Tipping in the eyes of international tourists to Vietnam

Tipping is a habit or culture for many international tourists, however it would be "wrong" for service providers to give suggestions without the customer asking.

Recently, the story of an American female tourist being asked for a tip and forced to buy souvenirs has attracted attention in a group of foreigners traveling to Vietnam. The story has sparked debate about how the tipping culture - which originated in the US - affects tourism in Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Mike Coyne, an American who is traveling to Thailand with his wife and coming to Vietnam for the first time during Tet 2024, said that tipping is not mandatory in the US, but some people working in the service industry such as tour guides, barbers, drivers, and restaurant servers often expect to receive this amount. These are low-wage industries, so tips help them improve their income.

Coyne’s wife is from the Philippines, and the couple has spent a lot of time traveling in Asia over the past 31 years. During his first few trips to Asia, Coyne was welcomed and made to feel comfortable everywhere. However, the growing presence of tourists has negatively affected many aspects of Asian tourism. For example, tipping as is customary in the United States (10-15% of the bill) disrupts the local economy, leading to some guides behaving in an unethical manner and demanding money.

According to Coyne, if tour guides or other service industry workers are paid a living wage, they should not ask tourists for tips. However, if they are polite and tell Coyne before the trip that "we make most of our money from tips, if you like, please support us," he will be willing and he believes other tourists will too.

"Generally, when I travel, I tip if the service provider is nice, knowledgeable, and cares about the guest's experience. However, if they put pressure on me, I tip less," Coyne said of her tipping style when traveling abroad.

A group of foreign tourists visited the old town in November 2023. Photo: Tu Nguyen

Kwangpyo Park, an American tourist, just finished a trip to Hanoi and experienced a half-hour boat ride to explore Tam Coc - Bich Dong. Park said the tour guide suggested he tip the boatman 1-2 USD. However, because he found the boatman enthusiastic and old, he tipped 200,000 VND (nearly 10 USD). For Park, the habit of tipping encourages service providers to provide good service. During his time in Hanoi, Park continued this habit with those who provided a good experience. He tipped the bartender 50,000 VND out of a total bill of 80,000 VND when he recommended a drink he liked in the Old Quarter.

"I haven't been in Vietnam long enough to feel pressured to tip service providers. However, if the service is good, I'm always willing to pay extra." Like Mike, Park also emphasized that he would still tip if "recommended", but less.

Debbie Nestor, an Irishwoman, traveled to Vietnam last year, originally planning to stay for two weeks but extended her stay to nine weeks because she "loved the place so much." Despite checking out late, Debbie was not charged extra by the hotels.

"I always tip people who provide great service and smile in Vietnam," she said, adding that Vietnam is more likable despite Ireland being a famously friendly country.

During the trip to Sa Pa, the Irish tourist was also impressed by the friendliness and thoughtfulness of the female tour guide named Hoang - who called her before going to bed just to make sure the guests had returned to their rooms safely. On her day off, the female tour guide also took time to take her to the pagoda and showed Debie how Vietnamese people pray. These small stories left a good impression of Vietnam in the eyes of the female tourist.

Debbie is therefore one of the people who protested against the refusal to buy things to support local tourism workers. According to her, the items were not expensive and these people just wanted to earn extra income. Debbie tipped her two tour guides in Ha Giang about 300,000 VND each and 70,000 VND for each meal. She thought this amount was not too much but could only do so because of financial constraints.

Debbie photographed in Ha Giang in August 2023. Photo: Debbie Nestor

However, some professional tourism service providers in Vietnam do not think like Debbie, and they are concerned that the lack of professional training and inappropriate attitudes such as "suggesting" customers to tip will leave a bad image of Vietnamese tourism.

In his 10 years of working as a tour guide for Best Price, Vu Son Tung, an English-speaking tour guide, said that not all foreign guests will tip, such as Japanese, Korean or Spanish guests. However, most European guests will tip, while American guests can be more generous because it is their culture.

The usual tip for a European tour group of 10 or less is usually $5-7 per person and lower if the group is large. For American guests, the tip is usually according to their culture, about 10-15% of the total bill. According to Tung, this tip is automatically paid by the tourist based on their personal feelings, without his advice.

"Service providers must be tactful so that customers are happy to tip, they cannot force it or take it for granted," he said. Tung often tells interesting stories and always maintains a caring attitude towards customers. The length of the trip is also an important factor in determining the amount of tip because when they stay longer, customers have enough time to feel the sincerity of the tour guide. The male tour guide shared that even if customers do not tip, he is still happy because the salary is already stable.

Alex Sheal, a British man who founded Vietnam In Focus, a company that offers photography tours in Vietnam for foreigners, agrees. Sheal says his company's main clientele is high-end Europeans, so they never refuse to tip. Before a trip, tourists often ask Sheal how much they should tip their tour guides and drivers.

"We will give some suggestions but it would be wrong to give suggestions without being asked. So don't expect too much, just do your best," he said.

Tu Nguyen

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/tien-boa-trong-mat-du-khach-quoc-te-toi-viet-nam-4707768.html