I became the 'impolite' party after asking people to keep quiet in an elevator

That day, I was waiting for the elevator to get to my office when I encountered a group of about ten men, aged around 35-45, wearing striped shirt uniforms, likely from a foreign company in the same building. When the elevator opened, everyone inside stood neatly to make room for the group to enter.

After struggling for a few seconds to all fit into the elevator, the group started laughing and talking loudly. Feeling uncomfortable with the noise in the confined space, I asked them, "Please be quiet." A man in the group turned to me and responded in a harsh tone, "If you want to ask us to do something, do it politely."

I retorted, "You are polite then." Seeing my firm stance, they fell silent. However, as soon as the elevator door opened, they exited and started making comments about me, saying I was impolite and must be difficult to live with. They then laughed among themselves.

It was an unhappy experience for both me and perhaps them as well. They seemed to believe they had the right to speak loudly and talk behind others' backs.

Creating a noisy disturbance is no longer just a habit or preference of a few individuals in Vietnam. I think we need to raise awareness about appropriate behavior in public spaces to prevent this from becoming a common characteristic.