Transportation:
All forms of motorized transport produce CO2 and therefore contribute to global warming. Consider walking or use cyclos, bicycles and public buses rather than taking a taxi. Taxis cause a great deal of congestion and you see much more on a bike or a cyclo than you do in a taxi! Public buses are also a great opportunity for local interaction.
Begging and Gifts:
Begging is a very complex issue and travelers often do not understand the problems involved. During your travels you will often be confronted by children or adults asking for pens, sweets or money. We strongly suggest you refrain from giving gifts and money to these people. Parents may encourage children to skip school if they can make an income from begging and dental care in some areas is unavailable or not affordable.
On the other hand, please feel free to interact with them, show them a magic trick, photos of your family or take a photo of them (and send it back). These people are often ignored all day by tourists and as such will really appreciate your time spent with them.
If you bring school supplies to distribute to the community, please give the supplies to the local teacher rather than distributing them yourselves as this can create conflict amongst the children. School supplies can be bought very cheaply in Vietnam.
If you would like to make a financial contribution, please ask your tour guide for suitable places. (for example English classes for street children) where your donation will be appreciated.
Sex Tourism:
Prostitution in Vietnam is illegal, although like everywhere else in the world it happens on quite a common occurrence. However, unlike many sex workers in your countries, many women and children have been sold, trafficked, drugged with little opportunity to escape the downward spiral of destruction. For this reason we strongly do not allow our leaders or our passengers to use the services of local sex workers.
The use of children for the use of locals, tourists, businesspeople and expats is a deplorable act and it highly illegal. We encourage any travelers who witness any use of children used in the Sex industry to report them to EXPAT-Childwise immediately.
Photography:
– Vietnam is surely a photographers dream and most travelers are keen to take photos to remind them of the beauty of the scenery of the countryside and the people BUT…
– Please always ask before taking pictures of people. Consider how you would feel if you were chased by a camera or if a strange person was taking pictures of your children in your country. To ask permission, usually just pointing at your camera with a questioning look will suffice or even better asking in the local language and a smile usually helps.
– Usually spending some time interacting with your potential subject before asking will mean they will say yes and even give you a big smile. Respect people’s decision if they say no. If they agree, please take the time to print out photos when you get back to the closest town to give back to the locals. Photo printing is very cheap in Vietnam (sometimes only 2,000 vnd per print) Returning your photos via your guide or by post is a wonderful cultural exchange especially in rural communities where photos are highly treasured.
– Please do not pay for taking photographs as this creates a begging mentality.
Bargaining:
Bargaining is part of everyday life in many less developed countries and to a certain extent, foreigners are sometimes charged more than locals because they are considered to be richer and unaware of the market prices for goods and services.
However, bargaining should be done in a light-hearted way with a degree of joking and banter on all sides. Getting upset over 10 cents is not really worth it.
Ways to bargain whilst saving face!
– Start bargaining with some idea of what you consider a fair price for the item to be. This will usually involve sourcing the item in a number of different stores.
– The correct price for an item is the price you agree to pay, that keeps both you and the seller happy. Therefore there’s no ‘right’ price.
– Be polite, patient, but firm in your bargaining. No-one ever has received a cheaper price through being rude or insensitive.
– Don’t appear too interested in an item. Walking out of a store is often a good way to get the price to drop.
– Shop with a friend – buying in bulk will often reduce the price.
– Learn the numbers in the local language. It will win respect from the seller, and will certainly make the process a lot more interesting.
– Once a price you have offered is accepted it is not appropriate to back out of the deal.
– Only say you’ll buy something later if you intend to buy later. The sellers usually have amazing memories, and will come hounding you on your promise!
– Most importantly, enjoy the experience, and remember you’re often only bargaining over only a few cents – keep it in perspective.
Religious and Historic sights:
Watch your feet- Sometimes you will be required to take off your shoes before going in to some religious monuments. Also make sure you are dressed appropriately.
Some religious artifacts should not be photographed. Ask your guide, look for notices or ask a local.
Please don’t be tempted to take a souvenir.
