Ian Paynton, a businessman with more than 10 years living in Hanoi and setting foot in many places throughout the country, shared in British newspaper Insider an article about 7 things foreign visitors to Vietnam should not do.

Vietnam, a country of more than 98.6 million people, has a lot to explore, from cities and villages to mountains, beaches and caves.

It is also one of the most affordable places to visit in Southeast Asia. In 2019, about 18 million international visitors visited the country. And every year, many foreigners start calling Vietnam home when more than 100,000 people are permanently living in the country.

I first traveled to Vietnam in 2007 and moved to Hanoi just three years later. Before coming to Vietnam, I was in London. There is something very special about Hanoi, Vietnam's second largest city, that I can't stop thinking about. This place even inspired me to write and release a rap track titled "Oh Gioi Oi", which helped me explain to my friends what life in Vietnam is really like.

I moved to Singapore and Hong Kong from 2013 to 2015 to work, but would love to come back to Vietnam. So, I returned to Hanoi the following year and have lived in the capital ever since.

After living in Vietnam for about a decade, I've noticed that foreign tourists often make the following 7 most common mistakes:

Wear a swimsuit that lacks fabric to go around the city

Wearing swimwear that is too revealing when walking the beach or any place like rivers, lakes or waterfalls is not a great thing in Vietnam. Beauty in Vietnam is classy and luxurious, not suitable for wearing too many revealing clothes.

This is especially true when visiting temples and pagodas. In 2016, a foreigner was asked to leave the sacred space for wearing a bra and shorts.

Locals won't call outright to criticize a foreigner for wearing inappropriate clothing, but that's certainly not acceptable. However, you definitely come across many annoying looks from the locals.

Do not be too bothered by encroaching lanes, crowding lines

Lane encroachment or crowding in Vietnam seems to be changing for the better, but queuing in Vietnam is not common, unless forced in places like banks or immigration areas at airports. Tourists can feel frustrated, especially if they are not used to squeezing in line. In these cases, locals do not consider it rude. They only saw others benefit from skipping the line, so followed suit.

The same goes for traffic jams. Streets in Vietnam are always crowded, as there are more than 65 million motorbikes, as of 2020, according to Statista. If there is an opportunity to get ahead, many will take it. Tourists should not bother.

Be respectful of the place of worship

Like in other countries in Southeast Asia, homes, restaurants and workplaces often have altars. Locals offer food and drink to pay homage to ancestors and gods and consider it a sacred space.

Tourists visiting homestays or staying in country inns, should be careful with areas where altars or shrines are located. Before entering these spaces, it is important that you take off your shoes. You should also avoid intimate behaviors, such as kissing in places where there are altars.

Travelers using Tinder should be careful

Tourists should be careful if asked to meet in a nightclub for a first date. There have recently been warnings that nightclub staff often use apps like Tinder to find customers.

After matching on Tinder, these people invite guests to the nightclub where they work, as a ploy to attract more customers. A Reddit thread about Vietnam from November last year detailed how this scam works and is becoming more and more common. Foreigners visiting clubs are often charged exorbitant prices for alcoholic beverages.

Don't be afraid to bargain with street vendors

Street vendors are immensely popular in Vietnam, with more than 430,000 street food vendors across the country in 2018, according to Statista.

Although there is a sign detailing the price of the dish and should not be bargained. But note that foreign visitors are often charged higher prices. So, when haggling with these vendors, aim for half the list price.

Some street vendors often collect money from tourists for taking their photos. In Hanoi, for example, fruit vendors will invite tourists to take pictures with cones and fruit loads — but interestingly, tourists are asked to pay around a dollar or more.

Don't "tie yourself" in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City

When coming to Vietnam, you should research destinations next to these big cities. Vietnam, which is about the size of New Mexico, has many natural landscapes stretching from north to south.

Some places not to be missed include the rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai, the majestic mountain of Ha Giang province, jungles and caves in Phong Nha and the ancient capital of Hue in Central Vietnam. 

(Image: Baoquocte.vn)

Don't get upset if you encounter "elastic band hours."

Arriving late or changing plans at the last minute can be frustrating. But because flexibility is highly valued in Vietnam, locals believe that everything will work out in the end, one way or another.

Source: thanhnien.vn