Tipping in Vietnam

If you are traveling to Vietnam, you may be wondering how much of a tip to leave and how tipping there compares with other countries you have visited. Hence, the Conde Nash Traveller Tipping Guide (which is available on the Conde Nash website and is also downloadable in pdf format) offers a very handy and useful reference guide for tipping in more than 35 countries around the world.

According to the guide, visitors should scan their restaurant bill first just in case the gratuity was included. If that is the case, throw a few extra bills on top and if no gratuity was included, then you should leave a tip of about 10% in cash and a little extra if you tip via a credit card. At Vietnamese hotels, a concierge should receive about US$20 if he does you a favor such as securing hard to get reservations somewhere outside the hotel. Doorman don’t need to be tipped but you should leave cleaning staff with US$2 a day at the end of your stay. In addition, massage therapists in upscale Vietnamese hotels should receive US$5 to US$10 and if you visit a days-long spa, find out the tipping policy in advance.

Meanwhile, guides should receive US$10 per person per day while drivers should receive about half of that amount. Taxi drivers don’t need to be tipped but you may also choose to round up the fare to a larger denomination. For drivers of cyclos or bicycle carriages, its ok to add a tip of a few dollars on top of the usual US$10 fare. 

Finally, US dollars are widely accepted in Vietnam and US$2 bills are considered to be rare and lucky. Hence, bring a supply of them to give to porters.

Lonely Planet Travel Vietnam videos

Should you be visiting Vietnam either for business or for pleasure, Lonely Planet has created a couple of short travel videos worth watching before you go. In the first travel video appropriately entitled “Adventures in Eating in Ho Chi Minh City,” Anton Seim visits a few Vietnamese restaurants and eating spots that could easily be fit into your itinerary on your next business trip to Vietnam. This includes a Pho 24 outlet (a well known local noodle chain), the Ben Thanh market (the city’s main market place), Fanny (a luxurious ice cream parlor) and Sesame (a French boulangerie and patisserie).

Should you be visiting Hanoi instead, Lonely Planet Travel has also produced a travel video highlighting the city’s French legacy and of course, the city’s crazy traffic jams created by more than one million mopeds and motorcycles. 

 

Multiple Entry Business Visas for visiting Vietnam

Should you be planning to visit Vietnam to do business and will be entering and leaving the country more than once, you should consider obtaining a multiple entry business visa. A multiple entry visa may be valid for three months, six months or up to one year depending upon the discretion of the Vietnam Embassy or Consulate General and fees will vary accordingly.

When applying for a multiple entry business visa prior to arrival, applicants should have the following:

• An original and signed passport that is valid for six months beyond your stay in Vietnam. There must also be a blank visa page available for the visa stamp.
• Two visa application forms per applicant with an original signature on each application.
• One recent 2 x 2 passport sized photograph.
• A formal invitation letter from your partner, host, representative, relative, friend or a travel agency in Vietnam. This must be pre-approved ahead of time by the Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security (258 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City or 40a Hang Bai, Hanoi). Based upon their approval, the Embassy of Vietnam will issue the visa to the applicant.
• A business letter from an employer or sponsoring company printed on company letterhead that introduces the applicant and indicates the applicant’s employment status/position held in the company and clearly states the purpose of the visit to Vietnam. The letter must indicate who will be financially responsible for the applicant and provide detailed contact information for the host entity.
• Proof of departure in the form of a computer generated flight itinerary from the airline or travel agency or a copy of your airline tickets.

Applicants should allow for up to a week for processing unless expedited processing is requested. However, for those planning to visit Vietnam for business, it is advised to contact either your embassy or consulate general in Vietnam or the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate general in your home or resident country.