Tieng Viet lovers club

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by raidz70

Senior bro please help.

I ask her why she like me then she reply this.

vi ban tot khong lam toi so.

mean what?

Because you good, wont make me scared.

[KangTuo]

Originally Posted by vietboy

Gia dinh toi lam an that bai

my family sell food unsuccessfully

you are translating it directly "lam an" = "make food"
i think this is wrong translation

consult your oc what is "lam an that bai"...

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by oldmcdonald

thanks vietboy, you're a legend.

We've probably all heard it before. Vietnamese girl from a poor family comes to Singapore and enter the trade as a FL. She gets numbers off clients hoping for repeat business or to trick them into sending them money.

A part of me knows there's a high probability that I'm another sucker that's falling for her story, but another part of me is hoping that's not the case.

Senior bros, help me out here. What do I make of this given the messages I've posted up?

Yes, I was a customer (LT).
Yes, she gave me her number, probably wanting repeat business.
I still don't understand why she gave me her Vietnamese number, and now has continued to text while I'm miles away.

Yes, she's asked me to send her money ($5000, then $2500, then $1000). Why continue after I've said no? She's invited me to Vietnam and said she'll pick me up from the airport. Is it worth paying her a visit next time I'm in the region?

Another bit of info - it was her birthday the other day. Google Translate says she asked for a gift, so I said I'd send her a present which is not money. She says it would mean a lot to her. She's given me her address in Vietnam and I've held up my end of the bargain and sent her a small toy. Does this mean anything?

Also, she said she would leave Singapore early September. She's still in Singapore and says she'll be leaving 5th October. I thought Vietnamese passport holders were only allowed 30 days visa free entry. What's up with that?

Sorry for all the questions! Really new at this and appreciate any help I can get!

Like i said b4, i'm no legend. I'm just a normal guy like u. Also, i'm still learning still alot of words i dun know. There are lots of experts out there, some of them just keep quiet.

Now, let me tell u what i think of what u have asked:

Yes, I was a customer (LT).
Yes, she gave me her number, probably wanting repeat business.
I still don't understand why she gave me her Vietnamese number, and now has continued to text while I'm miles away.

she gives u her number so to KC u, as she see u potential KC target.

Yes, she's asked me to send her money ($5000, then $2500, then $1000). Why continue after I've said no? She's invited me to Vietnam and said she'll pick me up from the airport. Is it worth paying her a visit next time I'm in the region?

She is just trying her luck that one day u will say "ok, i'll send u money". And like what Forgetoldnick said, my advise is the same: dun bother to even tell her that u r going to vietnam. unless u want to have further dealings with her. It is not worth. Why? u go vn find her, surely u will bed her, once u do that, it will be $1000, then $2500, then $5000.

She's given me her address in Vietnam and I've held up my end of the bargain and sent her a small toy. Does this mean anything?
Yeah it means something. It means u are an even more potential KC target. More increased chance of KC-ing u.

Also, she said she would leave Singapore early September. She's still in Singapore and says she'll be leaving 5th October. I thought Vietnamese passport holders were only allowed 30 days visa free entry. What's up with that?

Whats up with that? Cant u see? 1st she is not telling u the truth or rather telling u anything, in fact she doesnt have to as u r just a nobody to her. 2nd she is still in need of money, so in the future need to dig more money from u if she ever got the chance.

So just forget about her, it will save u time, save u the money that u used for texting her.

Above are my 2 dongs.

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by KangTuo

you are translating it directly "lam an" = "make food"
i think this is wrong translation

consult your oc what is "lam an that bai"...

Oh, u really 一语惊醒梦中人! After looking through again, it means "work not successful". The master has spoken.
Thanks for pointing that out. no need to consult oc.

See, oldmcdonald n greener, i'm not legend. I do make mistakes.

[Botarbolampar]

Interesting I'm hopeless in TV.

[raidz70]

Originally Posted by vietboy

Because you good, wont make me scared.

ban cho toi co met lam khong mean what?

Thanks

[LittleDidIKnow]

You wait for me, tired or not?

Just guessing...

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by greener

nam rjet

Originally Posted by vietboy

work not smooth

How u come out with this meaning?

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by raidz70

ban cho toi co met lam khong mean what?

Without context, this sentence may be interpret as "bắn chó tôi, có mệt lắm không" = "Whack" my dog, very tired or not?

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by jackbl

How u come out with this meaning?

Another 一语惊醒梦中人！ another mistake.

riết - pull tight; strict

In other words, she trying to say: chase too tight she scared. 追/逼太紧，我会怕怕。

[vietboy]

Originally Posted by jackbl

Without context, this sentence may be interpret as "bắn chó tôi, có mệt lắm không" = "Whack" my dog, very tired or not?

Yes, hard to decode without context can be anything.

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by vietboy

Another 一语惊醒梦中人！ another mistake.

riết - pull tight; strict

In other words, she trying to say: chase too tight she scared. 追/逼太紧，我会怕怕。

Really I dun know what is "nam rjet".... I can't decode the meaning, let alone make a sentence out of it.... U really improved alot.....

[jackbl]

Originally Posted by Botarbolampar

Interesting I'm hopeless in TV.

If u really put some time to learn, I dun think u will be hopeless, the most is less hope

[jackbl]

The true story of an HIV-positive Vietnamese gay man
================================================== ================

Editor’s note: Our columnist James Allen tells the true story of one of his friends, a Vietnamese, who is gay and HIV-positive. The name of the friend has been changed to protect the subject’s identity.


Being young and gay can be a tough deal sometimes. It is easy to forget how lucky I am to have been born into a generation which stands on the shoulders of those who courageously fought for the rights and freedoms I have in 2012. Coming to terms with your sexuality and facing the reactions of those you come out to can be very difficult indeed. The effort to advance LGBT issues in Vietnam is still in its infancy, with a long way yet to go. The recent gay pride march in Hanoi has given me the kick I needed to share the struggle of a Vietnamese friend of mine, Duy, who wishes to remain anonymous, but who has bravely allowed me to tell his particularly difficult story of being a young gay man in Vietnam.

Family is king in Vietnam; as the Vietnamese say, “Gia đình là trên hết.” This country is moving quickly: it’s opening up and a young generation is emerging, growing more confident than ever in who they are and how they want to lead their lives. A friend of mine, Duy, recently came out to me about a year ago. He is 22 years old. He sheepishly approached the subject and sought hope in the fact that I could relate to his situation. Not feeling particularly qualified to give advice but relying only on my own experience of coming out, I tried to instill in him a sense of confidence in who he was and how that identity would affect his life. Just telling someone the first time is a profound rite of passage in itself.

For many gay people here in Vietnam, it seems impossible to tell their families. They want – or rather expect – their sons and daughters to live at home, get married and have children. In stricter households, this is an un-bendable expectation. In the case of Duy, these expectations weren’t any different.

He’d dated, but was happy when he eventually found himself a boyfriend. Duy occasionally spoke to me to ask questions or just talk about his problems; standard friend behavior, albeit sporadic. Their relationship eventually ended, and some time passed in which he went on dates again and got on with things. A few months ago, I received a text from him saying that he had noticed a strange mark on his skin. He got tested and his doctor confirmed that he was HIV positive.

Sadly, through a lack of exposure to the facts, many who read this may solely associate homosexuality with a positive HIV status. This association is false. To put it into perspective, according to UNAIDS, at the end of 2009 an estimated 16.7% of men having sex with men were living with the disease in Vietnam (Viet Nam Aids Response Progress Report 2012). UNAIDS further reported that between 220,000 and 350,000 (www.unaids.org) people were estimated to be HIV-positive across the country, and as of 2011, cases of HIV have been reported in every one of Vietnam’s 63 provinces, in 98% of its districts and 77% of its communes. A lot of figures, a lot of facts, but by no means does 16.7% make HIV an exclusively gay problem.

At the age of 22 years old, Duy is young, HIV-positive and terrified. Despite the figures, he still feels relatively alone.

“Am I going to die?”

“How long will I live?”

“I saw on the Internet that a man was cured of HIV. Is that true?”

The questions came thick and fast, and I tried my best to answer or suggest sources of information. Luckily, Duy had started a relationship just before his positive result and his new boyfriend was amazingly supportive. Even though they had only been together for a few weeks, he stuck by him through all the hospital appointments and provided much-needed support, despite being young himself and having just as little in the way of information as Duy.

Being gay in Vietnam is still very controversial so, understandably, Duy hasn’t told his family. Thankfully, he has at least a couple of people he can confide in without judgment. That was until his boyfriend’s aunt found out that he was gay.

Scared by the reaction of the rest of the family should he continue his relationship with Duy, my friend's boyfriend didn’t know what to do. His fears were strong enough to cause him to want to take his own life. A shocked Duy eventually talked him down, but the crushing disappointment he felt he would cause his boyfriend’s family led Duy to end their relationship, knowing that his boyfriend’s situation would only get worse. With his boyfriend went a vital part of Duy’s support network, as small as it was, as well as his desire to keep taking his medication. After further communication, he has since returned to his doctor and is continuing with his treatment.

There is help out there, LGBT advice and support networks like www.isee.org.vn do exist, but you have to actively go out and look for them. I have no idea how Duy manages to deal with all of this and maintain a job at such a young age, but he does so without the support of friends or a family unit others would depend on. The cold hard truth of the matter is that, unless Duy starts opening up and telling more people, he won’t get the help he needs or the support he deserves. Being gay for Duy isn’t always going to be easy, but it doesn’t have to be awful either, and that’s largely up to him. For Duy there is a difficult choice ahead; he either faces his family, telling them who he is and the help he needs, possibly risking their disapproval, or he can go the way of many other gay men and women before him by keeping his silence and living a double life, essentially pleasing his family but hurting himself in the process and managing his illness, alone. I don’t think I am the unique in thinking that Duy deserves a lot better than the latter.

[jackbl]

A Singaporean look at Vietnamese showbiz
================================================== ========

Editor’s note: Kevin N. is a Singaporean make-up artist and hairstylist. He has worked with Vietnamese showbiz people for quite a long time. In this article, he writes about the dark side of the industry in Vietnam from his own point of view.

Engaging in the make-up industry for quite a long time, I have worked with showbiz people in some Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.Through what I have seen and heard (I spent four years learning Vietnamese), I think Vietnamese showbiz is so complicated and the following problems currently confront local celebrities:

Vietnamese celebrities often bad-mouth their colleagues. Unlike Thai, Singaporean, or South Korean artists who tend to support each other to make progress in their career, many singers and actors/actresses in Vietnam usually find ways to ‘sink’ their co-workers. In particular, some Vietnamese artists offered to pay my staff so that they applied ugly make-up or a hideous hairstyle on their ‘rivals.’ I myself received similar requests in return for a huge amount of money together with other benefits. Some even give their colleagues unpleasant nicknames.

I am also surprised at how hypocritical a number of Vietnamese celebrities are. They would be willing to give harsh comments right after sweetly greeting and hugging each other. I still remember one pretty famous male singer turned to others and said, “She would be there as a kept woman rather than a singer” just moments after he congratulated a female singer on an invitation to perform in the U.S.

One particular thing that keeps confusing me is why Vietnam has so many singers? Some young Vietnamese who are my customers have become singers thanks to a good appearance although they have a really bad voice. Honestly speaking, I cannot ‘absorb’ any bit of what they call ‘the best’ in the CDs they gave me.

I know many sad stories that resulted from the fact that so many Vietnamese people want to become singers. Many young Vietnamese who once participated in small and big model competitions have become the preys for immoral artists and showmen. It is now a common sight in which senior artists and showmen walk hand in hand with beautiful young boys and girls. They freely make affectionate gestures even though they may meet each other for several days only. I once asked a 20-year-old male model if he was in a relationship with the showman X. and he ignored me. It was not until the showman publicly announced his new ‘lover’ that the model admitted to having a sexual relationship with him before. The young man explained that he was both lured by the showman’s sweet promise to make him a star, and scared by his warning of rendering him impossible to work in the entertainment industry if he refused to have an intimate relationship. Innocence, greed for fame, and an improper education have all driven many young people to lose themselves. I am sure that there are many cases like the model’s in Vietnamese showbiz, as I have witnessed such eyesores at my shop, behind the curtains, and in bars and night clubs. And how on earth would one explain the reason for young artists buying houses, cars, and expensive handbags after joining showbiz for a short time, although they had to rent an apartment and borrow a motorbike not long ago?

I also know of some good-looking singers who have good voices but agree to sing in small cafés, and of models walking off the runway simply because they are afraid to encounter senior tough people in the industry. Insiders are already familiar with singers and models hiring people to beat one another for ‘warning.’ Some want to become bad guys with shocking statements and actions since all this is considered a good way of publicity in Vietnam. Instead of regular training, they spend time creating scandals to be covered in the press.

Recently, I have heard many ugly things about Vietnamese showbiz, but I think it is just part of the chaos out there.

Of course, what I have just spoken out does not provide a comprehensive picture of the local entertainment industry, as every sector has its own bright and dark sides. All I want by telling the above stories is to remind parents to be careful and not to let their children enter the industry so early because traps are always set up there.