This is a post from the r/VietNam Reddit thread. I’m reposting it to share and get people’s feedback. The focus is the alleged behavior of Indian tourists not Viet Jet. In journalistic terms, it’s called burying the lede. 😀

In the medium term, this is bad news for future Indian tourists. They already have an unsavory reputation among many Vietnamese because of these experiences. In general, most Vietnamese are friendly and hospitable until you mistreat them. Then all bets are off.

MAA

Bonus: The OP (original poster) shared this story: In da nang I was in a restaurant, saw 5 indian tourists. They sat down and ordered. Only one of them ordered some food. The rest were just sitting and talking loudly. As they took the chairs, one of the waitresses came along and asked them to handover the chairs as there were other guests who need a chair to sit. The Indian dudes yelled at her, before that they mocked her accent like these indian dudes are some English literature cum laude from oxford university. The waitress literally had tears in her eyes. The restaurant owner came in and evicted those Indians out. He didn’t even take money from the Indian dude who ordered the food. He was that pissed. I was fuming. As it’s not my country I decided not intervene. But I think should have walked and whooped those pot bellied Indians out of the restaurant.

Recently been to Vietnam and I see that Vietnam tourism will soon suffer because of unruly tourists from India. Driven by VietJet’s affordable airfares, a massive wave of budget-conscious Indian tourists has entered Vietnam, leaving the local service industry deeply perplexed due to stark cultural differences.

I. Persistent Bargaining: Haggling to “Wear You Down”

1. Refusal to Pay: Many restaurant owners have encountered Indian guests who, after wolfing down their meals, refuse to pay the full price. They demand an immediate 50% discount on the spot, using various excuses such as the food “not being as good as expected.”
2. Relentless Haggling:Vendors have witnessed tourists arguing over items as cheap as 40,000 VND ($1.50). Despite “No Bargaining” signs, some tourists aggressively demand a price of 30,000 VND, physically pestering the vendor until the item is eventually snatched back by the frustrated seller.
3. Extreme Sharing:While the “five people sharing one juice with five straws” might sound like an urban legend, many locals have reported seeing groups of men sharing a single ice cream cone.

II. Massive Gaps in Public Awareness

1. Audio Disregard: In scenic areas, some tourists have been known to replace local Vietnamese music with loud Indian songs, acting as if no one else is around.
2. Review Bombing: If a buffet does not serve specific Indian dishes, they are likely to leave an immediate one-star review for the establishment.
3. Noise Harassment: One shop owner shared a story of a group entering his store with a JBL speaker blasting music at deafening volumes. This noise drove away two clients who were mid-negotiation for an $8,000 deal. To make matters worse, after the deal collapsed, the group still demanded a 50% discount on flagship products, leaving the owner utterly infuriated.
4. Sense of Hierarchy: Some tourists exhibit an arrogant attitude toward service staff, treating them like personal servants and ordering them around.
5. Lack of Cultural Respect: There is a tendency to force the environment to adapt to them rather than trying to integrate. During a traditional Water Puppet show in Hanoi, a tourist was heard shouting at the stage in a thick accent: “Speak English! I don’t understand Vietnamese!”
6. Hygiene Concerns: At international buffets, some have been observed bypassing utensils to sift through food with their bare hands, or even pouring leftover food back into the communal serving platters.

III. The Most Alarming Issue: Safety and Boundaries

The most distressing behavior reported is the tendency to stare intensely at women, making them feel extremely unsafe. One traveler reported being stared at by several men for the entire duration of a flight. Even when wearing a wedding ring, women have been approached and asked if they are “available for dinner” at night.