Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (AsiaCALL 2022)

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Culture Shock Experiences: A Case Study of a Canadian in Vietnam

Authors
Ngoc Gia Han Nguyen1, *, Thi Hong Van Le2
1Buon Ma Thuot Medical University, Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak, Vietnam
2Faculty of Foreign Languages Studies, Tay Nguyen University, Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam
*Corresponding author. Email: ngocgiahanguyen@gmail.com
Corresponding Author
Ngoc Gia Han Nguyen
Available Online 28 April 2023.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-042-8_27How to use a DOI?
Keywords
culture shock; aspects of adjustments; factors determining severity; strategies; qualitative research
Abstract

Culture shock has always been an important issue. Previous studies on the cultural adaptation process have only focused on the general nature of culture shock. Yet, little attention has been drawn to how expatriates from English-speaking countries have undergone culture shock in Vietnam. This paper presents a case study of a native Canadian who had settled in Vietnam for 11 years (up to the time of the study). The study aimed to investigate the aspects of the participant’s cultural experience, the factors determining its severity, and the strategies to facilitate the adaptation process. The research involved a case study approach using a semi-structured interview as a main data collection instrument. The findings reveal that (1) five aspects of culture shock were learning the Vietnamese language, joining a close community, detecting smells, using transportation, and observing local behaviors; (2) the factors determining the intensity levels of culture shock included language barriers, communities, personality traits and different regions in Vietnam, while previous overseas experiences had less impact; and (3) to overcome the culture shock, the participant learned the Vietnamese language, made friends with the locals, remained disciplined and kept himself occupied. The findings of this cultural phenomenon could provide helpful insights to English teachers and students interested in language and culture studies.

Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (AsiaCALL 2022)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
28 April 2023
ISBN
10.2991/978-2-38476-042-8_27
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-042-8_27How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Ngoc Gia Han Nguyen
AU  - Thi Hong Van Le
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/04/28
TI  - Culture Shock Experiences: A Case Study of a Canadian in Vietnam
BT  - Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (AsiaCALL 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 336
EP  - 350
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-042-8_27
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-042-8_27
ID  - Nguyen2023
ER  -