① The Siesta Culture Foreigners Struggle to Understand
After lunch, it’s natural to feel drowsy. Especially for office workers, sitting at a desk for long hours often leads to sleepiness. In Vietnamese companies, there’s a culture of taking a siesta in the office after lunch. Some people sleep at their desks or lie down on the office floor. All employees take a siesta together and then start their afternoon work.
The siesta culture of Vietnam may seem unfamiliar to Koreans.
In September 2017, a Korean manager at a sewing factory in Thanh Hoa province in northern Vietnam, seeing Vietnamese workers sleeping on the fabric during lunchtime, confiscated all the fabric. The Vietnamese workers protested vehemently, and a strike involving 6,000 people ensued. They demanded increases in basic pay, various allowances, and improvements in working conditions.
Workers also demanded changes to company rules that required them to notify the company three days in advance when they wanted to take a vacation, arguing that this did not fit with local Vietnamese culture.
This incident became a hot topic in Vietnam and was widely reported by local media.
The start time for Vietnamese companies is between 8 and 9 a.m., and lunchtime is about an hour and a half to two hours long.
Many foreigners struggle to understand Vietnam’s siesta culture.
A Japanese man working at a construction company in Hanoi said, “When I first came to work in Hanoi last year, the sight I encountered during lunchtime was a dark office with my colleagues going to sleep.
Seeing all my colleagues lying on the company floor with blankets and pillows was shocking, something unimaginable in Japan.
An American working as an English teacher in Ho Chi Minh City for six years also said the Vietnamese siesta culture was strange.
He said, “If someone did this in the U.S., Americans would think they were weird or lazy.
But this siesta culture is part of the lives of Vietnamese people.
② The Influence of the Hot and Humid Weather
Vietnam typically starts the day early in the morning. Many people wake up at 4 or 5 a.m. and eat lunch by 11 a.m. Most shops, hospitals, and banks in the city center also take a siesta from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Public institutions are no exception. You can see the culture of enjoying a siesta after a simple meal anywhere.
Also, Vietnam’s hot and humid weather has influenced the siesta culture. Fatigue increases as the weather gets hotter, leading to a siesta for rest. It’s about taking a break and sleeping during the hottest time of the day. You can often see people setting up hammocks and sleeping or lying on their motorcycles for a siesta on the streets of Vietnam.
The siesta culture can also be seen in universities, not just companies. In Vietnamese universities, the first class starts at 7 a.m., starting the day early due to the hot weather. Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Education operates a siesta room equipped with hammocks and air conditioning for students.
60 to 70 hammocks are installed, and anyone can freely use them from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Even elementary schools have a siesta time, with bedding provided at school.
Meanwhile, the siesta culture, similar to that in Vietnam, can also be seen in some European countries with hot climates. Although it has largely disappeared, there is a culture of taking a siesta in southern Europe, such as Spain and Italy.
③ Characteristics of Vietnamese Companies
In addition to the siesta culture, a few other characteristics of Vietnamese companies differ from those in Korea. Vietnamese people take their vacations very seriously. Many companies set more vacation days than the statutory holidays during Vietnam’s biggest festival.
In Vietnam, there is a strong culture of valuing family. Therefore, they consider spending time with their family after work important. When it’s time to leave work, they stop what they’re doing and go home immediately. They value the time spent with their family more than earning overtime pay.
In Vietnam, you receive your salary 13 times a year. This is related to the Vietnamese Lunar New Year culture. Companies pay an additional amount similar to a month’s salary in line with the Lunar New Year.
The Vietnamese government also recommends that companies pay bonuses.
By. Kim Min Jae
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