is often used in collectivist cultures. Specifically, the percentage of collectivism value patterns in Vietnam process 80% (Compare countries, n. d. ). In this style, formality and power distance are emphasized (Ting-Toomey, 2010). There are different meanings of the smile, depending on different circumstances and different people. It is necessary to communicate respect to people in different ranks or social statuses. 4. SOLUTION TO PREVENT UNWANTED MISUNDERSTANDING There are two simple methods to prevent unwanted misunderstandings. The first is cultural and linguistic preparation, which is an indispensable step before going anywhere. Each country has a unique and distinct culture, which foreigners cannot understand deeply. People spend a lot of time exploring, understanding instead of unfairly judging a culture by their ignorance. Therefore, communication with a smile is not an exception. The second is to adapt to the new environment, "when in Rome do as the Romans do". It is time to stop comparing the rules and stereotypes in Vietnam or the US with the host culture (Attila, 2016). According to Attila (2016), to enter the positive spiral, people must reach the stage of emotional balance. When one is familiar with a culture, a country, and local people, it is easy to guess the meaning of verbal and non-verbal communication. From there, they can respond with appropriate answers, gain more confidence, and feel satisfied entering the conversation (Attila, 2016). 5. CONCLUSION In conclusion, having different cultural dimensions and communication styles, Vietnam and America are distinct in non-verbal communication including smiling. Smiling is a method of nonverbal communication, either in a formal or informal conversation, and it plays a pivotal role in making effective communication. However, people need to be careful about the meanings and implications of smiles in different regions to avoid awkward situations. Besides, it's crucial to respect cultures of each country in the world.