Elaborations

• discussing their own level of comfort with particular gestures and body language when interacting across cultures, for example, making or not making eye contact when talking to older people, beckoning downwards or upwards, and hugging or not hugging in greeting
• sharing with peers how it feels to use Vietnamese and English in different contexts, such as at home, at school and in the Vietnamese community, reflecting on instances when these interactions have felt comfortable, awkward or difficult, and explaining why this might be the case
• developing language to describe personal reactions to and feelings about intercultural experiences, for example, thoải mái/không thoải mái, thích/không thích
• noticing how their Vietnamese cultural background influences their linguistic choices in cross-cultural interactions, for example, changing terms of address and level of formality depending on the context of interaction and the relationships between participants, such as the use of ông, bà or title plus the first or full name (ông Bình, bà Hoa, Trưng Nữ Vương, Vua Quang Trung, Tiến sĩ Hiệp, Bộ trưởng Lê Trung Hiếu) when addressing people formally
• discussing how language reflects cultural concepts and values, for example, the importance of seeking agreement and compromise as reflected in the way Vietnamese people express disagreement (Tôi không nghĩ vậy. Tôi e rằng… Bạn nói cũng có lý nhưng tôi nghĩ khác), the importance of modesty and humility as expressed in the proverb Bảy hai chưa què chớ khoe rằng khoẻ, and the importance of respect as seen in the way Vietnamese people greet each other or address the elderly (dạ/thưa/ kính thưa)