Nha Trang No Tipping Policy for Departure: Travel Tips & Insights

I came across a small 🌸📖 that mentioned the common practice of tipping staff when departing from Nha Trang. I’ll share my personal experience to give you a better idea:

1. It’s true that tipping is a thing, especially for tour groups. We started checking in and dropping off our luggage at 8:30 am. The group in front of us was likely a tour group from Northeast China, and their guide reminded them to place 10 RMB in their passports. This matched what I had read in the little 🌸📖.

2. Here’s where it got interesting: during the exit check, the tour group in front of me, under the guide’s direction, formed a separate line. I watched as the guide called over a staff member to open another window, which was at least four windows away from where I was queuing.

3. I was already aware of the tipping situation, so I was mentally prepared not to give any tips. Luckily, the people in my line were all from Europe and America. Although the process was slow, it went smoothly, and it only took about 5 minutes.

4. While I was queuing, a few Europeans noticed the shorter line and tried to switch, but they were asked to return by the staff. Some of them were puzzled as to why they couldn’t queue in the other line, which indirectly suggests that this tipping practice is something the Chinese guides have set up, targeting primarily Chinese tourists. Since this practice is illegal, they wouldn’t open a separate window far away if it wasn’t just for Chinese travelers.

5. The Chinese who arrived later had their passports checked and were directed to the window where tips were expected. A few young women were quite firm and refused to give tips, which made the process longer, but they eventually got through.

Here are some tips to share with friends:
1. Arrive at the airport early to allow plenty of time for visa checks. We left at least 2.5 hours before our flight. Also, having a longer visa validity period can give you more flexibility.
2. Be assertive. If they tell you to queue somewhere, you can pretend not to understand and go to where there are more Europeans and Americans.

They won’t dare to upset these people and might even cater to their requests.
3. Don’t be too conspicuous. Keep your passport in your pocket and take it out only when necessary to avoid sudden passport checks by the staff.
4. You can play dumb, pretend not to understand, or even pretend to be Japanese or Korean.

Just don’t act arrogantly.

In the end, Nha Trang was just average, and there were Koreans everywhere. I probably won’t come back, and I didn’t find the prices particularly cheap. Even the resort I stayed at didn’t offer great service [doge]. It would be better to visit Xintiandi [picking nose R][picking nose R][picking nose R].