Indian traveler blames ‘North Indians’ for ruined Vietnam trip; rant goes viral, divides netizens

Ravi Handa, host of the Desi FIRE Podcast, recently stirred controversy with a social media post criticising the behaviour of North Indian tourists during his trip to Vietnam over the New Year. His remarks, shared on X (formerly Twitter), described instances of loud and disruptive conduct that, according to him, spoiled the travel experience.

“I went to Vietnam for the new year break, and Goa was a choice. But not for the reasons any of you people on Twitter go bonkers about. Goa has too many North Indian tourists, and they ruin the experience,” Handa posted.

Alleged Incidents of Misbehaviour

Handa recounted specific incidents of what he termed "bad behaviour" by North Indian tourists in Vietnam. He described a group shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" in a train coach after noticing other Indians nearby. In another instance, a couple allegedly cut the queue at an attraction, with the woman saying, “Aage chalo. Yahan koi nahi rokega” (Move ahead; no one will stop you).

“People were jumping queues multiple times. 100% of the time, it was Indians. I even stopped one at the cable car line, and he replied, ‘Hum logon ke pass special pass hai’ (We have a special pass). I did not want to argue and gave up,” Handa wrote.

Social Media Reaction

The post, which garnered over 707,000 views, sparked a flurry of reactions online, with users expressing mixed opinions. Some agreed with Handa’s observations, while others accused him of stereotyping and unfairly targeting North Indians.

“Stereotyping North Indians surely will get you two cents, Ravi, from like-minded people. But this mentality has only not allowed us to progress as a society, because everyone is busy in North vs South vs East vs West debate,” one user commented.

Another wrote, “Uber racist comment. How did you know that misbehaving tourists were North Indian?” Handa responded, clarifying that the tourists he encountered explicitly mentioned they were from the NCR region.

Others supported Handa’s view. One user remarked, “North Indians now are even worse! Me, being a North Indian myself, always felt ashamed, but now it’s a whole new level of shame!” Another shared a similar anecdote: “There was a group of North Indians on a train in Europe, making too much noise in the name of ‘having a good time.’ All the other Europeans were silent, and only these people were shouting.”

Rising Complaints About Indian Tourists Abroad

This incident is not isolated. Just days earlier, another Indian traveller shared a similar experience on X. The man described an encounter on a train in Finland, where he felt embarrassed by an Indian family talking loudly. The post highlighted concerns about the perception of Indian tourists in foreign countries.

One user commented on the trend, noting, “The only places where I have seen Indians get a hell of a lot of civic sense suddenly is in the countries where there is a huge fine on behaving uncivilly, like the Middle East or the USA. Is that something we can replicate in India?”

Another warned about the potential impact on Vietnam’s hospitality industry, stating, “My biggest worry about the influx of Indian tourists to Vietnam is that they see it as another Thailand. And that leads to the locals not liking them. Not yet at that point, but could well happen.”

While the debate initially focused on North Indian tourists, it has since broadened to a wider conversation about Indian tourists’ civic behaviour abroad. Instances of queue-jumping, loud public conduct, and disregard for local customs have drawn criticism from both Indian and international observers.