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Do's
and Don'ts in Vietnam
Vietnam is a
friendly and safe place to travel.
With a sprinkling of common sense,
your trip should be smooth and
trouble free. Tourists usually
complain about over-aggressive
street vendors, tour operators with
a bad attitude and dangerous
driving. However, with a cool head
and sensible planning, one can avoid
these problems.
DO’S
- Greetings
are no different to western
countries, there are no cultural
formalities that as a foreginer
you would be expected to know or
practise.
- Vietnamese
dress conservatively. Despite
the heat, it’s best not to show
off too much skin. If you do,
especially girls, you’ll only
draw stares from the locals.
- Dress well
when visiting pagodas. No shorts
or tatty beer t-shirts. Shoes
are fine, and rarely will you
have to remove them. If unsure,
just follow what the locals do.
- Drink
plenty of bottled water,
especially when walking around
sightseeing. No need to carry
huge bottles around with you, a
vendor is never far away and no
doubt they will find you before
you find them.
- Keep your
cash, credit cards, airline
tickets and other valuables in a
safe place.
- Travel
with recommend tour agencies.
Even if you plan to buy tickets
when in country, research your
journey a little first on the
Internet. A good resource is
Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree
Forum, where fellow tourists
discuss travel in Vietnam. This
way you avoid unreliable tour
agencies and badly run hotels.
DON’TS
- Wear a lot
of jewellery or take a bag with
you. Violent crime is highly
unusual in Vietnam, but petty
crime is more apparant. If you
have a bag, or tout a digital
camera around your neck, you are
a potential target.
- When
taking a ride by motorbike taxi
(xe om) make sure your bag, if
any, is not on display or easy
to grab. Bag snatches, although
still rare, are probably the
most likely crime a tourist
would encounter, and it raises
the probability immensely if you
are tailing a camera or a laptop
in the wind.
- Don’t wear
singlets, shorts, skirts or
dresses, or revealing clothes to
temples or pagodas.
- Physical
displays of affection between
lovers in public are frowned
upon. That’s why you may come
across couples holding hands but
not hugging or kissing.
- Losing
your temper in Vietnam means a
loss of face. Keep a cool head
and remain polite, you’ll have a
greater chance of getting what
you want.
- Remember,
this is Vietnam, a devloping
country, and things don’t quite
work as you are maybe used to.
Don’t be paranoid about your
safety, just be aware of your
surroundings.
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