This study examined Vietnamese English majors’ attitudes toward learning American culture, focusing on affective responses, cognitive evaluations, and behavioral intentions. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods case study combined a questionnaire completed by 25 second-year students in a compulsory American Culture course with semi-structured interviews involving seven volunteers. Item-level descriptive statistics indicated positive interest in the subject and recognition of its educational value. Interest in learning American culture averaged 4.24 out of 5, while its perceived contribution to broadening perspectives averaged 4.60. Willingness to participate actively in classroom discussions was comparatively lower, averaging 3.52. Interview analysis identified three themes: popular culture as a motivational gateway; perceived interactional risks associated with face concerns, classroom hierarchy, and negative evaluation; and a preference for dialogic, comparative learning that acknowledges students’ cultural identities. These findings suggest that favorable attitudes toward cultural learning can coexist with reservations about public participation. They support the use of supportive discussion practices and opportunities to compare American and Vietnamese cultural perspectives. Given the small, single-class sample and reliance on self-reports, the findings remain context-specific and do not establish causal relationships.