Work With Vietnamese
  • Cultural Literacy
    • Who is Ms. Nguyen?
    • How old are you?
    • When it's time for siesta...
    • To hear what isn't said
    • Tet = Christmas + New Year
    • Smart casual? What does it mean?
    • Rubber time
    • We request the honor of your presence...
    • Where Midas is welcome
    • From outings to the company trip
    • The rising rainbow flag
    • Song of a thousand honks
    • To bribe or not to bribe…
    • It's more than just money
    • The six dimensions of Vietnamese culture
    • Good luck, bad luck
    • The ugly Vietnamese
  • For Employers
  • Author

vietnam cultural literacy

Rubber time

Perhaps, the word "rubber time" is more widely known with Indonesian culture in which it is defined as "a phrase the Indonesians use to jokingly refer to that culture's rather laid-back attitude about appointments, schedules, and deadlines". Interestingly, we have similar expression ("giờ cao su" or "giờ dây thun") to reflect the fact that in Vietnamese culture, schedules are flexible and punctuality does not come naturally but needs reinforcement. This is extremely true for such events as casual appointments, dating or parties. If you are invited to a Vietnamese wedding party, usually the time on the invitation card is 5 or 6pm but the actually party will only start some time between 7pm and 8pm, after most of the guests arrive or when the couples can’t wait any longer.
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Despite of that, Vietnamese staff are quite punctual when working in a professional environment as long as punctuality is reinforced by company's culture or policy. With more and more Vietnamese people exposed to international working culture, "rubber time" becomes less and less popular. However, such thing as flexible working time is still preferred and considered as one of the "benefits" offered by the company in Vietnam.
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Key takeaways

  • Rubber time ("giờ cao su" or "giờ dây thun" in Vietnamese) is the terms to reflect the fact that in Vietnamese culture, schedules are flexible and punctuality does not come naturally but needs reinforcement.
  • Be prepared that Vietnamese people can come to the events late, especially if it is not a formal one.

More to read...

  1. Who is Ms. Nguyen?
  2. How old are you?
  3. When it's time for siesta...
  4. To hear what isn't said
  5. Tet = Christmas + New Year
  6. Smart casual? What does it mean?
  7. Rubber time
  8. We request the honor of your presence...
  9. Do you want to relax, Sir?
  10. Where Midas is welcome
  11. From outings to the company trip
  12. The rising rainbow flag
  13. Song of a thousand honks
  14. To bribe or not to bribe...
  15. It is more than just money...
  16. The six dimensions of Vietnamese culture
  17. Good luck, bad luck
  18. The ugly Vietnamese
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  • Cultural Literacy
    • Who is Ms. Nguyen?
    • How old are you?
    • When it's time for siesta...
    • To hear what isn't said
    • Tet = Christmas + New Year
    • Smart casual? What does it mean?
    • Rubber time
    • We request the honor of your presence...
    • Where Midas is welcome
    • From outings to the company trip
    • The rising rainbow flag
    • Song of a thousand honks
    • To bribe or not to bribe…
    • It's more than just money
    • The six dimensions of Vietnamese culture
    • Good luck, bad luck
    • The ugly Vietnamese
  • For Employers
  • Author