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• Never wear shorts, dresses or skirts, or tops with low-neck lines and bare shoulders to temples and pagodas. To do this is considered extremely rude and offensive.

• Never give your empty water bottles, sweets, and candies to the local people when trekking through ethnic minority villages. You cannot guarantee that the empty bottles will be disposed of in a correct manner and most of these people do not have access to dental health. If you would like to give pens/paper, ask your guide to introduce you to the local teacher and give them to the teacher for distribution.

• Never sleep or sit with the soles of your feet pointing towards the family altar in someone's house.

• Never venture out from your hotel with more cash than you really need for that day. It is not something to be paranoid about; simply do not make yourself a target for pickpockets or drive-by bag snatchers in the big cities. Ho Chi Minh City seems to be a little worse than anywhere else in Vietnam. On the whole, it is one of the safest countries you could ever wish to travel in.

• Never lose your temper in public or when bargaining for a purchase. This is considered a serious loss of face for both parties. Always maintain a cool and happy demeanor and you will be reciprocated with the same.

• Never try to take photographs of military installations or anything to do with the military. This can be seen as a breach of national security.

• Never take video cameras into the ethnic minority villages. They are considered to be too intrusive by many local people.

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