Tipping & Bargaining In Saigon, Vietnam

Tipping according to a percentage of the bill is not expected but it's enormously appreciated. For a person who earns US$50 per month, a US$ 1 tip is about half a day's wages. Government-run hotels and restaurants that specifically cater to tourists usually have an automatic 10% service charge - whether much of this (if any) actually goes to the low-paid staff is questionable.
In general, if you stay a couple of days in the same hotel it's not a bad idea to tip the Staff who clean your room - US$0.50 to US$l should be enough. You should also tip drivers and guides, especially on trips out of
the city.

Men you deal with will also greatly appreciate small gifts such as a pack of cigarettes (women almost never smoke). But make sure it's a foreign brand of cigarettes:! people will be insulted if you give Vietnamese cigarettes. The 555 brand (said to be Ho Chi Minh's favourite) is popular, as are most US brands. Most of the usual kinds of gifts (chocolates and sweets, coffee-table books etc) are acceptable, as long as they are foreign-made.

It is considered proper to make a small donation at the end of a visit to a pagoda, especially if the monk has shown you around; most pagodas have contributor boxes for this purpose.

Many foreigners just assume that even Vietnamese person is out to rip them off. That just isn't true -you needn't bargain fen everything, but there are times when bargaining is essential In touristy areas, postcard vendors have a reputation for charging about five times the going rate. Many cyclo and motorcycle drivers also try to grossly overcharge foreigners - try to find out the correct rate in advance and then bargain accordingly. Bargaining is common - ever with the police i you are fined!

Remember, the concept of 'face' is important in Asia. Bargaining should be good-natured - smile, don't raise your voice and don's get argumentative.

Some seem to take bargaining too seriously, and take it personally if they don't get the goods for less than half the original asking price. By publically venting their frustration, people just end up looking foolish. Don't let yourself get angry. Once the money is accepted, the deal is done-if you harbour hard feelings because you later find out that someone else got it cheaper, the only one you are hurting is yourself.

By: Billy Bui

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