u/MechanicAccording616

I’ve spent time in Vietnam and met many hardworking and kind people, which is why I’ve been wondering about the reports of some Vietnamese technical interns in Japan becoming involved in theft or violent crimes.

I’m not trying to generalize Vietnamese people at all. I’m more interested in the structural and psychological side of this issue.

Some media reports point to debt, exploitation, isolation, language barriers, low wages, and unrealistic expectations before arriving in Japan.

Do you think Japan’s technical intern system and working conditions may contribute to desperation or antisocial behavior in some cases?

I’ve spent time in Vietnam and met many hardworking and kind people, which is why I’ve been wondering about the reports of some Vietnamese technical interns in Japan becoming involved in theft or violent crimes.

I’m not trying to generalize Vietnamese people at all. I’m more interested in the structural and psychological side of this issue.

Some media reports point to debt, exploitation, isolation, language barriers, low wages, and unrealistic expectations before arriving in Japan.

Do you think Japan’s technical intern system and working conditions may contribute to desperation or antisocial behavior in some cases?

I don’t like people who dominate the public spaces even if it happens unconsciously. 

For example

・　someone suddenly watch videos loudly in a small elevator when it’s just the two of us, but immediately stopping when more people come in

・　people loudly singing or yelling behind strangers 

I also become irrationally reactive toward people who “take over” public spaces. It’s not direct aggression, but though behavior that feels territorially dominant 

What I really don’t like about it is that some people move through public space assuming that it's the default presence for them while others are expected to quietly adapt around them. 

This is a weird point, it triggers a competitive reaction in me like I want to push back, reclaim space etc.

I don’t but internally it creates tension. 

How would you deal with it if you were me?

I don’t like people who dominate the public spaces even if it happens unconsciously. 

For example

・　someone suddenly watch videos loudly in a small elevator when it’s just the two of us, but immediately stopping when more people come in

・　people loudly singing or yelling behind strangers 

I also become irrationally reactive toward people who “take over” public spaces. It’s not direct aggression, but though behavior that feels territorially dominant. 

What I really don’t like about it is that some people move through public space assuming that it's the default presence for them while others are expected to quietly adapt around them. 

This is a weird point, it triggers a competitive reaction in me like I want to push back, reclaim space etc.

I don’t but internally it creates tension. 

How would you deal with it if you were me?

First of all, I genuinely admire what the Korean entertainment industry has achieved. The level of planning, global strategy, branding, training systems, production quality, and understanding of international markets is honestly incredible.

It feels like Korea approached pop culture not just as art, but as something that could be engineered for global scalability from the very beginning.

At the same time, though, I sometimes feel like individuality itself has become optimized.

Not necessarily removed completely, but refined, filtered, and reconstructed through massive amounts of market data, trend analysis, fan behavior, algorithms, and branding psychology.

The final result is often extremely polished, addictive, and globally successful — but sometimes it also feels strangely impersonal, like the industry has learned how to manufacture emotional attachment at scale.

I’m not saying this as hate at all.

But another part of me misses when pop music felt slightly messier, riskier, or more human.

For some people, tattoos seem deeply tied to identity, self-expression, art, personal history, or even existence itself — almost like turning the body into a statement or narrative.

I used to romanticize that idea too, and I still understand the appeal. But over time, I’ve noticed myself moving in the opposite direction.

Instead of wanting to add meaning onto myself, I’ve become more drawn to removing things — simplifying, minimizing, stripping away excess, noise, and visible identity markers.

I’m even considering removing some tattoos I got years ago, not because I regret the experiences behind them, but because my sense of beauty has changed.

Has anyone else experienced this shift?

Today I was in a cafe and there were kid nearby running around, singing, dancing, making repetitive noises etc, I noticed something strange in myself — part of me almost wants to “compete” with their energy or noise somehow, even though I obviously did not actually do it because I’m an adult.

Then I quietly sang near a child who had been making noise for a while, and the kid immediately grabbed their parent’s hand and left the cafe. The timing was probably coincidence, but afterward I weirdly felt like I had “lost” some kind of invisible competition lol.

I felt I should’ve just moved seats myself instead of internally reacting to it so much.

I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this strange reaction toward loud children in public spaces — not hatred, but almost feeling overstimulated, challenged, or reactive in some irrational way.

And when it happens, what do you usually do? Leave? Put on headphones? Try to ignore it?

My birthday is coming up soon, and I’ve been thinking about how different birthdays feel as a digital nomad / expat.

Last year in Da Nang, Vietnam, I spent the whole day alone — I went to a massage place where the staff brought me cake and sang for me, then had French food, then did a river cruise by myself. Honestly, it was beautiful in its own way, but also a little lonely.

This year, I realized I actually want to celebrate with people and feel surrounded by others for once. But I also feel awkward directly telling people “hey, celebrate my birthday with me” lol.

How do other digital nomads handle birthdays abroad?

Do you organize dinners yourself? Join events? Ignore it completely? Or have you also felt this weird mix of freedom and loneliness around birthdays while traveling?

I’ve been thinking about something that feels contradictory to me.

Islam emphasizes the idea of the Ummah — helping fellow Muslims and treating the Muslim community as one body.

But when we look at the current migrant/refugee situation, many people from poorer Middle Eastern or Muslim-majority countries seem to end up risking dangerous journeys to Europe instead of being resettled in wealthy Gulf countries like Qatar or the UAE.

At the same time, Europe is facing huge political and social tensions around immigration.

Why is this happening structurally?

Is it because Gulf countries rely more on temporary labor systems rather than immigration?

Is it political, economic, demographic, or cultural?

I’m genuinely trying to understand the contradiction between the religious ideal of solidarity and the reality we see today.

For many non-white people, hearing things like ‘go back to your country’ or racial mocking in public isn’t uncommon. I’m curious about the reverse situation.

If you’re white and have spent time in countries where you were visibly a minority, have you ever been called racial slurs, mocked for being foreign, or treated differently in a hostile way in public?

How did you react in the moment? Did you ignore it, confront the person, laugh it off, or did it affect you more than you expected?

I’m interested in genuine experiences and cultural differences.

For many non-white people, hearing things like ‘go back to your country’ or racial mocking in public isn’t uncommon. I’m curious about the reverse situation.

If you’re white and have spent time in countries where you were visibly a minority, have you ever been called racial slurs, mocked for being foreign, or treated differently in a hostile way in public? Especially in places where English isn’t the main language.

How did you react in the moment? Did you ignore it, confront the person, laugh it off, or did it affect you more than you expected?

I’m interested in genuine experiences and cultural differences.

Genuinely curious from a cultural/language perspective.

I’m currently based in Da Nang and looking for recommendations for English-speaking therapists, counselors, or mental health clinics.

I’m especially looking for someone experienced with:

• ADHD / neurodivergence
• overthinking & rumination
• anxiety
• mood swings
• CBT / ACT / DBT-style approaches

I’d prefer someone practical and thoughtful rather than just generic “positive thinking” advice.

Online therapy recommendations are also welcome if they work well from Vietnam.

Would really appreciate hearing about personal experiences (good or bad) with therapists or clinics in Da Nang.

I’m curious about the realistic side of monetizing platforms on Substack.

A lot of advice online feels very vague (“just be consistent,” “build your audience,” etc.), so I’d love to hear from people who actually started making meaningful income from writing online.

What specifically helped you grow?

• A certain niche/topic?
• Posting frequency?
• Building an audience somewhere else first?
• Personal storytelling vs informational content?
• Networking?
• SEO?
• Going viral?

Also:

• How long did it take before you earned anything noticeable?
• Was the income mostly subscriptions, affiliate links, publications, consulting, etc.?
• What didn’t work?

Would especially love to hear from people who started from zero rather than already having a huge following.

Thank you in advance!

I’ve noticed a pattern while casually dating Korean men through apps, and I’m curious whether this is more of an individual thing or if there’s some cultural aspect to it.

Before meeting, the communication is often extremely fast and attentive — lots of texting, flirting, making plans, romantic energy, etc. And in person, the dates themselves can feel very emotionally intense and affectionate.

But after saying goodbye, the communication sometimes suddenly slows down a lot, becomes inconsistent, or even turns into ghosting.

To be clear, these were casual situations on both sides, so I’m not talking about commitment expectations. I’m more confused by the contrast between the strong emotional energy in person vs. the sudden emotional distance afterward.

What confuses me is that I’ve dated people from other countries too, and even if things faded naturally, it usually felt more gradual. Sometimes we still stayed in touch as friends afterward. But with these experiences, the shift in energy felt much more sudden and extreme, which made me wonder if there’s a different communication style or emotional pacing involved.

I’ve experienced this twice now with Korean men so I’m wondering:

Have other people noticed something similar? Is this just modern dating app culture, personality differences, or is there sometimes a cultural communication gap involved?

Lately I’ve been seeing a significant increase in foreigners in Da Nang, and it made me wonder where the city is headed.

Part of what I like about Da Nang is that it hasn’t felt as overdeveloped or overcrowded as places like Bali or Bangkok. But with the current pace, I’m a bit concerned it might go in that direction.