A brief note on cultural differences you may experience in Vietnam, whether staying in private homes or in a hotel.
Recently a guest commented on Tripadvisor about the practice of leaving shoes outside of rooms as well as closing the gate at night and having staff sleep downstairs. We realized that this may surprise some people coming from other parts of the world, so we thought that a little explanation could help those less familiar with Vietnamese customs.
First, shoes. It is considered impolite (and unsanitary) to walk inside a home without taking off your shoes. Public businesses normally (although not always) allow you to wear your shoes inside, but in the case of hotels, most Vietnamese and some other Asian peoples take off their shoes and leave them outside the door. We welcome people from all parts of the world and encourage everyone to follow their traditions. Our staff do take off their shoes before entering a room, as a courtesy. If you are not sure about taking off your shoes when visiting someone in Vietnam, just take a look at the area outside their door - if shoes are piled around, start unlacing yours!
Next, closing gates at night. Throughout Vietnam, all hotels strive to give their guests a safe experience and we are no different. In the case of Rising Dragon, we close the outer gates at night, usually around 12pm for safety reasons, as do most hotels in the Old Quarter. Our gate closes to protect guests (and staff) from unannounced visitors, outside noise, and possible theft. Local police encourage this practice. Any guests who return later or arrive on a late flight merely need to knock to be allowed inside.
As for staff sleeping downstairs, usually one or two staff members stay overnight downstairs in case guests return or arrive late at night. These staff members live on-site, which means they also work or go to school during the day. The best solution for many Hanoi hotels has been to allow them to catch a nap between 12-5am. This way they get a little sleep, have a free place to stay, and can still protect the hotel and help the occasional guest who may need something late at night.
Hope this helps you prepare for a few cultural differences that you may experience in Vietnam. If you have other questions or think we should blog about another aspect of life here, just let us know and we'll do our best to provide the answers!
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