This post may initially seem trivial but I assure you, it’s something that you definitely need to be aware of when planning your trip to Vietnam!
So, I am an average UK small size. I am by no means fat. However, it would appear that the “average” small size in England is not the same as an average small size in Vietnam- and being called fat would become part of my weekly routine!
I soon had to get used to the fact that unfortunately, in this world, I was no longer a size small or extra small, but a size large or extra large or on a really bad day, an extra, extra large!!
So many times I would look at clothes and think that surely they must fit, only to get them stuck half way up my thighs, or not be able to pull the dress down over my bum, or get stuck in a shirt! I clearly remember the day when I actually got stuck in a dress and had to get the shop owner to help me out of it. It was mortifying.
I remember being in a shop once carrying various items of clothing which I wanted to try on. The lady came up to me and said “No, no, you too big!” and took the clothes straight out of my hands! She then passed me a hideous size XXXL dress which I politely declined, turned on my heel and walked out of the shop.
It’s the same with shoes. As a UK size five (39) I’m not really what you might call a big foot, but the politer shop owners just said they didn’t have my size, while the less polite ones would literally shove me out of the shop, and the savvy saleswomen would give me a size three and try to convince me that it fitted, while my heel was still hanging out the back of it… No luck here Cinderella.
So, if you’re not a child size, you might want to think about packing some extra clothes…
