In summary, from the recorded interview data and the author’s observations, various
forms of address, and kinship and non‐verbal expression, particularly the smile, were used to
build and sustain polite conversation between those of similar and different ages and social
backgrounds.
5. Educational Implications
It is interesting to understand how young females in the northern areas of Vietnam express
politeness in daily conversation. This is because politeness influences how people communicate
in Vietnamese in real life situations. It is for this reason that teachers should emphasise
politeness strategies in the language classroom. In other words, politeness should be taught and
included in the curriculum, as these play a very important role in Vietnamese language and
culture.
In learning Vietnamese, students should be made aware of the different forms of address,
which consider the age, relationship and social status of the person they are talking to; since
people of different ages have several ways of expressing politeness. Conversations among older
people are more formal and polite as they use the standard ways in the forms of address. Young
people tend to be more informal and demonstrate this through flexible and new ways in their
talk of maintaining politeness. Moreover, non‐verbal expressions, especially the smile, are
indispensable in showing one’s politeness in communication. Thus, verbal pronouns and non‐
verbal expression should be introduced and focused on as a part of the teaching and learning of
Vietnamese.