White Guy Shocks Locals With His Vietnamese (World’s Hardest Language)

Thanks to Babbel for sponsoring this video - start speaking a new language in 3 weeks! 🎉 Get up to 65% OFF in your subscription ▶️ HERE: go.babbel.com/12m65-youtube-x... After learning the world’s hardest language to pronounce, Vietnamese, for 15 hours, I have come out to one of America’s biggest Vietnamese neighborhoods to practice. I was shocked that people were able to understand me! (But only sometimes.) As an American, this was also my first time trying the authentic version of lots of incredible Vietnamese foods like pho, bánh mì, and Vietnamese coffee and smoothies, and I was totally blown away. If you’re interested in checking out the Vietnamese mall I went to, you can go to:
Eden Center
6751-6799 Wilson Blvd
Falls Church, VA 22044
United States of American
And if you want to learn Vietnamese with the tutor who taught me, make sure to learn with Ni Chi: www.italki.com/en/i/reft/DHG0...
0:00 Intro
0:39 Sponsored by Babbel
1:59 Singing karaoke with granny
4:30 Coffee shop
5:19 Buying food from a street cart
6:20 Vietnamese fruit street vendor
7:50 Looking for a restaurant
9:08 Smoothie shop
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[@zeeshantech245]

Can we talk about how friendly that lady was to him?

[@KJ-gc8oq]

I think she wanted to take him home 🤣

[@deniseh5269]

What about the woman who told him to "go outside"? She wouldn't let him order at the desk?

[@egonpax]

@@deniseh5269 If you mean at the 8:00 minute mark, she is telling him that they don't have banh mi sandwiches at that particular shop. You have to go back outside (as opposed to this shop that is inside a mall-type structure) to another shop (bakery outside of the mall) that has them.

[@Blobbyo25]

It made me smile how far she took him to show him the bánh mì!

[@HouseMDaddict]

She said Ari reminded her of her son, so she probably wanted to take him under her wing and make sure he got to see everything. I also think she was so mind blown by his skills.

[@DoubleDOwnage]

Getting told you're like my son by an Asian elder is like the highest level of compliment!

[@donaldstump8901]

@@Turkiye_long-live1 race is absolutely irrelevant to one's character, as opposed to his or her life experiences that motivate their own transgressions.

[@JamieDWestII]

@@Turkiye_long-live1 I'm not sure where he said Asian was a race. From my understanding Asian means a person coming from a country located on the continent of Asia. It's no different then referring to someone from the United States or Canada as North American or somebody from Mexico or Brazil as South American. These are not racial terms but geographical location terms.

[@RedDottyGal]

@@JamieDWestII Totally agreeing with you on your response. Just a fyi... Mexicans are also North American. Otherwise yes, I agree with your sentiment.

[@AztroG]

The soft piano playing killed me

[@jacobsampsonis7782]

@@Turkiye_long-live1 imagine having so little meaning in your life that you look for things to get offended by in youtube comments 😂😂

[@xisnothappy]

I have literally never seen this man dislike a food

[@PewPiebroDie]

TRUEEE, I legit was like "this man is gonna say 'so good'" AND HE DIDDD

[@wholelottagangshid]

Well I think it's just him showing respect. It's kind of like going to a friend's house and eating dinner, then you saying "the food is disgusting" obviously nobody is gonna say that.

[@ROBBOBBYJUNIOR]

@@wholelottagangshid nah bro the food is just good

[@Elurin]

@@ROBBOBBYJUNIOR Yup, I totally agree. In my opinion, Vietnam has the best sandwiches and the best soup!

[@ROBBOBBYJUNIOR]

@@Elurin fr I'm from vietnam

[@cjlaughman8435]

It's so cute how the older woman looks at him with such care, like she's so proud of him.

[@seanA416]

That was seriously so wholesome

[@TheFA113NAngel]

Yeah had me in tears. It's like she found the son she never had

[@Tomazack]

@@TheFA113NAngel She did say he looked like her son.

[@ianbuick8946]

Nah. She's just gonna go home and tell her grandkids: "Look, some white dude can speak better Vietnamese than you, you dishonor your family name."😅😅

[@cyb3rjake735]

1:45 IM WEAK! sounds like hes doing a super fast spanish infomercial HAHAAAA!

[@coppercorsair1020]

I'm less impressed by his language learning skills and more impressed by his talking-to-people-in-public skills

[@Kylesb]

No doubt! What “embarrassments” he’d have to contend with, he handles it like a pro!

[@totalhysteria]

Self-confidence.

[@patrciaclemons8183]

It's called practice

[@robertb8629]

The more you do it the easier it gets until it's easy most of the time. You just gotta force it for a short time in the beginning. Like jumping into a cold Lake.

[@dsyy90210]

@@robertb8629 good analogy

[@jamesfrench3456]

You definitely need to take the older lady out for a special day. You could tell talking to someone who was so inclined to learn about her language and culture meant the world to her.

[@lisapan9387]

Indeed

[@jennasimms2721]

Yes! That granny was so nice she deserves it

[@Jamesmartens55]

@@jennasimms2721 judging by her age, I’m sure her childhood was insane and I bet the stories she could tell would be unreal

[@NIS0RA]

+1 Seek out that sweet lady and take her out to eat!

[@tommiddlefinger6188]

Don't worry, I suspect he pays these actors well to be in his videos. I mean, come on, do people really not think these things aren't pre-scripted and staged? Seriously? There is major money to be made when you have viewer counts as high as this kid.

[@manhcuong9185]

I have a story about why learning Vietnamese can be challenging. Even as a native Vietnamese speaker, we may not understand every word we use. I was born in North Vietnam, which means I have a northern accent obviously. However, Vietnam is divided into North, Central, and South regions, each with distinct accents that vary significantly. Some time ago, I visited Quang Tri, a province in Central Vietnam, and my story began here. I went to the local market to buy fish, but I couldn't understand anyone because almost everyone had a central accent. To solve this problem, I had a bright idea: I spoke English and introduced myself as being from Singapore. Fortunately, I met a person who spoke English fluently, and we had a lengthy conversation. He even helped me buy fish at a reasonable price. Later, I revealed that I was actually Vietnamese, but I couldn't understand the locals because of their accents. The man was surprised and started speaking Vietnamese in a central accent, then you know what I still couldn't understand him, again. It's frustrating because some people learn a language quickly, but not everyone, even if they were born in that country.

[@humboldtharry1289]

Thanks for the insight, that reminds me of when some Scottish people speak quickly in English. The accent is so difficult for me to follow sometimes. I feel your pain! 😊

[@_Saracen_]

Crazy stuff! Though yeah I can feel where you're coming from, there are some accents here in Ireland that can be very thick and difficult to understand, even to a native.

[@humboldtharry1289]

@@_Seele Yeah, if he’s a Cajun then it’s a fair swap

[@phonghee]

Total agree, I grew in the US hearing the central accent. We went to Hanoi couple years back., could not understand anything the North is saying ! I was like, am I even Vietnamese haha

[@blubmuz]

I live in Vietnam for 6 years, have a VN wife, but still can't possibly say anything in Vietnamese, not even a word. Even if I really do my best to follow the tones, it just never works. Every single time a foreigner talks about Vietnamese language, the first thing he mentions how hard pronunciation is. But, for whatever reason, 99% of Vietnamese people think it is the easiest language in the world, and it makes learning the basics of this language even harder. If I could learn Vietnamese from a teacher who would say "I know that it is hard, but after 1 year hard work, we will dig so deep into pronunciation that you MIGHT be able to say like ten words properly". Then, but only then I would consider trying to learn Vietnamese again.

[@duckilythelovely3040]

I love the older lady who just kinda attaches herself to you and directs your day. She is very powerful.

[@mariapazgonzalezlesme]

This channel never stops bringing a smile to my face. The way he brings laughs by speaking their native language is so wholesome.

[@drix4275]

Also the people he meets are so kind and eager to help. ^_^

[@tsm_sleek2065]

the replay section of your comment lol you should check lol who did that

[@Andre_vyent]

Same

[@levinlegend5253]

Same

[@eb.3764]

his vietnamese still needs work. the only language this man speaks is mandarin and even then his mandarin is iffy.

[@tanyagirvin3298]

That lady was soo sweet! She will be telling everyone she knows this story of how she met an guy with American parents who spoke Vietnamese for the rest of her life 💖

[@roebuddy01]

🎶...oh Lord...

[@markekar6021]

na, she forgot about him the next day.

[@szewei85]

Hahahaha

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

@@markekar6021 bro you got no chill lmao

[@ft_shipper]

His pronunciation makes it hard to understand, but he surprisingly knows a lot

[@NiceGameInc]

Let's be clear, it was pretty terrible 😂

[@AsaTJ522]

This lines up with the one video I saw where he was speaking a language I do understand (Norwegian.) His pronunciation was pretty terrible, but his grammar was pretty good and he knew a number of obscure words.

[@Myusernameistakenwtf]

That lady is absolutely adorable. When she said you reminded her of her son I died 🥺😭

[@Yikkkes23]

That lady seemed so happy to make a friend and when she said he's like her sony heart melted

[@DavidNorthMusic]

As in she wants to play him like a Playstation

[@ruthcog]

@@DavidNorthMusic 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@malzergski]

@@DavidNorthMusic i fucking died

[@smekminfisk]

Yea, Sony products are the best

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

@@DavidNorthMusic bruh

[@robyertpwns]

Hi Xiaoma, Just a quick tip! Instead of saying “toi” (I) when you speak to your elders, say “con”. Vietnamese people use “toi” amongst peers and say “con” to elders to show respect. Great job on your language learning accomplishments! I wish I could be so quick to learn languages like you.

[@ikwuamaesi4027]

Very helpful 👍🏾

[@binh3176]

"Con" is how people in the Southern says, but in the North we don't say that, we say "Cháu" instead

[@davidreznick9902]

I thought you would say mình

[@binh3176]

@@davidreznick9902 yeah we would say that with people that around your age and try to be polite, for example you are going to buy bubble tea and meet the salesperson that looks around your age, but if you are already friend or know before, its weird to say that, but for people that a lot older than you, its rude and u have to say 'cháu' Believe me when i say personal pronoun is one of the hardest things in Vietnamese to learn, even sometimes i mix them up in my native language tho 😂

[@cellular-tech6946]

You are incorrect. It is only rude if the person knows that you are vietnamese and knows you can understand and speak it well... in his case, there is no disrespect for trying to learn the language.

[@Victorvonbass]

Xiaoma you are an inspiration. I have really bad social anxiety disorder and seeing you go to all these places and interacting with so many people is fascinating. You do so well and learn so many languages. I've enjoyed seeing your journeys and will keep checking your old videos. Thanks for the excellent content.

[@cici201]

sameeee bro i literally am so scared to even speak spanish to other mexicans even though im mexican myself. social anxiety is the worst😕 xiaoma is so brave fr

[@Anonymous99997]

I have been to Vietnam six times. I have tried multiple methods to learn the language. It is, indeed, very difficult. Stacked on top of that, there are three distinct dialects. Most courses teach the northern dialect, but most Vietnamese in America speak southern dialect. When in Vietnam, many people speak English or are learning English and want to practice their English with you.

[@jccnguyen]

Exactly, everybody in Vietnam will try to speak English unless you tell them you want to practice Vietnamese

[@chrisx5127]

But if you learn the central dialect, most Vietnamese would not be able to understand you lol.

[@user-ik3jo8ne9m]

​@@chrisx5127yeah, as a Vietnamese, i admit that central dialect is the hardest to understand. But it almost similar to the North and South dialect

[@leah8894]

@@chrisx5127hue dialect is a nightmare😀

[@edynguyen3382]

Central dialects. Yes with an "s" included, as each province will have different dialect, so yeah, it is confuse as sh. But please ask them in the common words. They might explain to you with common accents.

[@mtthriller03]

Xiaoma - The fact that you are a "White guy" is not what's impressive about your videos. You have a genuine ability to connect with people and clearly have a unique skill that millions of people wish they had. I think you have reached the point where you no longer need to title your videos with that opening tagline. The community will still respect you even if you're just a "Regular guy" shocking locals with your abilities : )

[@NZ_YT]

It’s for clicks mate, his channel is a business at the end of it all haha

[@AlexPaluzzi]

It’s for the algorithm.

[@gboundrapa]

These title ideas are probably from Laushu505000 (RIP). One example of a title from Laushu would be: "Black American scares the daylight out of Africans in grocery isle."

[@rumble4114]

Clickbait titles work, sadly. He has the substance to be successful without them. But if they work better, why mess with it?

[@ommoDayz]

Business is business at the end of the day. Excuse while i go watch xiaomas baby cry in 7 different languages

[@Kevin-jc1fx]

You same same my son. It was so heartwarming. The lady has basically adopted him. She went a considerable distance just to show him where to get those Vietnamese sandwiches. It's amazing to see that.

[@romansanchez9961]

Vietnamese have big hearts

[@brianl6128]

Usually when old Vietnamese ladies say that you’re like their son, they mean they you resemble their son in some way whether to be age, height, personality, aura, etc.

[@xCarxMellax]

I've been around Vietnamese my whole life, and I'm married to Vietnamese for 15 years and I'm still learning ! its very difficult .

[@nanaovitan]

Cố lên nhé

[@chrisx5127]

But very possible!

[@dreamingtolive3714]

Xiaoma you did amazing for only learning for 15 hrs but I could barely understand you and once you got to the woman at the street cart, I was so thankful because she helped you correct your pronunciation and I understood it then. Hope to see another Vietnamese video sometime soon!

[@MasayaTina]

you have really motivated me. I'm FIlipino American and wasn't taught Tagalog but im 27 now and taking tutoring lessons because I was so inspired by you. I've became closer with family with just knowing so little but they love my efforts.

[@Aligatorxx3]

That's amazing! kudos to you

[@Fk74303]

same....I can't speak Tagalog either

[@Peter421]

I'm losing my ability to speak my native tongue more and more every year. I should really keep practicing.

[@AntiAnathema]

same.. but Cebuano doesn't have nearly as many sources...

[@MasayaTina]

@@Aligatorxx3 thank you!! ❤️‍🩹

[@KristenLB]

It never fails. That at some point, a person in every culture has tried to hook Xiaoma up with a _________ girlfriend. It's my favorite running theme lol!!!That karaoke Phil outro too!!! Your confidence and not minding what other people may think is something everyone should aspire to!

[@Soladaddy]

I noticed that theme as well. Seems they think the only reason to learn another language is for love.

[@Keiidryn]

@@GeorgeZimmermen He has a wife actually, so uh… yeah.

[@tommiddlefinger6188]

I suspect these videos are staged and pre-scripted. This kid is making a ton of moolah from these videos considering the viewer counts. Do you really believe he speaks all of these difficult languages? And even if he speaks some of them, why don't the people notice someone filming the whole thing?

[@BillW87]

@@tommiddlefinger6188 They feel less staged and more cherry picked. He's not learning the entirety of all of these languages. Instead it seems like he studies a small subset of verbs and vocabulary (types of local foods, basic nouns, counting/currency, how to ask for things, etc) and then focuses his time on trying to nail the pronunciation of that limited vocabulary. He then probably films a ton of footage and then cherry picks the segments where the conversation doesn't go off the rails of the conversation points that he has prepared. It's super impressive either way that he's able to develop even very basic conversational skills in multiple languages, even if the videos are designed to oversell how much he's learned. Focusing on food is a good trick/strategy since it's a lot easier to predict and guide the conversation (this is spicy, this is tasty, etc).

[@tornasukiii745]

@@tommiddlefinger6188 Yeah dude Im sure random immigrant shop works have tons of time to stage YT videos with random dude that come in. happens all the time!

[@lowsuge]

I love how this connects people and brings them together, they must really appreciate learning about their culture.

[@goldenpony822]

Finally I hear him in one of my languages... such a great accent! I don't think your accent could sound any better unless you sounded like an actual local, it is so great. Normally I can pinpoint where people are from based on their accents, you can tell dozens of countries of origins like that but with Xioma you just know he's from somewhere.

[@shawnweber8524]

She was so nice to you and when she said "get this dude some Banh Mi" it made me so happy lol. My old roommate was Vietnamese and they truly have one of he best cultures and food

[@kristi8296]

The Vietnamese grandma reminds me so much of my Filipino grandma 😭 there’s something about Asian grandmas and their love for karaoke lmao. My grandma raised me for 10 years while my mom was working in Canada. Now I’ve been in Canada for 13 years and have only visited the Philippines once since then. I miss her so, so, so much. So thank you for this wholesome content. It made my heart so warm.

[@budgetadventurer9387]

Yeah I had a Filipino professor for Programming. Best teacher ever, our culture is way too similar somehow.

[@erikale1592]

Do you have those drunk/high uncles that are so red and so happy?

[@mattmanyam]

Kristi, go see your grandma.

[@aysicom9554]

As a Vietnamese, I feel so happy seeing Xiaoma being in the culture of Vietnam, and really, I hope he still does this today

[@PuipinM]

The sentimental, "You are like my son." immediately cut to you eating with the camera stitch causing your face to randomly change shape is oddly hillarious

[@dabiwonchana]

As a Vietnamese myself I am pretty proud of other people trying some new language that is hard to learn

[@xxkvngjayxx]

F

[@dabiwonchana]

@@xxkvngjayxx bruh

[@romansanchez9961]

Learning Vietnamese to be with my girlfriend and future wife in the South. Can't wait to live in your beautiful country. I'm proud to join your culture

[@undergroundriptiles7005]

Is it the hardest language? I could’ve sworn one time he said many others were but not sure now?

[@TheWillTran]

Heyyy you finally did some viet! Nice job! Couple tips to make things easier on you. 1) Learn the alphabet, which you probably already have, but in case you haven’t, once you know how to pronounce every letter, you can pretty much read 70% of words and how to pronounce 2) Tones are almost identical to Cantonese tones (I’m very sure viet derived a lot from Cantonese) Sắc- 1st tone Hỏi - 2nd tone Không (no tone) - 3rd tone Huyền - 4th tone Nặng - 5th tone Ngã is the only tone that’s weird. In southern Vietnamese, we just pronounce it exactly like hỏi but in northern dialects, it’s a rising broken tone. 3) Pronouns are very prominent in Vietnamese. You’d address yourself differently when you’re talking to your friends whereas when you’re talking to elders. Very weird I know, but there’s a lot of pairs. Con (me/I) - bà (You, if you’re talking to a grandma) Con (me/I) - Ông (You if you’re talking to a grandpa) Anh (Me/I) - Em (You, if you’re talking to someone just slightly younger than you) These are just a couple of pronoun pairs, and there’s quite a couple more to learn lol Hopefully this helps! Can’t wait to hear more Viet if you keep going!

[@buddyhowyagoin937]

Sắc*

[@TheWillTran]

@@buddyhowyagoin937 oops autocorrect lol

[@szewei85]

@@TheWillTran haha thks

[@BDCDT-LeucAnh]

If you are in Vietnam northern then you will see the children use "cháu" with their grandparents or "chú"(uncle), "dì"(aunt). I live in Ha Noi and mostly 90% people use "cháu" with elder people, but personally I prefer using "con" with my grandparents.

[@Vablonsky]

It's great to see Xiaoma at Eden Center. In Northern Virginia. I don't think he mentioned it specifically in the video. It's the largest Vietnamese/Asian shopping center on the East Coast. Lots of delicious Vietnamese food available there. Reminds me...I should probably go there soon to get a banh mi.

[@kevinsullivan1578]

Vietnamese folks are some of the kindest and most sincere inviduals I have had as friends, just all around a beautiful culture and peoples

[@ThunderHOWL16]

agreed. they’re extremely friendly and easy to get along with people in my experience.

[@guitaro5000]

Here's a video idea: post up with a sign in NYC and offering to give people a free 15 minute beginner lesson in Chinese.

[@cesmorf5398]

Go to the top 🤣

[@trusiant1729]

perfection

[@co9221]

Ayyyy cmon reggie, hope you're well my brother

[@eb.3764]

in MANDARIN. CHINESE IS NOT A LANGUAGE, unless you mean teaching people Chinese characters.

[@shane8037]

@@eb.3764 Do you have a similar autistic fit when people say Spanish instead of Castilian?

[@oliverdeeley]

Xiaoma, I give you props on even attempting to learn Vietnamese. Yes, the enunciations needs to be sharper and crisper. But, still mad props to you for a learning a daunting language.

[@tommiddlefinger6188]

I suspect these videos are staged and pre-scripted. This kid is making a ton of money from these videos considering the viewer counts. Do you really believe he speaks all of these difficult languages? And even if he speaks some of them, why don't the people notice someone filming the whole thing?

[@jasonanno3881]

However long you thought about it, think about it again for like 3 times as long and comment again

[@cden409]

I can’t understand how you pick up the accent of each language. You do so good. You amaze me and others. Thank you Ari

[@skyetran]

Please make more videos speaking and interacting with Vietnamese! Loved this

[@clarenceunderwood382]

My wife is Vietnamese and yes, to me what makes it hard is the tones, Its like the back of the tongue needs to be used more, going to the roof of your mouth to make some of those tones, not sure if I'm describing that right. Like all languages though, knowing a little goes a long way in any culture and people always appreciate the effort. Was fun listening to you at the market, I may be biased but Vietnamese food is one of my favorite foods now.

[@devolutionone]

I love food from everywhere but Vietnamese food is my favourite too. When you can elevate a simple soup and make it taste like a pho, when you can make a sandwich taste like a banh mi, you know what you're doing.. :P

[@katv3116]

Im American born Vietnamese and tones are still pretty hard for me. sometimes i feel like that episode from king of the hill where Peggy is speaking spanish in court 🤣

[@jaskamon6127]

I marry Viet woman 10 years ago, and all a western husband need to say is, "Toi doi!" and they will cook best meal for you! I am so spoiled!

[@duyee88]

@@katv3116 Just a curious question. I am Australian-born Vietnamese; however, I am fluent in both languages. I have immigrant relatives living in America and they all seem to have really picked up a heavy American accent and rarely use Vietnamese- even at home with their families. Why is this?

[@lilylovesitaly3932]

JaSkaMon Are you still married to your Vietnamese wife?

[@Kardia_of_Rhodes]

Vietnamese food is a real blessing to the world as it's a perfect blend of eastern and western cuisine while still retaining it's own uniqueness.

[@khanhlinhpham]

Thank you for your kind words. I have never thought of it until I moved abroad and I also have never thought of how hard Vietnamese is until I have to teach my husband (a Dane) Vietnamese.

[@szewei85]

Haha i am Malaysian man married Vietnamese wife and yeah the language is damm tough AF mang😅😂🤣😅

[@TurboCarotte]

@@khanhlinhpham Vietnamese food is really amazing

[@sgcl10658]

Vietnamese food is a fusion food done right.

[@ZepG]

@@TurboCarotte Of course the bread is amazing because the French taught them that during early occupation years, I love the Banh Mi with the delicious rolls!

[@lifeofcara2732]

Love this video, it brought back a lot of memories! It's so cool that I can remember some of these words. I used to work in a chinese/vietnamese restaurant in Canada, one of the elders we all called "mommy" -she would always be singing in the kitchen with her viet shows on, super cute!

[@2upV2downA]

You are a highlight in the KZbin game!! Thanks for this. So fun to watch!!

[@xmpxblunt6378]

I absolutely love how passionate you are about not only learning new languages for your own benefits and better understanding cultures but the fact that you wanna do all of these amazing things for people by just talking to people in their native languages and making them feel at home when they're away from home is great! Hope you have a good Christmas/holiday!

[@tommiddlefinger6188]

I suspect these videos are staged and pre-scripted. This kid is making a ton of money from these videos considering the viewer counts. Do you really believe he speaks all of these difficult languages? And even if he speaks some of them, why don't the people notice someone filming the whole thing?

[@xmpxblunt6378]

@@tommiddlefinger6188 Even if it's scripted why does it matter? Brings happiness to the communities of not only where he is but also the languages cultures and/or communities as well, brings everyone together too and yet you are hating on him and trying to call him fake. Point is even if he is fake/his shit is scripted he's still making more than you, bringing more happiness to more people than you are irl and over the internet, and he's putting in time to learn at least a basic understanding for so many different languages. Funny thing is that you commented on a comment that has a bunch of likes so you could get people's opinion on your theory, people who support him, on your left field theory. I usually wouldn't waste my time like this but that dude deserves actual credit for what he's done. Idc if he's scripted the whole shit and he's never even learned another language (even tho he hasn't) because at the end of the day people aren't just subscribed for that.

[@matteolemme6959]

You should start a discord where your fans can practice languages that they learning with other fans that speak those languages.

[@thomsa45]

That would be awesome need japanese dude to help !

[@danielt6188]

That's a great idea :D

[@jeanrodriguez2078]

@@thomsa45 for some anime show?

[@solderbuddy]

I'm down for this.

[@8Jallin]

YES

[@jamesperez6325]

Would love to see more vids of your practicing Vietnamese! Great video👍

[@jupiter_sama4752]

It's so nice to see him appreciate our language

[@Inscipio]

Viet is just another level of difficult. In many languages, if you miss the pronunciation, people will still understand you based on context. If you miss a single word in a full sentence in Viet, a lot of people will just not even attempt to understand what you’re saying. I’m learning this right now because my fiancée’s family is from Vietnam, and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

[@kylehenderson8927]

You can do it 👍

[@Inscipio]

@@kylehenderson8927 haha cam on. Long road ahead lol.

[@Agent_Alpha]

Yeah i'll never NOT be impressed when foreigners speak fluent Vietnamese. Good luck my brother 🤝

[@lukemarkham6246]

I’m exactly in the same boat as you, (though it’s my girlfriend) I’ve been laughed at and ridiculed by Vietnamese on the street in Saigon a few times just because my pronunciation is slightly off, I used to just fold under the pressure and laugh with them. Now I’m just stubborn af and will keep repeating till I get it right. I totally understand what you’re saying, it can be extremely frustrating to say a sentence and they don’t understand one word then I’ll say it several times and they’ll have an ahhhh haaa moment Du sao đi nữa, ko bao giờ bó tay nha !

[@lyhoang4154]

I can help you im from Vietnam

[@kingsamoanOG]

Growing up around Vietnamese and having my best friend being straight from Vietnam as a refugee their language is insane!!!! I swear everything I hear the older generation talk it sounds like they're screaming and angry but thats just how they talk!!!!1Luv to all the Vietnamese Homes out there!!!!

[@murtazanaqvi2329]

yes! I love eden center. Glad you made it out to NOVA.

[@bryantopelsohn199]

Best visit yet, love this young man's attitude and the Vietnamese people were so appreciative of his studying and trying to speak the language

[@twistyfish721]

I love how they treat you like family there when they found out you spoke Vietnamese

[@lisapan9387]

Yes even play other language music u get respected too

[@secutina]

I’m Vietnamese and so impressed with how well you’re absorbing the culture and language. Like even though your Viet is still in the works it’s absolutely amazing how much you’re speaking/understanding!! One thing that makes me slightly cringe is you not referring to yourself as “con” (pronounced gong) when speaking to all the elders 🤣 Since in Vietnam we refer to ourselves based on who we speak to!! :) Otherwise it’s super informal. The way you spoke to everyone is more so how you’d refer to yourself to a friend/someone your age.

[@BlyatifulButter]

since it looks like he's in HCM city using "con" is fine but if he's in the North then he should use "cháu" instead

[@acricucci6188]

@@BlyatifulButter He is in a Vietnamese mall in New York. He has never been to Vietnam.

[@lukemarkham6246]

Dạ con chào cô chú, cô chú có mạnh giỏi ko

[@TheUnstableNutcase]

@@BlyatifulButter lol that mfer said it looks like he's in Ho Chi Minh City I'm fucking dead LMAO

[@jaysunny420]

@@acricucci6188 lol nah this is in falls church, in northern Virginia

[@AZUCHIGREY]

You inspire me to just have confidence and speak the language I'm learning and use whatever I know. Even simple words and sentences can be useful for communication. Thanks for this great content!

[@douggaijin]

This is a perfect example of how welcoming Vietnamese people are. If you show an interest in their language and culture they will welcome you with open arms and help you in anyway they can. And you are right, their coffee and food is the best. I live in Southern California in the area of Little Saigon and when I speak Vietnamese in the shops or restaurants, as a blonde haired, blue eyed American, I have had many women tell me I have to meet their daughter or that I need to marry a Vietnamese woman (I actually have a wonderful, beautiful Vietnamese wife of 30 years).

[@thanhatvu8059]

A Viet native here, i was wondering when he was gonna try out Vietnamese and then saw a notification from his channel. I can tell that his Vietnamese is not as good as his Chinese :p. Jk he's doing pretty well. love ur videos keep 'em coming

[@ShadowValleys]

Same here

[@Ganggangbuzzbuzz]

He sound Bac a bit so he’s getting there

[@sazji]

It’s also a bit hard because more people in the US speak southern dialect but most of the learning material is in Northern dialect. So you learn to say things but then the answer comes in Southern pronunciation and it’s really hard to hear through at first.

[@515gnodgnart]

Mad respect to be able to do this on the street with just 15 hours of Vietnamese under your belt. I can't imagine what you will be able to do with 3 month worth of Vietnamese. keep it up...I speak 5 languages myself and I can tell you that Vietnamese and the viet culture is a fabulous world distinct from the other Asian worlds. The great food, music and friendliness is just the tip of the iceberg.

[@sonnymoon6465]

Wow ! Thanks for that comment !

[@samanthakronos]

seeing you speak vietnamese had me smiling the ENTIRE video. my mom is from vietnam and seeing you try my language made me so happy. cảm ơn!!

[@plasma_val]

As a Vietnamese person, I go to eden all the time. Where I get most of my Vietnamese foods from!

[@hetchogdareelyeman4297]

Now try Polish. I really want to see you pronounce some of the more complicated words with letter combos like sz cz rz. It would be a nice challenge for you

[@user-pe7mn9hs7s]

Yeaah, polish

[@wavell14]

I'm learning Polish just now, the pronunciation isn't the problem it's the insane declination

[@DerpChar]

I visited Vietnam a couple of years ago pre Covid and I’d have to say it’s an amazing country. The people are ridiculously friendly and the food was amazing. I was very impressed by their cucumber salads and their squid was utterly amazing. Would highly recommend for a holiday.

[@ericbeauchamp7385]

Just about every one of your videos makes my heart swell with happiness.

[@cyclonicleo]

Vietnamese people are so lovely. Worked with many in my factory days and i've never forgotten their kindness.

[@ValueRobot]

As a VSL (Vietnamese as a second langauge) speaker, I absolutely commend Xiaoma's efforts with Vietnamese, BUT Vietnamese is a much easier language than Mandarin or some of the other languages he has learned, 100%. The alphabet actually makes way more sense and you really only need to pick up on 2 main dialects.

[@LiuQingHai]

As a vietnamese American who lived in China I highly disagree as far as speaking and listening goes. Mandarin only has 4 tones while viet has 6. Seeing my friends who grew up not speaking tonal languages try to speak Mandarin or Vietnamese, it's tough to understand. But their Mandarin pronunciation is always better than the friends who try to speak viet.

[@infinitesimal9001]

@@LiuQingHai true but the tones are basically shown in the accent. It takes some work but when you realize the accent acts like a diagram it helps. Its northern dialect vs southern I have a hard time with.

[@topofthecircle]

Plus all you need to know is Pho Ga and Banh Mi ....

[@jupiter_sama4752]

As someone who can read both English and viet. Reading Vietnamese makes more sense than english

[@Agent_Alpha]

@@jupiter_sama4752 tOUGH, thorOUGH, thrOUGH, cOUGH are pronounced very differently. As a Vietnamese, i can agree that English is very inconsistant and sometimes stupid.

[@tienbui5872]

Me being a Vietnamese, I give so much respect for him trying hard to learn and speak Vietnamese 🙏😊

[@zotezotezote]

Agreed

[@chloeeng6811]

me too i have vietnamese parents but i was never good at it at first then i practice it and now i almost fluent

[@nanaovitan]

@@chloeeng6811 Học thêm nữa đi em

[@nicholasvu7619]

Omg finally I was wondering when you'd learn and do a video in Vietnamese 😃🇻🇳 I'm hella hyped to watch now thanks Xiaoma 😁

[@Ankraus5104]

Love your videos. So positive. They always make me smile.

[@temper44]

Xiaoma, when Covid is over you could take the 21 day train ride from Spain to Singapore. Make it a big youtube series and speak the different languages along the route!

[@ImJustHereToClean]

I laughed so hard when you hit that banh mi at 8:50 and your whole face just bend around it

[@Chowder12345able]

Must have been real good

[@ssorinn]

HAHAHAHA 360 cameras have this kind of stuff, but this one was really hilarious

[@lorenzomendoza1476]

YESSS 😂

[@lorenzomendoza1476]

@@ssorinn I think it’s a fish or wide lens and might have a rain dropped that distorted his view lol

[@charliedennis9305]

@@lorenzomendoza1476 I don’t think so cause I’ve seen it happen indoors too

[@SiriusV21]

Eden Center! Nice. Amazing how you pick up languages so fast.

[@janetamcleod]

If I had to only eat one cuisine for the rest of my life it would 100% be Vietnamese food (as long as we include laksa). Pho, mung bean pie, rice paper rolls, spring rolls (served with a mountain of iceberg lettuce, Vietnamese mint and dipping sauce), Che Ba Mau (three colour). Big shout out to every Vietnamese restaurant and grocers in Melbourne, Australia.

[@darkiepoo8949]

the food you've mentioned is mostly from the southern region. southern cuisine in general has a lighter flavor and is friendlier on the nose. if you haven't tried them yet, look for cuisine from the central region. generally, this includes specialties from Hue city: bun bo hue, banh xeo, com hen, and a lot more. bun bo hue has a much more complex and deep flavor than pho. my other favorite would be bun cha ha noi from the northern region, named after the city of ha noi. central and northern cuisine tends to focus more on using fish sauce to enhance the already heavy umami flavors, and of course, spiciness to balance. as for the use of iceberg lettuce, that's just a transplanted ingredient because the greens they normally use in vietnam isn't easy to get where you're at, so they use whatever's available locally.

[@ThePtownPlaya]

Growing up nowhere near Vietnam, I have had Vietnamese food many times and it never disappoints.

[@nanaovitan]

❤️ that

[@phatxsumo]

This video made me so happy! Im Vietnamese american born and raised. My Accent is horrible. I feel like only my parents can understand me, cause they are used to it. Hearing someone worse than me in this video was great! lol loved it dude. Keep it up! Need to better my Vietnamese so you dont surpass me now.

[@rogermanley9017]

Amazing! I lived in Vietnam for almost a year and couldn't speak as well as this. So great!

[@pipe887]

Your singing was awesome, really!!! I love the ending we’re you had fun with it.

[@HuanNguyen99]

Really impressive how fast you learned Vietnamese! I think practicing Vietnamese, with Southern accent in particular, can make it easier for Viet people in CA to understand you better.

[@snappiepappie9899]

I love how happy he can make people by simply talking to them in their language

[@Zzzz-lg3iw]

Make people smile I guess , right ?

[@sublime2323]

Verbal impregnation

[@Beth81818]

The lady with the red hat was so sweet & helpful ☺️

[@RaeOfEffingSunshine]

I love how the simple act of learning someone else’s language makes them love you

[@snakecharmer109]

Love this wholesome channel. Learning languages and speaking with others is such a human thing to do. As a Vietnamese person, I loved watching this!

[@billyjor7617]

I find it crazy how every time I watch a video I have a smile on my face the entire time. I love that people are just so genuinely interested when someone who they don’t expect to know their language, does. Keep up the great content!

[@vesperslynd2676]

3:01 my heart melted lol. and then the fact that he actually went through and ordered the song to sing. *insert the little flute song/1-up sound effect you put in to highlight a reaction.*

[@carlyrogers4033]

fully shocked you’re in the eden center bc i literally grew up going there and live really close. like the surroundings looked so familiar and i didnt know why but then i saw that you were at the eden center and got so excited. love eden center literally the greatest.

[@haydenl6261]

I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for you to make an episode on Vietnamese. Thank you so much for learning our language! It is heartwarming to see you connecting with the Vietnamese community through your language and socialization skills!

[@hookedonwood5830]

So impressive how these videos show the respect and joy you get from/to people by doing the effort to learn their language. Greatly appreciated content! Connecting people all over the world. - not to be underestimated.

[@airtreia]

Eden Center! This place is great I am glad you featured it. My wife is from Vietnam and I will say its absolutely brutal for me to try and learn. The tone differences are so subtle to me as an English speaker.

[@crazyjake29]

Great job with your vietnamese in this video man! ive been learning it for 5 years and i still feel like a beginner!

[@guitaro5000]

3:25 Me: wow, what a Beautiful voice! KZbin: Wow, what a beautiful copyright

[@yurimiyasato9340]

Xiaoma, me encanta cómo interactúas con las personas. El mundo debería ser así, sin miedos ni prejuicios. Me encanta tus videos!!!! Saludos desde Perú 🇵🇪

[@manuelgerman1426]

Ñuqa runasimi parlanki

[@ibandribew]

Él debe ir a Perú y probar comida chifa!

[@moocowspots]

Dude I love how your confidence! I'll admit I did not quite understand what you were saying in Vietnamese (the subs helped!) I hope you do a follow up vid to show how much you've improved!!

[@alexchopper7997]

I think it’s wonderful to see you take on a new and quite difficult language as Vietnamese. Kudos to you.

[@noonedude101]

I lived near a large Vietnamese community in Texas which is where I was initiated into their food culture. It is definitely at the top of this foodie's list!

[@tuanpham4825]

Been waiting a long time for this video. Appreciate your efforts in learning the language. You are very correct that it is one of toughest languages to learn. I'm still learning even though I'm a native. Keep up the good work.

[@CJONE764]

This just popped up on my feed. I loved my time in Hanoi. The people were the friendliest I've ever met in my travels. People asking you to come to dinner and such. What an amazing place. If you want to get a good laugh from Vietnamese the phrase "oh gioi oi" always makes people smile like mad. It means basically "oh my god"

[@leslieetrann]

So excited to see this!

[@stephens5880]

You made that lady's day! Its so special the joy you can bring to the world. Learn Thoisanese!!! or Yiddish!

[@AR-mb3id]

New subscriber. As a Vietnamese American, I am very impressed with your Vietnamese language skills. and as others have pointed out, you're authentic and great with people. Keep it up!

[@vergil1us]

I always liked the videos for the reactions of the people when they heard you speaking their language but that old lady telling you you are like her son got me in tears 😭 If I was there I would have watery eyes for sure.

[@Mr31max]

I admire your ability to go and speak that language to native speakers so soon after learning (some of) it. It is so damned difficult to pronounce correctly and get people to understand you, not least because they would not expect you to speak it. I am just learning it, and I hope I'll manage to connect with people as well as you did in this video. Well done!

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

I hope you're gonna do this again someday, as a vietnamese living in germany it feels nice to see people actually trying to learn that language without growing up with it

[@krisreid2815]

How is your German?

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

@@krisreid2815 Perfect, it's my mother language because i lived there since I was born

[@krisreid2815]

@@TheDiamondBladeHD if you were born in Germany you are not Vietnamese.

[@TheDiamondBladeHD]

@@krisreid2815 I consider myself both

[@bartekdymecki7280]

I love that way u show people how u learn those launge. Love it

[@wa7saka]

I appreciate your effort and generosity

[@SongbirdCollageArts]

I love your channel. You content is so wholesome. I love how happy you make people just by taking the time and making the effort to learn their language. It's like an instant connection.