In-depth
Vietnamese pretend to be foreign to avoid discrimination
  • | VietnamNet, dtinews | July 14, 2014 03:20 PM

Many Vietnamese people have complained about inferior treatment in Vietnamese shops and restaurants, causing some to pretend to be foreigners to get better service.

A number of shops, restaurants and hotels in Vietnam, particularly luxury ones, now prioritise foreigners over Vietnamese. The staff at many of these establishments believe that Vietnamese customers tend to be stingy and demanding, complaining that many Vietnamese customers try to bargain extensively only to buy nothing.

 

Some shops are reported to turn Vietnamese customers away, telling them that they are out of product or have been closed.

At some shops in the Old Quarter, which is very popular with foreign tourists, Vietnamese customers are told that a shop only sells wholesale, while foreign tourists are readily welcomed.

At one time there were a number of establishments that actually put up signs refusing service to Vietnamese. After public pressure, they were forced to take the signs down, but the discrimination persists.

Some have got around this inconvenience by speaking foreign languages when they enter high-end shops and restaurants, hoping to pass as foreign tourists. Mr. K.N., from Hanoi, said the he learned the trick at a bar where he and a friend were drinking beer. One barman came and asked if they wanted another. He answered in Vietnamese and his friend in English. His friend was immediately served while his cup sat empty. Next time around he answered in English and was promptly served.

Quoc Thanh, an office worker from Hanoi, said that he regularly travels and clearly sees flight attendants’ discrimination between Vietnamese and foreigners. He told a story of a time when he asked for more ice. The flight attendant dropped ice in his water, splashing him and the foreign passenger next to him. However, the flight attendant only apologized to the person next to him.

Although this type of anecdote may appear trivial, they have become widespread enough to make some Vietnamese people feel unwelcome in establishments in their own country and resort to various tactics to avoid such treatment.

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