禁漫天堂

Vietnamese tipping seems odd to most Americans.聽 People don't tip at restaurants, but my wife suggested that I should tip the mechanic at the Honda dealership.

I usually tip at restaurants because I know the waiters salaries are low and they rely on tips somewhat. I don't tip at street stalls. Coffee I'm not sure sure about ?

Tends to be optional and 5% to 10% is considered fair if not generous.

I am always happy to tip if they give me a discount! LOL!

I gave a waiter a tip once...I told him to smile, tuck his shirt in and clean his shoes...

BuddyM wrote:

I am always happy to tip if they give me a discount! LOL!

Actually, I seem to get bigger portions and better service than those who don't tip, as well as some disapproving looks from non tipping customers.

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

panda7 wrote:

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

A lot depends on how pretty the waitress is. I may be in my 70's. But, I ain't dead yet.

It may also have something to do with you/us being "a Westerner" ... I try to leverage "the Western look" as well for an extra portion or a smile ...

If you plan to tip give to the waitstaff don't put on the table otherwise the tip may go to the owner instead.

Don't need to tip unless you go to a western owned restaurant or coffee shop. It's not customary to tip in Vietnam. Whatever you choose to do is up to you. It's your money and if you feel they deserve a tip then do it. Just don't feel obligated to tip.

Tipping was illegal in the old times, but it is catching on. Unfortunately far faster than smiling, great customer service. We never tip unless it is built into the bill. And even then sometimes we push back on that. Only because usually the service is so poor or non-existent.

I am not allowed to tip. When change is returned, my wife grabs it so I don't get any funny ideas. She says Vietnamese never expect tips. It is difficult growing up and being conditioned to do so in a tipping society, then moving to a non-tipping one. In fancier restaurants or in a group, as @vagabondone says, service charges are sometimes added, can you read the Vietnamese fine print?

Yet sometimes if the person is especially friendly, chatty I'll sneak a small tip (cash directly to the person, not on the table) as that is behavior I like to encourage.

a lot of the service staff (in tourist areas) are on very low salaries and rely on tips so if the service is good I tip...

70 years old wrote:

panda7 wrote:

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

A lot depends on how pretty the waitress is. I may be in my 70's. But, I ain't dead yet.

Me too. While I have a beautiful wife I still enjoy great works of art.

panda7 wrote:

a lot of the service staff (in tourist areas) are on very low salaries and rely on tips so if the service is good I tip...

I don't see how that is our problem. I mean if the restaurant owner decides to pay their employees pennies then who am I to disagree ? At the end of the day it isn't my duty to make sure they get proper pay. Blame it on the owner and not the patrons. I pay for the meal and not the performance of their employee.

I admit I (sometimes) refuse change with (especially) street vendors

..but then, my ulterior motive works...聽 聽

Smiles, good service AND bigger portions...聽 聽Constantly.聽 聽 聽 聽

Bazza139 wrote:

I admit I (sometimes) refuse change with (especially) street vendors

..but then, my ulterior motive works...聽 聽

Smiles, good service AND bigger portions...聽 聽Constantly.聽 聽 聽 聽

I'm somewhat the same. I have to remind myself of the exchange rate.聽 5000 vnd is only 25 cents US.聽 I need to be sure I get about 2000 of those notes.聽 But they sure are hard to flip up in the air for playing "heads or tails."

70 years old wrote:

panda7 wrote:

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

A lot depends on how pretty the waitress is. I may be in my 70's. But, I ain't dead yet.

Sound like a sexpat to me鈽濓笍

Reminds me of the song,聽 "I am not yet dead" by Monty Python.

JenneSaisQuoi wrote:

70 years old wrote:

panda7 wrote:

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

A lot depends on how pretty the waitress is. I may be in my 70's. But, I ain't dead yet.

Sound like a sexpat to me鈽濓笍

Perhaps in my dreams. But my Vietnamese wife of 43 years keeps me in line.

If prostitution wasn't such a Hugh.....

Back in Oklahoma, as a teenager,聽 I used to tip cows.

GaryFunk wrote:

Back in Oklahoma, as a teenager,聽 I used to tip cows.

Tipping cows can get really dangerous. Cattlemen and Farmers don't have much sense of humor about that.

They certainly don't now and I understand why.聽 Cattle can be very expensive. But as a teenager in a small town I didn't understand much about how the world worked.

Humm,聽 you know... Vietnam is much like a country full of 12 year old children.聽 Many live their lives carefree and unknowing about this vast world.

Oh how I miss those days.

Perhaps the charity that my wife and I supported, that meant the most to us and we were happiest to see abolished, was a K-12 night school for working children. Back then school was not compulsory. Viet Nam was a lot poorer. A lot of children had to work or go hungry. At least, we were able to buy them some books and help pay the teachers, who had been mostly working for free, something.

When basic education became compulsory, our favorite charity no longer had a reason to exist. That is a blessing. To me the Vietnamese are a very tough people, especially the 12 year olds, that we helped educate

I'm a firm supporter of educating children as soon as possible.聽 My wife has a cousin that has a young daughter that would like to come to the US to study. I have volunteered to help support her if she is serious.

What really impressed us, is seeing K-12 kids who had worked all day, show up for school and do a good job of that as well. Those were some very impressive kids.

Sometimes I think about what would happen if our American kids were in the same situation.

There would be a big gap between two groups of children.

Anyway, this has gotten too serious. Let's get back to Politicly Incorrect stuff like leaving a larger tip because the waitress is pretty.

You mean like, The larger the tips, the larger the tip.

To answer the question.

My wife rarely tips but I tip the same as I do in the US. If I feel I have been given good service I will tip.聽 If I'm drinking and my glass is never empty, I will tip well.

If my wife is shown respect I tip very well.

GaryFunk wrote:

You mean like, The larger the tips, the larger the tip.

To answer the question.

My wife rarely tips but I tip the same as I do in the US. If I feel I have been given good service I will tip.聽 If I'm drinking and my glass is never empty, I will tip well.

If my wife is shown respect I tip very well.

Agree with all above, except before my wife became bed-ridden; she was a generous tipper. I guess that having been an American Citizen since 1980 has corrupted her Vietnamese'ness some. She also tipped or encouraged me to tipp for prettiness as she, as a woman, appreciated the effort and work involved in being pretty

Another point is that, I consider attitude to be a huge part of being pretty.

70 years old wrote:

Anyway, this has gotten too serious. Let's get back to Politicly Incorrect stuff like leaving a larger tip because the waitress is pretty.

Not PC, but commonly true.

JenneSaisQuoi wrote:

70 years old wrote:

panda7 wrote:

so do you tip in coffee shops, if say you buy a coffee for 20,000 ?

A lot depends on how pretty the waitress is. I may be in my 70's. But, I ain't dead yet.

Sound like a sexpat to me鈽濓笍

I rest my case

Agreed.聽 聽 A tititude is a large part.聽 聽For some.

..but the formula of the soul is written on the face...

Just as the eyes are the windows to, too.

Works of Art are always appreciated.

Not always to be found in Museums either...

Fred wrote:

70 years old wrote:

Anyway, this has gotten too serious. Let's get back to Politicly Incorrect stuff like leaving a larger tip because the waitress is pretty.

Not PC, but commonly true.

Being PC is equivalent to Good Evil.

Bazza139 wrote:

Agreed.聽 聽 A tititude is a large part.

Oh, So, True. Nothing beats a large tititude!

70 years old wrote:

GaryFunk wrote:

You mean like, The larger the tips, the larger the tip.

To answer the question.

My wife rarely tips but I tip the same as I do in the US. If I feel I have been given good service I will tip.聽 If I'm drinking and my glass is never empty, I will tip well.

If my wife is shown respect I tip very well.

Agree with all above, except before my wife became bed-ridden; she was a generous tipper. I guess that having been an American Citizen since 1980 has corrupted her Vietnamese'ness some. She also tipped or encouraged me to tipp for prettiness as she, as a woman, appreciated the effort and work involved in being pretty

Another point is that, I consider attitude to be a huge part of being pretty.

I would like to suggest that she was less corrupted and more enlightened.

'Being PC is equivalent to Good Evil'

True Too!

For if you work for Good you will find Evil,

and if you work for Evil you will find Good.

Seen a lot of that.

Don't remember ever tipping it though..?聽 聽 聽 聽