Sit at the table with your bowl on a small plate, chopsticks and a soup spoon at the ready. Each place setting will include a small dipping bowl at the top right-hand side of the bowl for the nuoc mam, nuoc cham (dipping sauce made from nuoc mam, with oil,sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and onions) or other dipping saucer. When serving yourself from the central bow is. use the communal serving spoon so as not to dip your chopsticks in to it. To begin eating. just pick up your bowl with the left hand. bring it close to your mouth and use the chopsticks to manoeuvre in the food. It is polite for the host to offer more food than the guests can eat,and it is polite for the guests not to cat everything in sight. If you are invited out. bringing something that links back to your home country will always be a winner,