Etiquette classes increasingly popular

The 26-year-old girl from Ho Chi Minh City said her former employer thought her timid and introverted behavior made her inadequate, and borderline incompetent, for her job role.

She was unable to make deals with customers during meetings because she was inarticulate and failed to make eye contact.

"I decided to sign up for etiquette and demeanor courses to improve myself because I wanted to become the human resources and operations manager at my company," Chau said.

According to Chau, the courses taught her how to walk, stand and sit, which were all things that she previously thought were simple. However, she’d been unable to perform the simple tasks in ways that were professionally effective.

She was also surprised to learn that there were also many different levels and effects of smiling in different ways.

These types of classes are very popular in many parts of the world. In Europe, young people tend to learn etiquette at the dinner table, while in Asia, typically China, Hong Kong and Singapore, young ladies learn how to present themselves as cultured modern women.

According to a VnExpress survey, in the past month, content on Vietnamese social media with the keyword "etiquette learning" has attracted nearly 400,000 views and likes. There are more than 50 centers offering etiquette classes in Vietnam, with each course lasting from 2-21 days.

The lowest tuition fee is around VND2 million and the highest can reach as high as several hundred million VND. The classes are mainly located in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Students have their standing and walking posture corrected in a etiquette class in Ho Chi Minh City, on September 30, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nga

Nguyen Quynh Trang, founder of the A Dong Style Academy in HCMC, said that about five years ago, very few people knew about such classes. Some people thought the classes were only for rich people.

But with social media, people have become more aware of the benefits such courses can have for people of any class or social strata. The number of students registering to learn various etiquette styles has thus increased sharply, most especially in the months since the middle of this year.

On average, each month, Trang's academy enrolls about 200 students, most of whom are around 18-27 years old. This number doubled last year’s figures.

Students in the class learn about presenting different physical appearances, body movements, and postures for different occasions. Grace and elegance will be expressed in different styles through smiles, eyes, manners, walking and talking to meet the needs of each particular situation.

Many people also attend the classes to become more polite and courteous. Communication etiquette instructor To Quynh Mai, 35 from Hanoi, said there are more than 100 people enrolled at her center every month, an increase of nearly 50% compared to last year. Tuition fees range from VND2-8 million.

Mai’s training program includes three components: 7% is content that equips students with knowledge about communication etiquette in Vietnam as well as how to talk to friends from other countries around the world, 38% is voice training to ensure students use the correct tone of voice to communicate properly, and 55% is body language, related to walking, hand posture and facial movements.

"Students must practice and maintain these lessons for 21 days for it to become a habit," Mai said.

Instructor Nguyen Quynh Trang (R) instructs a student how to eat and behave at the dining table in September 2023. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Quynh Trang

As a third-year student majoring in International Economics at the University of Commerce, Ta Thi Phuong spent VND2 million on a two-day course learning how to socialize and behave at the dinner table because she often has to work with, and frequently dine with, foreign experts.

"I have to know when to turn up the volume and speak clearly, when to be soft, or how to observe the other person's eyes and gestures to read their intention," Phuong said.

Cultural researcher and Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Trung, former dean of the Faculty of Culture and Development, Academy of Journalism and Communication, said that this is an encouraging sign that cultivating knowledge and training on communication and etiquette are becoming more popular ways to help young people create value for themselves in society.

According to experts, the classes can provide an environment for young people to gain a deeper awareness and understanding of the ways individuals in societies can work together for mutual benefit.

To prepare to meet her boyfriend's family, Thanh Thuy, 23, in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, spent VND3 million on a class on etiquette during a Vietnamese family meal.

"At home, my parents taught me about etiquette, but not as formally as when I went to this class. I have found myself becoming much more sophisticated and confident," she added.