Why is Vietnam so poor while Vietnamese are so smart?

为什么越南人这么聪明，可越南却还是这么穷？

以下是Quora读者的评论：

Quang Nguyen, B.A Accounting, Truman State University (2013)

Vietnamese are not so smart, it’s some ego boost trap from propaganda each Vietnamese must slowly need to unlearn what they thought they are.

越南人并没有聪明到哪儿去，这只是自欺欺人的说法罢了，所有越南人必须摒弃这种自以为是。

I repeat: Vietnamese are not smarter than other people. We cannot compare ourselves with other nations like US, Germany, Japan and even China. We are also not even as good as Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino. In fact, we are so average and below such that we should feel ashamed instead of thinking we are smart.

我再说一遍：越南人并不比其他种族聪明。我们没法跟美国、德国、日本甚至中国等其他国家的人相比。我们甚至不如泰国、马来西亚、印尼、菲律宾。事实上，我们是如此的平庸，平庸到我们应该感到羞耻，而不是反过来为自己的“聪明”沾沾自喜。

Thinking i’m a bit harsh? Let’s see:

觉得我说话刺耳难听是吗？让我们一起来看看呗：

Name a world class Vietnamese in any areas which we are having or use to have. I repeat: world class Vietnamese, meaning what they done is a feat that reaches world class recognition

你们随便说一个在任何领域举足轻重的越南人吧。敲重点哈：做出过世界级贡献的，得到全世界认可的越南人。

Name a contribution by a Vietnamese to the world

跟我说说越南人对世界做出过的任何贡献。

Name a company from Vietnam which has made empire abroad in country more advance than us

列举一家在海外建立起商业帝国的越南企业。

Any invention by Vietnamese worth mentioning

列举出越南人的任何上得了台面的发明。

Any speech by a Vietnamese person on TED or TEDx

列举出越南人在TED或TEDx上的任何演讲。

I can go on …..

诸如此类.....

And mate, did you feel any struggle to counter ? If we are smart, why the struggle? Calm your educated pride and let me help you truly learn something….

伙计，是不是觉得难以反击？如果我们够聪明，为什么会觉得难？丢掉别人灌输给你的自豪感吧，我来帮你真正了解一下....

Vietnamese think they are smart because they were taught by older Vietnamese so… We are only smart to make some tricks and hacks , not a systematic approach to solve any problem

越南人认为他们自己很聪明，因为老一辈越南人是这么就是跟他们说的，其实我们只会耍些小聪明，不会用系统的方法来解决任何问题。

But I agree with the notion that we are poorer than the potential we should be. We are not even close to the collective power as a nation we may achieve.

但我同意这种观点，即在经济方面，我们尚未充分发挥我们的潜能。作为一个国家，我们甚至与我们能够获得的集体力量相距甚远。

That was because we suck at team work. Our culture were rooted from Confucianism and we are so much group thinking to kiss our leader’s ass by it. With China North, constant wars mean we never were free to chill and think for anything major rather than how to survive or kill this guy or to be independent

这种局面的产生是因为我们不擅长团队合作。我们的文化植根于儒家思想，我们有太重的从众思想来讨好我们的领导人。我们跟北面的中国持续不断的战争意味着我们从来没有时间冷静下来，思考除了如何生存、消灭中国或独立之外的国家大事。

Why are we poorer? You got damn right! We are not that smart and let’s take a moment to admit we have sucked in the past and we must tell our future to say let’s get smarter and stop being so poor and calling yourself smart and teaching your kids pride of country when you treat them like shit with your only regards of families and self first

为什么我们还不够富裕？你说得太对了！我们并没有那么聪明，让我们冷静承认，我们沉溺于过去，我们必须对未来说一声让我们发挥才智，终结贫穷，别自以为是，别嘴上教育孩子们为祖国而自豪，眼里却只看得到小家和自我。

Anonymous

I’m Vietnamese but I don’t think we are smart. Here’s why I don’t think we are smart:

我是越南人，但我不认为越南人很聪明。原因如下：

1.When foreigners tell us they bought something from Vietnam, Vietnamese always say “You got ripped off, I can get it for cheaper”.

Well.. what can I say, they are devaluing their own products and create impression that people can spend as least as possible in Vietnam. No wonder why Vietnamese tourism ministry keeps complaining that tourists spend lower in Vietnam than other countries ($8 billion vs Thailand’s $52 billion!!! And even countries with less tourists earned more than Vietnam, for example Indonesia at $15 bln!!!). This is unlike other people who are smarter than us, for example, the Thai, they really know how to get money from tourists well.

1.外国人跟我们说他们从越南买了东西时，越南人总说“你被宰了，我可以买到更便宜的”。

嗯，我能说啥，他们贬低自己国家的商品，让外人觉得在越南能少花钱就少花钱。难怪越南旅游部一直抱怨游客在越南的消费低于其他国家(越南80亿美元，泰国520亿美元！)即使是游客比越南少的国家，旅游收入也比越南高，比如印尼，收入达到150亿美元！)比我们聪明的其他民族，比如泰国人，他们真的很懂得如何从游客手里大赚一笔。

2. When selling things, Vietnamese always want to sell for cheaper price than competitor. But this makes everyone’s price goes down and everyone gets lower profit, especially when they’re selling the same things.

When I was in Thailand, all vendors sold at roughly the same price. No one played dirty and went half price on the others. Even tax drivers were consistent in the way they ripped people off. Tourists had no choice but pay for an overpriced tuk tuk. More money for Thailand.

2. 卖东西时，越南人千方百计压低竞争对手的价格。但这只会损人不利己，价格降低，利润减少，尤其当他们销售相同的东西时。

我在泰国时，所有商家的价格都差不多。没有人私下降价出卖同行。就连出租车司机们宰客也都如出一辙。游客们别无选择，只能高价乘坐嘟嘟车。这给泰国带来了更多的收入。

3.Vietnamese nationalism is really stupid. It is misplaced nationalism. Does Vietnamese nationalism help Vietnamese? No not really, Vietnamese still watch Chinese movies (while protesting Chinese technology and businesses which some are good for Vietnam), drive Japanese cars, wear American brands, listen to Korean music. Meanwhile Vietnamese nationalism goes crazy and create fake news, rioting and protesting, and spreading fake news and bad mouthing Vietnamese brands (!!). Then complain why Vietnamese brands can’t grow or produce good products (!!!). Same for music and movies, always haters, then complain why Vietnam can’t produce good music.

3.越南的民族主义真的很蠢。这是一种错位的、不合时宜的民族主义。越南的民族主义帮到越南人了吗？不，并没有，越南人照样看中国电影(一边看中国电影，一边抵制中国的技术和企业，其中一些对越南是有益的)，开日本车，穿美国服饰，听韩国音乐。但与此同时，越南民族主义越来越夸张，杜撰假新闻，制造暴乱和抗议，传播假新闻，诋毁越南品牌(!!)然后又抱怨越南品牌为什么得不到发展，造不出好产品(!!)。越南人对音乐和电影产业也是如此，总有观众一边吐槽，一边抱怨为什么越南没有好音乐。

Say they hate China but are against everything Chinese influence that is actually good for Vietnam, while watching repetitive Chinese dramas (that even the chinese has banned) and reading Chinese gay novels, and some are even supporting Chinese phone brands over Vietnamese ones (!!!)

他们嘴上说着讨厌中国，抵制中国的一切，实际上有些中国的东西对越南是有好处的，但同时又一遍又一遍地观看中国电视剧(有些电视剧中国甚至都禁播了)，读中国的同性恋小说，有些人还支持中国手机品牌，而非越南手机品牌(!!)

4.Complain why infrastructure and big projects don’t get built fast, but refuse to move when the government compensates them. Even when the government pays them a lot of money plus give them a residence. Then complain why big projects cost so much money and so many delays because of land acquisition problem. If all Vietnamese think for the big picture, Vietnam would be a much better place

4.抱怨基础设施和大型工程的建设为什么那么慢，但当政府提出拆迁赔偿时又一口拒绝。即使政府愿意赔偿很多钱，提供其他住处也没用。然后又抱怨为什么大型工程要花这么多钱，为什么因为征地问题导致严重的拖延。如果所有越南人都能从大局出发，越南会变得更好

5.Not accepting responsibility. Say it’s the government’s or other’s fault when it’s actually our fault. Honking on the street, littering everywhere, selling fake food, bribing traffic police, grabbing stool and running away from police when you’re not supposed to sell food on the pavement (then complain about why Vietnam is so messy, why so many vendors on pavement, no space to walk..)

5.没有责任心。把明明是自己的错甩锅给政府或其他人。在街上乱按喇叭，到处乱扔垃圾，卖假食物，贿赂交警，在人行道上占道经营卖小吃，警察一来就四处逃窜(然后嘴上又抱怨为什么越南这么乱，为什么人行道上有这么多摊贩，没有地方走…)

6.Think everything foreigners say is right. Without questioning. Even when they wrongly criticize Vietnam.

6.认为外国人说的一切都是对的。无脑接受，毫不质疑。即使外国人对越南的评论大错特错。

Historically we have not been a very smart nation, actually too proud and stupid.

If we were smart history wouldn’t be what it was for us:

从古至今，我们都不是一个非常聪明的国家，实际上，我们太过骄傲和愚蠢。

如果我们真的很聪明，历史就会是另一番景象了：

1.we should have opened up and learned from Western technology like what the Japanese did. Instead Vietnam closed off and became a hermit kingdom like China. Japan industrialized, while Vietnam became backward and could not fight against colonialism.

1.我们应该像日本人那样开放心态，向西方学习技术。但相反的是，越南选择了闭关锁国，成为了一个像中国一样的隐士王国。日本实现了工业化，而越南越来越落后，无力反抗殖民*义。

2.After Viernam war, we should have left the capitalist class of South Vietnam alone, instead of doing the capitalist purge.

2.越南战争之后，我们应该放过南越的资本家阶级，而不是进行zb主义清洗。

3.After the Vietnam war, we shouldn’t have gone to war with China. Probably also stay out of Cambodia and focus on rebuilding the destroyed economy. We should have implemented Doi Moi and not planned economy at roughly the same time as the Chinese. This means we would have an extra decade of growth. Plus without the capitalist purge, South Vietnam’s companies and industries could have still stayed intact.

3. 越南战争之后，我们不该和中国开战。或许也不要插手柬埔寨，应该一心一意地重建被破坏的经济。我们应该实行经济革新，而不是和中国差不多同时实行计划经济。不然我们就能早发展十年了。而且，如果没有发生zb主义清洗，南越的公司和工业可能仍然完好无损。

And now in the 21st century, we are still too short sighted to recognize our faults. I would say Vietnamese are not smart, we are cunning and sly. Qualities that although might seem to yield positive short term benefits, I don’t think they are positive for long term growth.

在21世纪的今天，我们仍然目光短浅，没有意识到自己犯下的错误。我想说越南人并不聪明，我们最多只能算滑头。虽然可能会给国家带来积极的短期收益，但我认为它们对长期发展起不到积极作用。

Tuan Minh

 I'm Vietnamese.

The fact that Vietnamese are “smart”, not intelligent, make them a bunch of selfish people.

我是越南人。

越南人是“聪明”，但没有才智，这让他们变成了一群自私自利的人。

Many time I got cut ahead while queueing. I once waited in a line in the supermarket, then there was a girl, who just cut ahead of me like it’s a natural thing to do, putting her stuff on the counter. I ask her to queue like everyone else, and she said: “You’re a man, don’t act like a girl”. The sad thing is, the cashier nourish that trait by processing with her. Almost all cashiers will do that, instead of asking her to go the back of the line. That’s why Vietnamese almost never queue.

有很多次，我排队时都被插队了。有一次我在超市排队，有个女孩无比自然地走到我前面，直接把她的东西放到了柜台上。我请她像其他人一样规矩排队，她却说:“拜托，你是个男人，别跟个娘们似的叽叽歪歪。”可悲的是，收银员没有异议地帮她结算了，助长了她的这种行径。几乎所有的收银员都这样，不敢让插队的人老实排队。这就是为什么越南人几乎从不排队的原因。

If you’re waiting for a red line at the intersection in Vietnam, you’ll notice, people will start to move when the red light has about 5 seconds left, not when it turns green. They will clump up with the people moving in the perpendicular direction, and as the result, the traffic will stuck. They’re so “smart”, so they thought they’ll be home 5 seconds faster.

如果你在越南的十字路口等红灯，你会注意到，人们在红灯还剩5秒的时候就开始行动了，不会等到绿灯亮起。他们会和从右手边方向过来的人交汇，结果，交通就堵塞了。他们就是这么 “聪明”，觉得这么做就能早5秒回家。

At the intersection also, you can see there is a lane for people who turn right. Vietnamese will fill in that lane, they don’t give a fuck about the people who need to turn right, just to make them closer to the red light, thus they gonna be home 5 seconds earlier, ’cause they’re so smart you know. 5 seconds earlier at the cost of 90 seconds later for a dozens of people have to wait behind them.

你们知道的，十字路口有右转车道。越南人为了离红灯近一点，再近一点，会把右转车道堵得死死的，根本不管那些需要右转的人，这样他们就能提前5秒到家了，他们就是这么 “聪明”。为了自己早5秒，别人得晚90秒，因为几十个人都得在他们后面等着。

Whenever it rains, there will be a lot of people standing under the bridge that go over a road, despite the fact that they block the traffic of the entire road. They’re smart right, that way they can stay dry. Fuck anyone who is travelling on the road.

下雨时，有很多人会站在天桥下躲雨，管它路面交通堵塞又如何。他们就是这么 “聪明”，这样不会淋到雨嘛。

The leaders are “smart” too. They always find a way to spend society tax money for themself, and when they step down from power, they have already got citizenship in another country and fled there with all the money they got.

领导人也很“聪明”。他们总能找到办法把社会税收花在自己身上，当他们下台时，他们已经获得了另一个国家的公民身份，带着所有的钱逃到了那里。

Anh Lam

And when Vietnamese go to those “overseas lands”, you will quickly find that they are no different to Vietnam, and the reason they’re rich is just a result of history. You will quickly learn that Vietnamese education gives you more advantage than the laidback Western system. You will increasingly see the potential of your country.

当越南人出国后，很快就会发现这些国家跟越南并没有什么不同，他们如今的富裕只是历史的结果。你很快就会发现，比起西方宽松的教育体系，越南的教育给你带来了更多的优势。你们将越来越多地发现越南的潜力。

The reason why Asia has been held back for century is due to the Western world having a head start in industrialization. But Vietnam has just started and needs time to catch up. Look at what the West used to say about China, how its students have no creativity, how they are like robots, no social skills, no life skills, no soft skills…. Look at China now? It is top in the innovation spectrum, its technology is sending shivers down those Old World powers’ spines. Can they say that China have no innovation now?

亚洲之所以没落了几个世纪，是因为西方国家在工业化方面先行了一步。但越南才刚刚起步，需要时间迎头赶上。看看西方国家曾经是怎么评价中国的，他们说中国学生没有创造力，就像机器人一样，没有社交技能，没有生活技能，没有软技能。但看看现在的中国？它在创新领域处于领先地位，它的技术水平让那些老牌世界强国瑟瑟发抖。他们现在还敢说中国没有创新吗？

译文来源：三泰虎 https://www.santaihu.com/p/51998.html  译者：Joyceliu

Everything starts slow and in bad condition but will pick up momentum when the foundation is set. But you need confidence. Confidence in your people, confidence in your culture and most importantly confidence in your country!

万事开头难，但当基础奠定后就能迎头赶上。你们需要信心。要对你们的人民有信心，对你们的文化有信心，最重要的是对你们的祖国有信心!

It’s good to receive criticisms to improve, but don’t let foreigners put your country down. Do not believe everything they say is right. You need to have your own pathway, not reliant on others to pave that path for you. That is why the Asian tigers and China succeeded, they do not wait for the Western world to tell them what and how to make their country rich. In fact they found their own pathway, and each of those received a lot of negative criticisms from the Western world. But they pushed through despite those criticisms. And that’s what Vietnam needs to do too!

接受批评虚心改进是好事，但不要让外国人贬低你的祖国。不要相信他们说的一切都是对的。你们要有自己的道路，不能依赖别人为你铺路。这就是亚洲四小龙和中国取得成功的原因，他们从不坐等西方世界告诉他们该做什么、该如何做才能富裕起来。事实上，他们找到了自己的道路，他们都曾收到来自西方世界的许多负面批评。但尽管如此，他们还是咬牙坚持。越南也应该这么做！

继续阅读：越南人   聪明   越南

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