Tipping

GaryFunk wrote:

70 years old wrote:

Having been an American Citizen since 1980 has corrupted her Vietnamese'ness some. She also tipped or encouraged me to tip 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.

One of my wife's favorite stories is about the time, in the mid 1960's, that she worked as the housekeeper/babysitter for an ARVN MAJ and his family at a Base Camp that a US Special Forces team was assigned to and actually got a very large tip.

Anyway the SF Detachment was getting upset that their goodies, clothes, sleeping gear etc. had become over run by Vietnamese Rats.

The SF decided to win some local friendship and get rid of the Rats at the same time. They offered a 10 piaster bounty on every rat tail brought in. My future wife immediately rushed to the nearest "Rat Merchant," outside the gate, bought a dozen Rats for 10 Piasters, cut off their tails, skinned them, pigged out on her best meal ever, returned to the Base Camp presented her Rat Tails to the SF Soldiers and collected her 120 Piasters.

Unfortunately all the Vietnamese got involved and the SF Soldiers eventually figured out the scam and the gravy train soon ended.

Note; Field Rats, unlike City Rats, are clean, quite safe to eat and considered a delicacy in Rural Viet Nam.

bon appetit

Can't you guys PM each other when all you want to do is talk nonsense. We use to be able to unsubscribe to topics when the children started their babble. I thought the subject matter was tipping. You know there is a ** thread where you guys can talk the nonsense.

Actually, my wife's story is totally factual and was sold to and published in an extended and copy edited version by the Magazine "Gung Ho" some years ago. While the Magazine "Gung Ho" was profitable, it was owned by a publishing company that went broke.

See?   ..so...

Lighten up, Vag(ue)

   ..some of us come here for the fun...    Tittilation is always in vogue.

          ..and (some) others can read between the lines...       

*** I suspect there are forums that are meant for having fun though. Indeed, there is a permanent thread, like I said, that allows all to have fun with nonsense babble.

I'm actually very proud of the puckishness, courage, good business sense and good humor that my wife possesses. A large amount of the real Viet Nam that I knew and loved will be lost as her generation passes on.

..while a (select) few miss the point entirely...

(The 'original' (Latin) meaning of 'sin')

(Yawn)  yet again, lotsa sinners here...         

70 years old wrote:

I'm actually very proud of the puckishness, courage, good business sense and good humor that my wife possesses. A large amount of the real Viet Nam that I knew and loved will be lost as her generation passes on.

Lost, like tears in rain..?

   No.   Your example is already written into the (long) history of Viet Nam

   Be proud of being a part.

70 years old wrote:

[

Anyway the SF Detachment was getting upset that their goodies, clothes, sleeping gear etc. had become over run by Vietnamese Rats.
Note; Field Rats, unlike City Rats, are clean, quite safe to eat and considered a delicacy in Rural Viet Nam.

bon appetit

Whilst I'm unlikely to knowingly try rat pie, the story was very funny and totally off topic, but also informative as to a local custom.
The 'tip' in story seems to have been a 'tip' about how to make money from unsuspecting foreigners.
Reading the thread seems to give the impression tipping is not normal in Vietnam, but it's perfectly  acceptable for a foreigner to do so if they feel the service was good (or the lady was pretty).

Is that about right?

Nobody as ever refused a tip from me. But several local friends insist that NO tip be left.

I tip the girls that take care of my hair, at least 30%.

Receiving 1000-2000VND (US$0.05-0.10) is not worth the effort. Giữ sự thay đổi!

Fred wrote:

The 'tip' in story seems to have been a 'tip' about how to make money from unsuspecting foreigners.
Reading the thread seems to give the impression tipping is not normal in Vietnam, but it's perfectly  acceptable for a foreigner to do so if they feel the service was good (or the lady was pretty).

Is that about right?

Sort of, I considered the 'tip' to be the 110 Piaster profit paid by the American Soldiers on her free 'best meal ever'. If memory of what I've been told serves, the 110 Piaster would been equivalent to one month's wages. The magazine got a fair amount of response on the Article, mostly from GIs who had similar experiences or at least heard of similar experiences.

What I think everyone enjoyed was the fact that she actually had the gumption to get paid for bragging about cheating American Soldiers in a Magazine aimed at the American Soldiers and that those same Soldiers reveled in it. The pure gall and gumption of the Vietnamese sometimes got our respect. This was one of those times.

Is that about right?

More than.

For while we all admire good service, common courtesy, smiles (etc) - and reward it accordingly via tipping,  we also recognise and respect 'gumption'  as belonging to those who are willing to get off their backside and 'just do it'.     ( And money is but one form of reward...)

Actions speak louder than words.   But cheating..?    Simply someone taking (legal) advantage of an offered reward, as I see it.     A rat is a rat. 

     Delicious too.   Remove the mindset.    Meat is meat.

Vagabondone wrote:

Can't you guys PM each other when all you want to do is talk nonsense. We use to be able to unsubscribe to topics when the children started their babble. I thought the subject matter was tipping. You know there is a BS thread where you guys can talk the nonsense.

No.

Well said, Gary.    A good tip even.       

Bazza139 wrote:

Well said, Gary.    A good tip even.       

Thank you, sir.

Here's another tip: Life is too short to take everything serious.

Hi everybody,

Thank you all for your participation.
However, we are very off topic here. 

The initiator launched this topic to talk about tipping, that is give someone a small amount of money in addition to what you owe for a service.

To avoid threads going off topic, please feel free to create a topicless thread on the Vietnam forum. On this newly created thread, you can talk about everything and anything. However please make sure that it is in compliance with the forum code of conduct.

Thanks all,

Priscilla

panda7 wrote:

I'm just wondering if the Vietnamese tip when they go for their morning coffee ? sometimes I tip sometimes I don't. Usually I do when they come and fill up my iced tea, smile say hello. usually I don't if the waiter sits there looking at their phone and no refills. Anyway just wondering how the Vietnamese tip, where and when ? is it usually expected ? thanks

This isn't the best place to ask that question. Most of us are not Vietnamese.  And answering that question leads us to off-topic responses, which brings out the forum police.

In essence, you have asked a question that can't be answered by us.

well a lot of expats here are married to Vietnamese so im sure they are qualified to give a reasonable answer as some have done

panda7 wrote:

well a lot of expats here are married to Vietnamese so im sure they are qualified to give a reasonable answer as some have done

But they are not your typical Vietnamese. Since Vietnam is a male dominated society, they will have been influenced by their husbands.

GaryFunk wrote:

panda7 wrote:

well a lot of expats here are married to Vietnamese so im sure they are qualified to give a reasonable answer as some have done

But they are not your typical Vietnamese. Since Vietnam is a male dominated society, they will have been influenced by their husbands.

From decades of observation, I believe that Vietnamese women play a bigger role in Finances, Business and Society than most people realize.

GaryFunk wrote:

panda7 wrote:

well a lot of expats here are married to Vietnamese so im sure they are qualified to give a reasonable answer as some have done

But they are not your typical Vietnamese. Since Vietnam is a male dominated society, they will have been influenced by their husbands.

Hmmnn..?   ..not too sure about that one, Gary...

  Having been witness to (too many?) er, um, debates?  between Vietnamese spouses, I can verify that while the men are (allowed to?) pretend to be the rooster, it is the norm here that the woman dictates what actually happens.     Civilisation and sophistry will always fail before primal function. 

And while (some) Western women feel feminism is appropriate for an 'equality', the Viet Nam woman has had it cut and dried for eons.

   Still, as other married expats have advised, it is a sensitive subject.   Some agree, while others think it a waste of money.   True equality is in 70's answers, but I think that is also true love. 
         Sadly, rare in any society.

Bazza139 wrote:

GaryFunk wrote:

panda7 wrote:

well a lot of expats here are married to Vietnamese so im sure they are qualified to give a reasonable answer as some have done

But they are not your typical Vietnamese. Since Vietnam is a male dominated society, they will have been influenced by their husbands.

Hmmnn..?   ..not too sure about that one, Gary...

  Having been witness to (too many?) er, um, debates?  between Vietnamese spouses, I can verify that while the men are (allowed to?) pretend to be the rooster, it is the norm here that the woman dictates what actually happens.     Civilisation and sophistry will always fail before primal function. 

And while (some) Western women feel feminism is appropriate for an 'equality', the Viet Nam woman has had it cut and dried for eons.

   Still, as other married expats have advised, it is a sensitive subject.   Some agree, while others think it a waste of money.   True equality is in 70's answers, but I think that is also true love. 
         Sadly, rare in any society.

But let's go to the original question.  He asked about Vietnamese.

There are not enough Vietnamese, male or female, here to obtain an accurate answer. As an American, i tip as an American even though my wife is Vietnamese. As a Vietnamese, married to an American, she wants to learn and understand American culture.  I wish her luck.

Vietnamese women play a bigger role?

I must agree.

I see parallels with the Inquisition, where the men (all?) went marching off to war, leaving the women to inherit so much property.  But I doubt if (any) church would be capable of interfering in Vietnam.

No witch-hunts here.    Who (what man) would be brave enough..?        Be afraid. 

(Be very afraid)

Bazza139 wrote:

Vietnamese women play a larger role?

I must agree.

I see parallels with the Inquisition, where the men (all?) went marching off to war, leaving the women to inherit so much property.  But I doubt if (any) church would be capable of interfering in Vietnam.

No witch-hunts here.    Who (what man) would be brave enough..?        Be afraid. 

(Be very afraid)

I ain't afraid of no ghost.

I will never say my wife "plays" a role. She is very serious about her role.

I know women have a big role in business.  My wife owns a clothing store. Her sister owns a business.  And her sister-in-law owns a business.

All I own is a house, two cars, three TVs, four children, five dogs, six computers, seven cell phones, and a Ginzu knife set.

Here's a tip; avoid the new Ghostbusters movie. It's terrible.

Only if you don't watch District 9....     

Just ask for the tea to be refilled,  and it will be refilled. No need tip.

I'm like you, at the coffee shop I go to in the morning I will tip if my service is good but alot of times they just sit there and play with their phone unless the manager happens to be there. I gave a tip to one of the girls once and she tried to give it back to me and another one bought my coffee the next morning. Most of the Vietnamese don't tip at all.

Hi, you don't need to tip in normal local restaurants, coffee shops. But you may tip at good restaurants (4, 5 stars) or at night clubs, bars where there are usually more extra services. Cheers.

Comon!, tipping a waitress for being pretty?...No wonder there are so many pretty waitresses doing less serving and more gawping at their phones.

It is certainly different from Thailand where we tip everywhere.