Quỳnh Anh

DO WHAT YOU LOVE: Jesse has found his passion in Việt Nam. — Photos courtesy of Jesse Peterson

Canadian Jesse Peterson has a real way with words, whether in English or Vietnamese.

The 44-year-old, who also goes by the name Jesse Cười, has lived in Việt Nam for more than a decade.

During that time he’s had a wide variety of jobs, from filmmaking to teaching and even stand-up comedy.

But his real passion is writing.

He’s written four books in Vietnamese about a variety of topics including daily life in Việt Nam, and a fifth is on the way.

Each book is injected with his own wit, but being able to write satirically in another language can be a real challenge.

He said: “I have experienced quite a few challenges with doing satire and Vietnamese, because the scope of what I can talk about is very limited and a lot of the humour is not as broad as that of the British.”

His first book, Jesse Cười và Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Hài Hước (Jesse's Laughs and Hilarious Adventures) was published in 2018, followed the year later by Ở Đây Vui Quá, Xin Lỗi, Cười Hết Nổi (Here’s So Much Fun, Sorry, Can’t Stop Laughing).

Bi Hài Kịch – Sắc Màu Làm Nên Cuộc Sống (Tragicomedy – The Colors That Make Life) came out in 2023 and he’s currently gone ‘off-grid’ to work on his next book.

Jesse, from Ontario, is also a regular contributor to Vietnamese newspapers, writing satirical essays and social commentary in Tuổi Trẻ Cười and VnExpress. He has recently gained further prominence with his piece Vật Lộn Với Tiếng Anh (Struggling with English).

Driven by a lifelong passion for exploration and writing, he has journeyed across numerous countries before deciding to make Việt Nam his permanent home.

“I have been to about 20 or 21 countries,” he added.

“I have been to the border of Pakistan when I was in the war. After the war, I went to Japan and lived there and then a friend of mine suggested coming to Việt Nam, because over ten to twelve years ago when I first came here it was still developing and still kind of fun and adventurous.”

WAY WITH WORDS: He always enhances his Vietnamese skills by speaking every day with the locals.

With a unique perspective from an expat shaped by living many years here, Jesse brings a whimsical and fresh approach to writing about daily life in Việt Nam, filtered through his charming and humorous lens.

He writes in Vietnamese using the language he has absorbed from listening, reading and learning.

His style leans more towards conversational rather than literary, aiming for simplicity to help readers easily visualise his topics.

Jesse’s goal was to write in such a way that any Vietnamese reader wouldn’t be able to realise it was a westerner who penned the work.

“I also write in English, too. But in Vietnamese, just because when I was learning the language, I would often post something funny on Facebook.

“My boss from Tuổi Trẻ Cười invited me to work for his magazine. And then that's an official satire magazine, a very, very important job and a very difficult job. So I really took to working for Tuổi Trẻ Cười with a lot of enthusiasm,” he said.

Unlike many western authors who write about Việt Nam based solely on their personal experiences, Jesse aims to go beyond that.

He views satire as a way to address and correct negative and outdated aspects of life through humour, encouraging self-reflection without causing offence.

As a satirical writer, he recognises that this genre can be sensitive and challenging for many to accept.

Always striving for improvement, Jesse continually learns and refines his approach to better understand and respect cultural nuances.

PAGE TURNER: Jesse at the launch of his third book.

He told Việt Nam News: “Besides writing, I really don't do anything else. I will do stand-up comedy, but I actually do stand-up comedy to get good ideas and to check if my jokes or ideas are actually funny or if they're not funny. The audience might laugh at them, but that's actually just to help my writing.

“A writer must have life experience, must travel a lot and do a lot of things, so actually everything I do is – especially now at my age – everything is just for writing."

He’s also learned from his peers, reading a lot of Vietnamese literature to understand the country and the culture.

He is deeply impressed by the close-knit lifestyle within the Vietnamese community, where people support each other and connect through their work. No one feels like a stranger; everyone is considered family.

Jesse's family is extremely happy when they see the life he has made for himself in Việt Nam.

“My parents came to Việt Nam and plan to visit again, they love visiting Việt Nam," he said. "It's very positive.” — VNS