Hi guys! I forgot to add an important part of this story. Many times, people assume that August is not my real name and it's just my "English name". Also it's common that people assume I was born in August which is not the case. Thanks for your comments!
Normal name here in Lettland. It probably has German origin and comes from Roman emperor Augustus. Come and celebrate your name day on the 3rd of August. Vietnamese have difficulty with country names too. I was once overheard a conversation where some Estonians try explain where they are from on the airport bus. I was listening without interrupting to see where it will lead. Finally, after trying few times to pronounce Estonia, the Vietnamese settled for Australia. "so you are from Australia". Seems like Estonia and Australia was close sounding to them.
Interesting video “Tám”. Vietnamese generally have a hard time pronouncing my English name Paul, they say and even write it as “Phô”when addressing me. One of my Vietnamese friends is called Nam and he gave me the name Việt, so when we hang out, we are collectively know as Việt Nam. 😂
For Vietnamese with a 2-syllable-name like "Kim Hạnh", the first syllable is often easier to pronounced for Westerners while the last syllable will always carry the core meaning of their names. So with Vietnamese the last syllable is always used as the shortened daily name. But with Westerners, the first syllable that is often chosen. For overseas Vietnamese, this can become very CONFUSING very FAST for everyone involved. It once took me almost a year to realize the "Kim" everybody was talking about was actually the "Hạnh" I once met in the lunchroom. I myself have a 2-syllable name and sometimes I forgot which name I used with whom and hilarity ensued. I now just go with TC!
I understand the situation. My name is challenging to pronounce in the West since they pronounce "Th" and "Ng" differently. I often find myself having to repeat my name multiple times until I eventually give up and opt for a foreign name. Using an easy-to-remember name makes communication smoother. Additionally, living in Sweden, I occasionally feel self-conscious about my name, especially considering its different meaning here :D. By the way, I have a Swedish friend named August, and I also playfully call him "Tám" :)).
Hi guys! I forgot to add an important part of this story. Many times, people assume that August is not my real name and it's just my "English name". Also it's common that people assume I was born in August which is not the case.
Thanks for your comments!
Normal name here in Lettland. It probably has German origin and comes from Roman emperor Augustus. Come and celebrate your name day on the 3rd of August. Vietnamese have difficulty with country names too. I was once overheard a conversation where some Estonians try explain where they are from on the airport bus. I was listening without interrupting to see where it will lead. Finally, after trying few times to pronounce Estonia, the Vietnamese settled for Australia. "so you are from Australia". Seems like Estonia and Australia was close sounding to them.
Interesting video “Tám”. Vietnamese generally have a hard time pronouncing my English name Paul, they say and even write it as “Phô”when addressing me. One of my Vietnamese friends is called Nam and he gave me the name Việt, so when we hang out, we are collectively know as Việt Nam. 😂
Hi Paul good to hear from you! Lol! Viet Nam a good combo I guess. Thanks for sharing
For Vietnamese with a 2-syllable-name like "Kim Hạnh", the first syllable is often easier to pronounced for Westerners while the last syllable will always carry the core meaning of their names. So with Vietnamese the last syllable is always used as the shortened daily name. But with Westerners, the first syllable that is often chosen.
For overseas Vietnamese, this can become very CONFUSING very FAST for everyone involved. It once took me almost a year to realize the "Kim" everybody was talking about was actually the "Hạnh" I once met in the lunchroom. I myself have a 2-syllable name and sometimes I forgot which name I used with whom and hilarity ensued. I now just go with TC!
Hey TC! Very interesting, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for mentioning me :D almost missed it at 1.5 speed hahaa, i use Nicole but also keep Duyen as a middle name in my papers
No worries :) alright, cool thanks for your comment
I understand the situation. My name is challenging to pronounce in the West since they pronounce "Th" and "Ng" differently. I often find myself having to repeat my name multiple times until I eventually give up and opt for a foreign name. Using an easy-to-remember name makes communication smoother. Additionally, living in Sweden, I occasionally feel self-conscious about my name, especially considering its different meaning here :D. By the way, I have a Swedish friend named August, and I also playfully call him "Tám" :)).
Thanks for sharing your story! May I ask how long have you lived in Sweden?
@@perpetuallyabroad I moved to Sweden in 2020 so over 3 years until now. I'm living in Lund :)
My old Vietnamese name was Hoa, and American mispronounce it as "Ho-a", so I change my name to a western name.
Thanks for sharing your story
My legal name is Jessica which thank god made my life eaiser. My viet name would not fly here. How brave to share your feelings like this : ) : )
I wonder what your viet name is ;) here, as in....US? Thanks for your comment
Unique and weird can be good!
>90% of Vietnamese name has a meaning 😁
Augustus