In Example 4, the conversation between Huong and Mai gradually reaches a point of the
informality wherein they both produce incomplete sentences (lines 7–10). Moreover, at line 7,
Mai directly refuses Huong’s suggestion to invite an Australian man (“Robert” in line 5), to go
out with them by saying “No” and reports that that she is “hesitant” to go with him. In the
Vietnamese culture if someone refuses the offer or invitation of another by directly saying
“No”, it is typical for that person to be seriously judged as impolite by other people. However,
in this instance, while Mai says “No” to the suggestion, she shakes her head and smiles at the
same time; and then explains the reason with another smile. Her smile shows her polite manner
in refusing even though it is assumed that those who know each other very well do not need to
be so polite. Similarly, when Huong asks Mai’s why she is hesitant, she does so while smiling. If
she had not produced such a supportive and friendly smile, her question may have been
interpreted in a negative way,
Smiles can also have the best effect when the interlocutor wants to show their feelings and
attitudes towards a prior utterance. In Example 3, above, Nam smiles three times as she tries to
explain to Huong the meaning of her unusual nickname, which could have been
misunderstood. She gets a positive response from Huong, since what she says is honest and
friendly, as demonstrated with her smile. Homes (2008) discussed that the smile is a non‐verbal
symbol that is used to express the feeling of respect as well as politeness in Vietnamese culture,
and that the smile is a suitable response in situations when verbal expression does not convey
enough of someone’s ideas and goodwill. A smile may show emotion, politeness, or hide true
feelings. From the above example, without the smile, the interaction would not have been
successful; the interlocutor could not have conveyed exactly what she wanted to say to the
listener; and the conversation might not have led to a friendly interaction.