Author’s name: Le Thi Tuyet Minh
A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF DAILY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
THE VIETNAMESE AND AMERICANS

OUTLINE
Introduction
Vietnamese - American cross-cultural communication: 1. Theories of intercultural communication 2. Vietnamese vs. American perceptions and communication styles 2.1 Vietnamese vs. American perceptions 2.1.1 Individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures 2.1.2 High- vs. low-context cultures 2.1.3 Face-saving 2.2. Vietnamese vs. American communication styles 2.2.1 Ways of greetings 2.2.2 Topics for conversation 2.2.3 Silence and Eye contact 2.2.4 Touching 2.2.5 Other nonverbal gestures 3. Cross-cultural communication strategies
Conclusion

Introduction
Cross-cultural encounters have long provided a great source of interest for research. Globalization has increased contact between people from different cultures, but it has not evened out cultural differences as much as expected. The divergence of perspectives continues to survive in communication between people from different cultures such as Vietnamese and American. This paper aims to address the issues of intercultural communication between the Vietnamese and Americans in daily life. By juxtaposing the main traits of the two cultures while some common cultural misinterpretations are listed, I wish to give a comprehensive look at the Vietnamese- American daily communication, meanwhile improve mutual understanding and relation between the two countries.
In the first part, I will examine theories of inter-cultural communication. Next, I will explore the perceptions underlying Vietnamese-American interaction, and penetrate the ways of greetings and making conversation between the two cultures. In the last part, I will suggest some strategies to