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Vietnam Chopsticks EtiquetteP.S. Before read this article, you may refer back to Chinese chopsticks etiquette. Due to the similarity between the two countries, I will only concentrate on few of the extra customs in Vietnamese culture that not include in Chinese culture
Can I use both hand as a pair of chopsticks?In this section, I will tell you the etiquette and usage of the chopsticks. If you are not use to using the chopsticks and feel awkward using it, you can ask for utensils such as fork and knife. You should still attempt at the chopsticks though to show you are willing to try. Do not worries if you cannot do it, the worse thing can happen is you get a few chuckles out of the natives and have to ask for a fork. The only thing that matter is that you try and it takes time to get use to it. Everyone has trouble using it at first, it just that for them it was when they were little and you were not there to see it. All Asians had difficulty with the chopsticks at first; trust me on this since I'm one of them. Up until I think I was either 8 or 9 years old, I preferred the spoon over chopsticks. I would try not to pick up a lot of food if I don't have to or pick enough of each food one time so I would not have to use the chopsticks again. Sometimes I would ask someone to pick up the food for me instead when I failed miserable.
My childhood...As a child I can get away with picking up a lot of food at once but I suggest you should not. It was hard to hold the two sticks especially for a child with small hands; the chopsticks tend to fell out. You think you are frustrated trying to use it once in awhile but you do not have to eat with it every day. The only reason I have gotten better using the chopsticks because I have to. When you become older, you could not keep using the spoon frequently to eat during meals unless there is soup. For me, it took a long time to get use to eating with the chopsticks and comfortable at it. What I am trying to say is that it is okay for you to look dumb at first. We know you would not get the hang of the chopsticks right away but keep trying. 
The do and don't...Vietnamese are superstitious when it comes to the dead and would avoid at all cause not to upset the spirits. Why do you need to know this little fact? If you tap on your bowl with your chopsticks is consider an act of trying to call on the dead. So, please no kung fu on the table. Some Vietnamese people believe in an ancient superstition if you hold the chopsticks halfway down is an omen of a family death. Nonetheless, nowadays you can hold your chopsticks halfway because allow for it to have multiple use. The blunt end of the chopsticks can be use to pick up food and place it into the individual's bowl, while the tapering end can be for putting food into the mouth. The chopsticks should not touch your lips, teeth, or tongue since might have to use the same one to pick another food off a dish that everyone shared. Onto the next point, do not let the end of your chopsticks that you use to pick up food cross with another person's. Do not pick up more than one piece of food at a time. This means that you are so hungry and did not have food in days (beggar). Do not dig for something you would like in the plate or return a piece of food that you do not like back onto the dish. Do not transfer food you just got from the plate to your mouth, place it in your individual bowl first. Practice makes perfect so keep trying if you do not get it right the first few times and look like a kid. We all had been there once. Best of luck. Until next time. Bye. P.S If you still have question, feel free to contact us. Also, you can follow us on Twitter as well. From where we are and wherever you are, don't laugh with the chopstick in your mouth (hehe).
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