# Frequent places

*Frequent* as a verb.

Go to the same few places daily.

* cafés
* restaurants
* convenience shops (independent)
* bars

The locals running those cafes, restaurants, bars and shops[^1] will become familiar with you, they will feel more comfortable to look at you and speak to you, and they'll enjoy interacting with you.

Remember that most foreigners in Viet Nam are just passing through, and only come to party, to drink, to partake of other sins, and what-have-you.

If you want to learn the language, the culture, and connect to the local people, ***don't be that foreigner***.

Make friends with the people who construct the world that you are enjoying.

...

***

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Now that you've started to frequent a few places, get comfortable with the phrases that you need for ordering food, coffee, drinks, snacks, etc.

Ask the owners and staff about their day. Tell them what you did today.

They will probably ask you the typical questions:

* how old are you
* where are you from
* why are you in Viet Nam
* are you married
* do you have a lover
* do you have kids
* do you want to live in Viet Nam forever
* do you want to marry a Vietnamese
* where do you live right now
* etc

So... Learn how to answer these questions.

You'll learn a great deal of useful vocabulary & phrases just by answering these questions.

And those words & phrases will form your foundation.

Get good at answering.

Get good at pronouncing clearly.

{% hint style="success" %}
With pronunciation, our goal is **always** to ***make it as easy as possible for others to understand us***.

Why should they be making extra effort to understand us?

We are visitors, guests in their country. Make the effort.

Don't feel awkward or embarrassed for trying to mimic their sounds. This is the correct way to acquire the pronunciation & accent.
{% endhint %}

And also, learn how to ask these questions, too!

Such questions are normal for them in their culture. You are allowed to ask such things, especially if they have already asked you.

[^1]: Independent shops — the staff of the chain shops don't care about their jobs, just the same as in the West.
