The local people are very welcoming foreigners to visit their country and also appreciate if the visitors abide their various customs with the proper etiquette. Here are some tips for you when staying in Vietnam. You can take it as the reference and adapt with the norms.
DOs:
1. Expired date of your passport: You need to make sure your passport is valid for 6 months after you arrive in Vietnam. Many passengers were refused entry because their passports were only more than 5 months old. Customs officers in Vietnam are very strict in this problem.
2. Buy a Sim card: Buy Vietnamese sim card when you arrive: You can buy a sim card at the airport or anywhere at the center. The sim card price is quite reasonable, often around 100,000 VND. When used up, you can buy top-up cards at convenient stores or buy online if you have a bank account. You can also use free apps to call, text if WiFi is available. However, remember to turn off the roaming service before using WiFi for savings.
3. Watch the Weather forecast: The weather in the North and the South in Vietnam are very different. If you live in Hanoi, you will experience 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter very clearly. But if you are living in Ho Chi Minh city, the weather will be hot for the whole the year. So depending on where you intend to go, you can prepare your clothes accordingly.
4. Taxi: Be careful with the “black taxi” (taxi dù): At the airport as well as in the street, there are sometime taxi scams. You should book a taxi at the hotel in advance, or call a taxi from the credible taxi lists we suggested (see Transportation post) to avoid being overcharged. If you go from the airport to the center, you also do not have to pay tolls, it has included in the price. So if the driver asks you to pay, please refuse. If you have taken on a strange taxi, you should pay attention to the taxi meter to ensure it works normally.
5. Crossing the road: You should respect the traffic lights. But if there is no traffic light (in some small streets or alleys), be calm and keep going. To overcome this difficult challenge, slowly merge into the road, keep a steady speed, don't hesitate, don't stop, don't text by phone or see the map when crossing the road. You can make a signal by waving the hand to tell drivers that you want to cross the street. Traffic will automatically adjust to you. The simplest way is asking the locals for help (picture). If you have been travelling or living in Italy (in some city like Rome, Venice), you may find easier to cross the road in Vietnam :)
6. Greetings: You'd better greet residents in their native language, which is “Xin Chao!” for “Hello!” and always use “Cam on!” for “Thank you!” along with a bent head when you get something from them. It shows how much you respect and how grateful you feel. When it comes to greetings, there are no differences to the way western people greeting each other.
7. Bargain: You should ask for a price before buying a product or service. Although many shop owners in Vietnam are no longer in the habit of "shouting" high prices for customers to bargain, you should still ask the price first to see if it is the price you can accept. In some case, if the price is higher than you expected, you can bargain. Don't be hesitate because it's normal in Vietnam
8. Take a photo: Ask for permission when taking a photograph of someone. If they indicate that they do not want you to, it is better to abide by their wishes.
9. Individual security: report robberies to the police, especially when losing important documents (e.g.: passport, credit cards...) or money. Police reports are needed to obtain a new passport together with Vietnamese visa. Keep a photocopy of your main passport page.
10. Safety: Always keep your receipt when you go shopping or park your bike/ motorbike/car. Your shopping basket sometimes will be checked after payment. Besides, getting the motorbike/car/bike park without the ticket is almost impossible or very troublesome
11. Lifestyle: Do learn to use chopsticks when having your meal in Vietnam. Try to finish everything on your plate, and rest your chopsticks on top of your rice bowl when finishing eating
DON'TS
1. Do not stare at others. Such action is considered impolite in Vietnam.
2. Do not cause the Vietnamese to “lose face”. The concept of “saving face” is extremely important in East Asian social relationships in general and in Vietnam in particular. Never lose your temper. Losing your temper in Vietnam means a loss of face, and then locals won’t speak to you again or will not respect you as the way you wish.
3. Tipping is not required in Vietnam. Vietnamese don’t have tip culture. However, if you are satisfied with the service, you can tip comfortably and they will appreciate it.
4. Do not visit another house if they have not invited you or you should call before you go. When you come to another home, you should pay attention to their lifestyle. If they leave shoes outside, you should observe and follow. At the door, there is a place where you can put shoes there.
5. Most Vietnamese homes have a family altar, a place where they can honor their ancestors. Therefore, you should never sleep or sit with your feet or back pointing towards their family altar.
6. Do not give handkerchiefs, anything black, yellow chrysanthemums as a gift. Bring fruits, sweets, colorful flowers as a gift if invited to a Vietnamese home.
7. Always dress appropriately. This is not only for the prevailing climatic conditions, but also not to cause offence to residents. The Vietnamese have a conservative dress code and only in larger cities, these rules are relaxed a bit. In addition, you must wear formal clothing when coming to sacred places, such as pagodas, churches or temples. No shorts, tank top, dress with low-neck lines and bare shoulders, or mini-skirts are accepted. If not sure, just follow what locals do.
8. Don't take photos relevant to military. The Vietnamese Government won’t take kindly to potential security breaches. If you do that, you would be considered a spy in some cases.
9. Drug problems: do not get involved with drugs. Penalties are extremely severe in Vietnamese law. In particular, do not carry anything through customs for someone else unless you know exactly what it contains.
Security at night: do not stay out late at night in unfamiliar parts of town or in areas of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City.
10. Do not wear valuable jewelry and show off your expensive mobile phone/belongings in the streets. Also, do not carry large amount of money and never leave your bags unattended. If not, you may become a victim of a pickpocket or drive-by bag snatchers.
11. Do not displays of affection with a partner in the public places. Anything except for holding hands is unacceptable. That’s why you may come across couples holding hands but not hugging or kissing.
12. Do not rush residents, especially in Hanoi. They hate it. They take their time and there is no rush for them. If you have to wait 10 minutes for your coffee, just deal with it, do not scream or show how unsatisfied you are for people take things slow and easy (picture)
13. Do not expect a long sleep and wake up late while travelling/living in Vietnam, loud noises start on the streets from 6 am. The Vietnamese start a day very early. If you need a sleep in, bring earplugs.
